In the Bedroom

(Our new mattress and bedding.)

Ryan and I have been married for over 11 years now, and we’ve had the same mattress that entire time.  I’m terribly cynical when it comes to all the old mattress propaganda out there, especially with mattress stores literally on every corner offering financing these days.  I mean, our parents and grandparents slept on the same mattresses their entire lives, and now there’s all that hype about mattresses doubling in weight with dust and dirt.  Vintage couches and chairs are cool, but somehow, old mattresses are dirty and gross.  It doesn’t make any sense.  I change my bedding religiously every single week and shower every single day, so I’m going out on a limb here when I say I seriously doubt my old mattress was in bad shape.

But our mattress was beginning to sag, quite literally, so this summer, we purchased a new one.  Ryan originally wanted to replace our queen with a king, but I finally talked him out of it.  My main motivation was saving my favorite headboard, which we bought from the now-defunct Bombay Company on clearance right after we moved into our house.  I love that headboard, and knowing I had to get rid of it was breaking my heart.  Not to mention that sizing up in mattresses also requires an entirely new wardrobe for the bed itself, when you factor in a mattress pad, sheets, bed skirt, comforter, duvet cover, and pillows.  We have two little kids and are lucky to get six or seven hours sleep at night, so it’s not exactly as if we’re spending much time luxuriating in bed.  It didn’t make sense to drop hundreds of extra dollars on a bigger mattress and accessories when we don’t even get to enjoy them.  Plus, save the pretty headboard!

So we went with another queen mattress, which is very nice and comfortable, though I have no idea what kind it is.  I will tell you that I also talked Ryan into buying the floor model for 30% off, and with that savings, we basically got James’ new big boy mattress for free.  He had outgrown his baby/toddler crib mattress, and we converted his crib to a toddler bed, and now it’s an actual full-size bed!  He also doesn’t spend nearly enough time sleeping, so we got a basic, run-of-the-mill mattress for him, too, and he loves it.

But, with everything we saved, I finally decided to update our bedding, just a little, with a new duvet cover and shams.  Since I’m thrifty when it comes to bedding (I buy sheets from Costco when they go on sale at Christmas), I prefer to use a white duvet with a cover, and then every few years, switch out the cover to freshen things up.  It’s a really affordable way to update my bedroom’s style.

(West Elm’s Organic Ikat Scroll Duvet and Shams.)

Since I have such a West Elm crush lately, I found their Organic Ikat Scroll Duvet Cover and Shams on sale and decided to take the chance before they sold out.  (The cover is now out of stock.)  Ryan has graciously put up with my super flowery and really feminine cover for a couple of years now, so this cover is a bit more masculine.  I especially love how painterly and modern it is, while still reflecting a classic sensibility that goes with my beautiful headboard.  Because if you can’t take your mattress seriously, at least the bedding can look good, right?

(My favorite mix and match bed pillows, which are very old, too.)

We’ve had it for a few weeks now and I really love it.  The cover is a nice greyish-blue that makes the room feel quiet and comfortable; plus, it’s all washable, organic cotton.  I’m betting we get several years out of this set, though I can guarantee we’ll replace it before the mattress goes.