I love the feel of new, clean sheets. I love pillows and cushions. (Cushions are a sensitive topic in my household. But I love them).
I’m not a great sleeper, but we all spend a fair amount of time in our beds, and sometimes beds just need a makeover. New pillows, new duvet, new sheets, new look (New Year!). Cue a trip to IKEA.
I am a huge IKEA fan: I love the Swedish style, but I also love the shopping experience. We quickly whipped through the showroom for a bit of inspiration and then onto the bedding department. The navigation in this department is first class. We were practically handheld through the whole experience.
Here’s the shopping list of what constitutes a bed makeover for me:
Mattress Protector
We selected Ängsvide for £6.25 in the UK and $14.99 in the US for a King size
Duvet/Comforter
They have a great navigation in place in IKEA. They talk “TOG” but they translate that in to normal language: cooler, warmer, extra warm. We selected Rödtoppa in 7.5 TOG as I keep the duvet on all year. It was £40 in the UK and $79.99 in the US. I know it’s silly, but I love the grey and white striped border. Yes- I know nobody can see this bit, but I like it!
Pillows
Firm or soft? It was so easy to navigate in IKEA: we selected Ärenpris firm. There is also an Ärenpris soft, but it’s easy to navigate from the packaging: the sold striped lines are for firm pillows, the wavy for softer. These are £12 a pillow in the UK and $14.99 in the US.
Pillow Protectors
I have never had these before, but I think we all know how difficult it is to wash pillows, so it seemed to make sense to purchase them. AND, they were £1.25! I was so impressed when we opened them, as they are actually zipped pillow protectors. The ones we selected were Ängsvide for £1.25 in the UK and $4.99 in the US
Bed Sheet
I love fitted sheets. I was raised making my bed with flat sheets, but fitted sheets are so easy! They are slightly messier to store, but they stay on the bed better. We have an IKEA mattress, so always buy our fitted sheets here as they fit better. The one we use is Gäspa for £18 in the UK and $19.99 in the US.
Duvet Set
I chose the duvet set when walking through the showroom, and when I found that it was called Stockholm (one of my favourite cities I have visited) I knew it was the one I had to have! It’s £40 in the UK and $59.99 in the US.
Bedspread
We chose Karit for this which is £35 in the UK and $39.99 in the US. I did have my eye on Strandvete but it was £100/$149, so decided to compromise. It also comes with 2 pillowcases for decoration.
Big Cushions (for sitting up in bed)
I selected Ursula which is a large 65cm x 65cm cushion cover for £12 in the UK and $13 in the US. You also need to purchase the cushion inner which is £4 in the UK and $6.99 in the US. Yeah…these are a point of contention. But I like them, so they’re happening!
Blanket
As a finishing touch, we also got the Vinter 2014 throw– it says £25 here, but it was on sale for £15 and is $29.99 in the US
And here’s the finished look-
The bed is Fjell and is £349 in the UK here or $589 in the US here– this was purchased in 2013 and is a great bed (prices exclude mattresses, but IKEA has a great choice of mattresses too!) There is storage underneath as well.
Verdict: it’s like sleeping in a hotel every night! Given that we spend (in theory) 122 days a year in our beds (8 hours a night…yeah right!), I would definitely recommend investing a bit in a bed makeover!
