Design in Depth: Bed Post

July 13, 2011

By Stacy Kunstel

True confessions time. I hate making beds. Making a bed look good in a photo shoot is an absolute nightmare. It’s like trying to make a 27-ingredient recipe when you’re short on time. Think about it–you’ve got wrinkly cotton fabric all over the bed, a bedskirt, multiple pillows. Further complicating matters is that many beds in master suites are king size, which means the bed looks like the size of an aircraft carrier in the photo.

Still, I do have a few memorable beds to share with you. Take them as inspiration next time you make yours.

Tip #1
When photographing a bed, it helps if you can back far away from it and you don’t see much of the sheets in case they are wrinkled or put an amazing coverlet over the end of it. This gorgeous bedroom is by Claire Maestroni of Mis en Scene in Greenwich.

Photo by Bjorn Wallander; click to see more

Tip #2
Press your sheets for hours until they look perfect, like in this bedroom by Karen Kaali-Nagy. A true bed stylist (there are people who do that for a living) would start by washing the sheets, drying them and pressing them.

Photo by Michael Partenio; click to see more

Tip #3
Multiple-colored fabrics will prevent you from spending hours ironing your sheets. I loved that when I walked into this Nancy Serafini-designed master suite that it only needed flowers. No steamer, no fuss.

Photo by Michael Partenio; click to see more

Tip #4
If you have trouble making a bed, go modern with a platform bed to make neat bed making easier. That was how interior designer Jeanne Duval handled this particular room.

Photo by Michael Partenio; click to see more

Tip #5
When in doubt, just give people so many things to look at that they don’t know where to look to find the creases! I adore Carolyne Roehm and her gorgeous bedroom!