Sunday, March 31, 2013

How to Create a Luxurious Bedding Presentation

Decorating and designing a luxurious bedding presentation is all about creating a bed that serves as the focal point for the bedroom. Bedroom design should have a dramatic and inspiring element that draws attention to the most important feature of the room, the bed. The addition of sultry fabrics, warm colors, and exotic themes can bring life to your bedroom design. A luxurious bedding presentation will allow you to create a bedroom that is relaxing and desirable. With the addition of sophisticated design and luxurious fabrics, your bedding can create a strong romantic appeal. A few simple ideas will help you create a luxurious bedding presentation.
 
Choose an Inspiring Theme

Luxurious bedding starts with a theme. Of course, your bedroom theme doesn't have to be as bold as a pirate motif or a tropical island thatched cabana, but it should resonate a particular vibe. Just as professional ice skaters create a theme by their costume choice and song selection, you can create a luxurious vibe for your bedroom by choosing an appropriate theme. Some suggestions for a luxurious bedding motif include: Asian Zen, Modern Geometric, Shabby Chic, and French Country.
 
Envelop Warm Colors
 
There is nothing as cozy and inviting as a luxurious bedroom that is saturated in warm colors. Warm colors draw you into the bedroom in a way that is inviting and engaging. When choosing warm colors for your luxurious bedding design, select colors that are in the deep reds, soft browns, and muted jewel tones. These colors will help you create a bedroom design that is luxurious and sophisticated. The subtle warm tones will add depth and softness to your design appeal. In general, bedroom colors that are too bright will negatively affect the visual appeal of your bedding. A bedroom color palate that is warm and seductive will look contemporary and inviting.
 
Dare to Use Sultry Fabrics
For a dramatic bedding design, you can invigorate your bedroom with sultry fabrics that work to create a sophisticated appeal. Stylish fabrics are elegant and mature in their overall appeal. The most alluring fabrics include: faux suede, satin, natural cotton, rayon, and down. Sophisticated fabrics add texture and a refined element to bedding and an overall bedroom design. Sultry fabrics energize a bedroom in a way that is visually appealing and comfortably chic. Decorating and designing a luxurious bedding presentation is all about creating bedding that serves as the main event for the bedroom. Dramatic and inspiring bedroom design keeps the focus on the most important feature of the room. The addition of inspiring themes, warm colors, and sultry fabrics all add to your luxurious bedding presentation.

Source : http://voices.yahoo.com/

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Create a Five-Star Bed for Less

Upscale hotels promise guests the perfect night's sleep by creating five-star luxurious beds which look and feel wonderful. Recreating that level of luxury for your home can be accomplished by knowing the different elements which go into creating five-star bedding and finding feel-good fabrics that are soft and plush, but at affordable prices.

Layers, Layers and More Layers

One common element that many of the five-star hotels use when creating luxury bedding is layering from top to bottom with super-soft yet crisp looking cotton linens, fluffy soft covers and plenty of plush pillows.

The elements of luxury hotel bedding generally include: (In order)

•    Bed skirt
•    Feather or foam mattress topper
•    Mattress pad
•    Fitted sheet
•    Flat sheet
•    One down blanket
•    Flat sheet
•    Duvet with an ultra-plush poly insert
•    Two feather and down pillows with protectors and pillowcases
•    Two hypo-allergenic pillows with protectors and pillowcases
•    One boudoir pillow with protector and cover

Now you can achieve "Heavenly Bed" concept level of lavish comfort, but at budget prices.

Flipping the mattress is the first place to start when building a luxury bed. Not only will it feel new again, but it adds years to the life of a mattress. To add freshness, sprinkle baking soda over the top and let it sit for an hour then vacuum it off.

Feather or Foam?

Deciding on a feather or a memory foam mattress topper is a matter of personal preference.

Memory foam mattress toppers (four inches or higher) help relieve pressure points and will improve the feel of a not-so-comfortable older mattress.

Feather toppers are fluffy and soft and will enhance a mattress which is in good condition.

Mattress toppers are a cost-effective way of adding a more luxurious feel to your bed and can add years of life to an older mattress. When deciding on how thick of a topper to get, remember that the thicker you go, the more bed linens will cost to cover it.

Covering the feather topper with a good thick mattress pad will not only protect it, but will also protect you from being stabbed by the tips of feathers that sometimes poke through the sheets. Also, feather toppers have a tendency to slip to one side and a good mattress pad will help keep it in place.

There are several mattress pads on the market which will do a good job of protecting your bedding. To keep everything neat and appealing, smooth out the wrinkles of the mattress pad and tuck the corners snuggly under the mattress. For additional hold, you may want to consider adding elasticized grips which slip under the corner of the mattress and attach to each end of the mattress pad.

By Donna L Montaldo, About.com Guide

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Bedwetting (enuresis) – A Guide for Parents

Most doctors consider a bedwetting child to be any girl older than age four and any boy over age five who wet the bed. Bedwetting generally declines with age. About 10% of all six year olds and about 3% of all 14 year olds wet the bed. In a very small number of cases, bedwetting can continue into adulthood. 

Bed-wetting (enuresis) is considered to be PRIMARY if the child has never been dry at night or only is occasionally dry at night. SECONDARY enuresis refers to bed-wetting episodes that occur after a child has been dry at night for a considerable length of time.

Primary Enuresis: When the problem continues into the school years, appropriate intervention can usually correct the problem. This article will review the causes for Primary Enuresis.

Secondary Enuresis: Children who have been dry at night for a considerable period of time may have occasional episodes of bedwetting. These are usually related to stresses in a child’s life and clear up on their own. Three of the more common events likely to cause bedwetting in young children are: hospitalization, entering school and the birth of a sibling. Children can also experience stress from such family problems as divorce, parental alcoholism, financial pressure as well as abuse and neglect. If the symptoms persist, you should consult your child’s doctor because the cause may be a physical problem which may require diagnosis and treatment.

Primary Functional Enuresis (Chronic Bed-wetting)

Cause: Chronic bed-wetting is thought to be related to 
  • Physically and/or neurologically immature bladder and/or 
  • Deep sleeping pattern. 
Apparently these children often sleep so deeply that they are not aware of the message the bladder sends to the brain saying it is full. It is presumed that bed-wetting is an inherited condition. Usually a parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent or other family member(s) will have had the condition. Also, children with attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities or allergies seem to be more likely to be bed-wetters than children in the general population.

Effect of Bed-wetting on the Child and Family: 

By the first grade, most children are embarrassed by their bed-wetting condition. They tend to withdraw from social activities that require sleeping outside their home. They also often suffer from low self-image. These children’s feelings can be greatly affected by the attitudes of their parents, who may feel that their efforts to end the bed-wetting have failed. Parents may also feel frustrated, angry and embarrassed about their children’s bed-wetting condition. Parents can help their children reduce negative feelings about their bed-wetting condition and speed up the process of overcoming it, by offering positive support, understanding and encouragement.

How to Choose Bed Sheets


Measure the depth of your mattress. Today's bed sheets are available in sets or for purchase individually, and they will fit most standard mattresses except those that are very deep. By knowing how thick your top mattress is, you can select the correct size sheets. Extra-deep pockets are available in some styles.

Consider thread count. Look for a high thread count when comfort and durability are important. Sheet manufacturers determine the thread count by the number of threads contained in one square inch of the bed sheet fabric. A thread count of 200 is acceptable, but good-quality sheets may have thread counts between 300 and 500. The highest quality luxury sheets may have thread counts over 600.

Think about Egyptian cotton. The Egyptian cotton plant produces a finer and longer thread staple, enabling sheet manufacturers to increase tension on the thread and create a finer and tighter weave. Luxury bed sheets often contain Egyptian cotton.

Think about sateen. Choose sateen sheets for a soft feel. Sateen sheets contain cotton fibers, but manufacturers use a special weave to make one side of the fabric very smooth. Expect to sacrifice some durability when you have sateen sheets. These sheets may pill after a few dozen washings, but they are very comfortable and suitable for guest beds where they will not be overused.

Go with a fabric that works for you. Select special fabrics to suit your sleeping style. Satin sheets are relatively inexpensive and have a super-silky feel, but they may trap moisture next to the body. Sheets made of silk and bamboo fibers are incredibly soft but are more expensive and may require special care, such as hand washing or dry cleaning. Cotton sheets are available in a wide array of textures and qualities, meaning they're a dependable choice.

Mix and match. Mix and match bed sheets with bed skirts, comforters and window treatments to create an interesting, dynamic style in your bedroom.

Source :  http://www.overstock.com/