How to Jazz Up White Bedding

Jazz up your white bedding to electrify your space.

While white bedding can give your bedroom a soft, ethereal appearance, the effect can appear boring and sterile without the right accessories. If you're looking to jazz up your white bedding, stay away from soft, neutral shades that melt into the background. Be careful not to eat or drink on or around your bedding; a simple slip can turn your swanky boudoir into a stain-ridden reminder of why you shouldn't eat in bed.

Things You'll Need

• Paint
• Headboard
• Pillows
• Duvet
• Nightstands
• Lamps
• Candles
• Flowers
• Vase
• Artwork

Instructions

1. Install a brightly colored or dark headboard to contrast with your bedding. Leave the wall behind the bed white to create a layered effect with the wall, headboard and bedding, or paint the wall behind your bed a dramatic color that emphasizes each individual hue. Neutral or pale colors will wash out your bed, preventing distinct design elements from standing out.

2. Accessorize your bed with throw pillows and a dramatic duvet in bold colors and prints that drastically oppose the color white. Suggestions include red, yellow, bright green, black, orange, violet, dark pink, animal prints and eclectic patterns. Place the pillows strategically at the head of your bed to create a color line, and fold the duvet across the foot of your bed for an electrifying border.

3. Place a floor rug underneath your bed that emphasizes the whiteness of your bedding with a striking hue contrast. Choose a color or print that complements your other bed accessories.

4. Set up night-stand tables to clearly define the boundary of white space in your room, making your bedding stand out. Avoid white or neutral colored tables; try dark wood or black instead. Metal and glass-topped night-stand tables are also a good idea, as they provide the illusion that items on top of the table are floating in midair against the bright, cloudlike backdrop of your bed. Top your night stands with bold colored lamps that complement the rest of your room decor; add candles for a romantic flair. When seasonally appropriate, fill a vase with white and colored flowers to mimic the color scheme on and around your bed.

5. Hang artwork behind your bed, matted or framed in black, or with dark elements running through the piece, to emphasize the contrasting whiteness of your bed.

References

• Time Out New York: Apartments/ Home Design
• Overstock: Tips on Contemporary Bedding