Decorating and Organizing Your Bedroom

We’re always on the hunt for new ways to make life easier and, when we find them, we have to share with you. Learn how to fold a fitted sheet, put on a duvet cover with ease, and finish off your bed with a proper assortment of pillows. 

By Tamara Kraus, Real Simple

How to Fold a Fitted Sheet

Drape the sheet over your hands.

With the top two corners inside out and the elastic edge facing you, hold the fitted sheet with one hand in each of the top corners.

Fold in half and tuck in corners.

Fold the sheet in half vertically, flipping the right corner over the left to create a pocket. Rotate the sheet 180 degrees to make a another pocket at the top. (If your sheet has gathered sides, tuck them into each other.)

Fold in half once more.

Adjust your grip so there are two corners over your left hand and two over your right, with the folded seam at the bottom and the tucked and gathered edge facing in your direction. Then, Fold the sheet in half again so that all four fitted corners meet. Flip the right set of corners over the left.

Place sheet on the bed.

Take the gathered edges (facing up) and fold the longer part of the curved edge in toward the center a few inches, creating straight edges to make a rectangle. Fold in half lengthwise and then fold into thirds.

Pro Tip: Stop wrinkles in their tracks by folding sheets immediately after the dryer cycle is done.

How to Put On a Duvet Cover

1. Reverse the duvet cover so that it's inside out (tag facing out).
2. Place it on the bed with the opening at the end of the bed.
3. Lay the comforter on top of the duvet cover and connect them in all of the four corners with safety pins to prevent the comforter from moving around (while tossing and turning at night).
4. Starting at the head of the bed, roll the duvet cover and comforter as one toward the foot of the bed.
5. Invert the duvet cover opening around both ends (as you would with a sandwich bag).
6. Close the duvet cover (button or zip).
7. Unroll the bundle in the opposite direction (toward the head of the bed) and shake it out.

How to Play With Pillows

With pillows, there really aren’t any concrete rules except to use as many or as few as you want to suit your style and needs. However, if you’re looking for some guidance, there is a foolproof method to creating a balanced pillow pile.

1. Start with two euro shams closest to the headboard to anchor the remaining pillows and add some visual height.
2. Rest two standard shams in front of the euro shams
3. Then finish it off with a small lumbar pillow with some visual interest (like texture or an accent pattern).

Tip: If you want a more modern look, opt for a longer lumbar pillow that spans the entire width of the bed.