In these trying times, self-care is more important than ever. And one of the simplest ways you can keep yourself healthy is by getting a good night's sleep. We can't think of a better way to truly spoil yourself right now than by giving your bed the luxury hotel overhaul treatment.
Whether you want to splurge on Frette sheets or just learn how to make your bed like a hotel, with crisp and clean corners, we've got you covered. Read on for our guide to the best hotel sheets (and some cheaper alternatives), and turn your bedroom into a much-needed heaven right now. And while you're at, why not make at-home turndown service a thing? Chocolates placed on pillows are always welcome.
Here's how to make your whole house as comfortable as a luxury hotel.
The Best Hotel Sheets for a Five-Star Hotel Experience at Home
If you want to have the all-out luxury hotel experience in your own bed, you’re going to have to pay for it. The world’s most sought after linens can cost as much or more than your mattress in some cases. That’s especially true if you’re opting for the creme-de-la-creme sheets made by Frette and Sfera. However, you won’t be disappointed — there’s a reason why you’ll find Frette sheets and other high-end bedding at hotel chains like Thompson, Rosewood, and Mandarin-Oriental. And that reason is: comfort.
Quite possibly the gold standard when it comes to luxurious hotel linens, Frette has been producing the most famous Italian sheets available for over 160 years. You’ll find these perfect linens lining the beds of the world’s best hotel brands, including Mandarin Oriental and Ritz-Carlton. Not only do they feel good on your skin, they wash well, and hold up to multiple washings. (Sorry, we can’t get a hotel maid to wash and iron your bed sheets at home.)
From the exceptionally elegant Baccarat Hotel & Residences in New York City to smaller luxury boutique properties, Mascioni hails from the era of Italian mid-century design. However, the look and feel of these sheets is utterly timeless. In fact, Mascioni was founded to originally only supply sheets to the finest hotels in Italy. Lucky for us, they’ve expanded their offerings and are now available to trick out your bed at home. Monogramming optional, but highly encouraged.
Dressing the beds of chic hotel chains like Thompson and Rosewood, Sferra sheets go a long way to making you feel as spoiled as you do on vacation. Founded in 1891, the Italian home linen brand offers a huge array of styles to choose from — though of course we recommend the Grande Hotel collection in crisp white. However, the Fiona collection offers a nice selection of hues as well, should you want to spice it up just a touch. Don’t forget to turn back the covers to emulate turndown service.
There’s something special about the smooth sheets at the world's best hotels, the tightly tucked duvet, and how cool and crisp it all feels against your skin. You can get that feeling at home, too. (Dreamstime/TNS)
Sustainable Sheets for A Luxurious At-Home Experience
If your tastes — and morals — have you thinking about how your luxuries impact your carbon footprint and the health of the earth, you’d do well to check out the brands below. Saatva, Cozy Earth, and Cultiver all create amazing linens that help minimize their ecological impacts in various ways. All three brands also stack up to the quality level found at luxury hotels (and, in the case of Cultiver, you’ll find their bedding on some of Australia’s quaintest boutique hotels).
If you’re looking for luxury that’s also ethically sourced and better for the earth, you’d do well to dress your bed in Saatva sheets. These 100% organic linens are the stuff (sweet) dreams are made of and come from one of the most popular contemporary mattress companies out there. Given that fact, it’s safe to assume that Saatva knows a thing or two about a good night’s sleep.
Travelers who care about sleep hygiene know that part of sleeping well means keeping your body cool. That’s easier to achieve with sheets made from certain fabrics, like bamboo. Cozy Earth makes completely sustainable bamboo-fiber sheets that help decrease humidity and trap less body heat to allow you to drift off in comfort.
Looking for something a little different? We suggest Australian company Cultiver. Consistently rated as some of the best linen sheets out there by nearly every independent review site, these are 100% flax linen sheets. They’re smoother and more comfortable than nearly every other linen sheet brand and tend to last a long time, so you’re getting your money’s worth. You’ll find these sheets on luxury boutique hotel beds throughout Australia as well as high-end B&Bs in the U.S.
The Best Budget-Friendly Sheets for a Five-Star Hotel Experience
If the price tag on the above sheets is a little too high for you, have no fear. There are plenty of excellent bedding companies out there offering high-end quality at more reasonable price points. Read on for our favorite.
OK, OK. We get it. Luxury sheets aren’t priced for the budget-conscious. However, you don’t have to be able to actually afford a night in a luxury hotel to sleep as you do. Brooklinen is a relative newcomer to the bedding industry, but it’s rapidly making a name for itself with luxury-caliber sheets and linens at more reasonable price points. The Classic Core Sheet Set starts at just over $100, while our favorite — the Luxe Hardcore Sheet Set — is still far cheaper than many options on this list. Save on your sheets, and maybe splurge on a luxury hotel vacation.
How to Make Your Bed Like a Hotel — A Luxury Hotel, That Is
If you’ve ever slipped into a bed at any of the world’s best hotels, you know that there’s something special about the smooth sheets, the tightly tucked duvet, and how cool and crisp it all feels against your skin.
What’s the key to recreating this at home? For starters, you’ll want to forego the fitted bottom sheet. You read that right. In order to get that perfectly smooth, wrinkle-free base, hotels use oversized flat sheets to line their premium mattress. But executing this isn’t as easy as it might seem, and you’ll need to learn a simple new skill: hospital corner.
This involves tucking a flat sheet under one side of the mattress — working from one corner to the next. Once you’ve reached the next corner, pull the excess fabric toward you and then up onto the mattress, creating a 45-degree angle relative to the side of the mattress you’ve just tucked in. Leave the fabric creating a 45-degree angle atop the mattress and tuck the leftover fabric neatly under the side of the mattress you’ll be working on next. Then, pull the fabric making the 45-degree angle back down the side of the mattress, flush with the corner. Visual aids come in handy with this, so consult this free how-to video on hospital corners on YouTube.
With the hardest part of making your bed up like a luxury hotel over, the rest of the process is fairly self explanatory. The next step is the top sheet, which you’ll want to place upside down onto the bottom sheet. Take your time to smooth it out, tuck it underneath the foot of the mattress, and use hospital corners to tuck in the other sides and two bottom corners.
Once that’s done, opt for a proper lightweight down duvet (summer weight is ideal — like this down comforter from Booklinen) and a simple white duvet cover (also available from Brooklinen). Tuck the duvet under the foot of the mattress as well, smooth it out, and fold the top of the duvet down from the top of the mattress. Once you’ve done that, use hospital corners to get that crisp, clean look for the corners and along the foot of the mattress. Some hotels tuck the duvet in along the sides as well, in which case you’ll want to fold down the top of the duvet and tuck it underneath afterward. Give it all one final smoothing out by tugging gently on the sides of the duvet along the longer edges of the mattress.
You’ll also need to invest in at least two pillows for each side of the bed. Many hotels mix synthetic and down pillows to help create varying density and firmness, but since this is your home, you might as well indulge in your preferred choice. Add a few throw pillows or shams for good measure as well — they’ll give you that sink-right-in feeling when you first lay down. And may we suggest a set of decorative throw pillows to tie the whole look together?
Get some rest.
RELATED: 10 home trends to spruce up your space this winter
Add some brown
White and gray have been the ubiquitous go-to color palette for interiors in recent years. But warmer neutrals, including brown and beige, are starting to make a comeback, according to the 2021 Home Design Predictions recently released by Houzz. Warm taupes, beiges, sand and other earth tones are surging in popularity, according to designers and builders that Houzz queried. It's time for the pendulum to swing. And brown as an accent color can help bring some warmth into white and gray spaces, which can read as chilly.
Add some blue
We're all seeking tranquility these days, and blue is the perfect hue to create a serene and soothing home, according to Better Homes and Gardens. The magazine's trend forecast for 2021 includes "Ocean Hues," with shades ranging from deep inky blues to soft aqua.
Gain some privacy
The open-concept floor plan, so popular in recent years, was put to the test in 2020 as multiple household members struggled to take part in concurrent video meetings and classes without walls to muffle the sound. If your home has an open plan, consider adding sliding doors or partitions that can help block noise and create a sense of privacy.
Upgrade your home office
When the pandemic began, many workers hastily set up makeshift workstations at home. The trend of remote work will continue in 2021, Houzz predicts, and homeowners will seek ways to create more efficient dedicated home offices, work nooks and even backyard work cottages. If your home office isn't getting the job done, now's a good time to invest in some enhancements, such as a more comfortable chair, better lighting or a better system to organize and contain paper clutter. Video conference-worthy backdrops also are trending. If yours is lackluster, add a piece of artwork, a pop of color, good lighting and a little greenery, Houzz suggests.
Go retro
What's a "Grandmillennial"? It's a youthful fresh take on "granny decor," according to HGTV, and it's trending as a reaction to modern minimalism. Get the look and the feeling by incorporating a few touches often associated with Grandma's house, including cozy accents, pretty florals, ruffles and nostalgic throwback details such as needlepoint.
Soothe your stress
Bathrooms increasingly have become spaces for rest and relaxation, according to Houzz. You can make your bathroom soothing and hangout-worthy by adding a few spalike amenities — a steam shower, an aromatherapy showerhead or a bathtub filler or other attachment that can hold a cup of tea or glass of wine.
Upsize your tile
Large rectangular tiles are trending for bathrooms, according to Houzz. Big tiles mean fewer grout lines, require less cleaning and create less visual clutter. Large-format tile also can help a small space feel bigger. When using large tile on a bathroom floor, choose a matte finish for slip resistance.
Create a destination space
With recreational travel a distant memory, many are craving that getaway feeling at home. Interiors inspired by "Distant Shores," especially tropical locales, will be popular in 2021, according to Better Homes & Gardens magazine. Infuse a room with tropical brights, lush flower or foliage prints and beachy accents to create a space where you can refresh and recharge without leaving home.
Exercise your green thumb
Houseplants have made a comeback during the pandemic, and their popularity will continue into 2021, according to HGTV. Refresh your air and brighten your mood with some live flora. Or go all out and create a trendy "living wall" of plants.
Have some fun
With fewer diversions available to us, due to the pandemic, at least we can turn our creativity loose on our homes. Interior designer Taniya Nayak recently teamed up with Frog Tape to develop five home trends for 2021, including "Play Hard," which incorporates cheerful hues, lighthearted accent pieces and bright textiles, to create a sense of fun at home. DIY projects, such as painting bold geometric patterns on an accent wall or hand-painting planters, "add an element of joy," said Nayak.
