I want an awesome bed.

October 11, 2011 9:15 AM

Do you have an awesome bed? A bed you're daydreaming about right now? I want you to tell me about it. Your favorite mattress, pillows, mattress topper, sheets, comforter, duvet cover, anything. All suggestions welcome.
posted by sharkfu to home & garden (49 answers total)

I got a lot of great bed-related answers when I asked this question.
posted by lalex at 9:18 AM on October 11, 2011

We have a TempurPedic mattress, and I really like it. It's very comfortable. (I wasn't sure I was goIng to like it at first, but now I really do. ) We've had it for 8 years, maybe? with no problems.
posted by leahwrenn at 9:18 AM on October 11, 2011

My dream (Japanese) bed.

Disclaimer: I've never slept on such a bed. But somehow, I know it's perfect for me. I really, really want this setup someday.
posted by DisreputableDog at 9:19 AM on October 11, 2011

We just bought a tempurpedic last month and it is the best thing ever. My partner gets up several times a night and used to wake me every time, now I can't even feel it. Also, my back doesn't hurt anymore, which is pretty outstanding.
posted by lydhre at 9:22 AM on October 11, 2011

I have a sleep number bed and an In Balance Layer that helps regulate temperature. Both are awesome.

We decided on a sleep number bed because I have issues with my hips and we needed to replace a saggy mattress. Since we got this bed, my hips rarely bother me and we never have to worry about sag because it has air chambers that don't sag and can be replaced individually if needed. I also was never able to sleep on my back comfortably and now it's one of the most comfortable positions! The bed conforms to your body and supports the whole thing equally. I rarely get the dead arm thing going on anymore either.

The In Balance Layer is so great. In the summer you get into a cool bed that never gets "swampy" and in the winter you never get the icy cold sheet phenomenon. On occasion when we're washing it I notice a real difference in my temperature experience in bed without it.
posted by Kimberly at 9:30 AM on October 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Two words: Down Comforter. Real goose down, not duck. Get a decent fill count or don't get one at all. Warm when it's cold. Breathable when it's not super cold. Get a good duvet cover to protect the investment (don't buy the cheap ones, do the research, it'll pay off).
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:35 AM on October 11, 2011

I really, really like my Ikea Sultan Alsarp box-spring. It opens up for a ton of extra storage. The wooden slats make it extremely firm, perhaps too firm for some.
posted by mhum at 9:35 AM on October 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

I love flannel sheets, and if you do, too, these Portuguese flannel are the bomb.
posted by SomeTrickPony at 9:35 AM on October 11, 2011

I have an awesome bed. And I, literally, was just daydreaming about it (I'm visiting my boyfriend in his (corporate) apartment, and have been sleeping on an awful, overfirm hotel-style bed for far too many days).

I have a full-sized bed (as I typically live/sleep alone), pushed up into a corner. The mattress is firm, but has a very thick pillow top. (It's a Serta, don't remember what style.) My bedsheets are modal, which is really lightweight and soft, so I get the cozy feeling without being overheated. Depending on the time of year, I have anywhere from one very light blanket to multiple heavy blankets and a comforter. I have a lot of (cheap) pillows with which I line the entire wall-facing back and side so that I can roll around anywhere and not touch any wall (and since my other side is blanketed, it's like I'm sleeping in a cocoon). One of the pillows is a body pillow, nice for cozying up against if I'm on my side. My primary sleeping pillow is a fancy gel and foam neck contouring one (don't know what brand, but it weighs about 20 lbs). To top this off, I have a rolling cart bed desk so that I can pull my laptop right up in front of me without balancing it on my lap, and I have my two most cherished been-with-me-since-I-was-born stuffed animals to keep me company.

Mock it if you want, but I guarantee that I sleep better than probably 99% of the population. (The only way it could be improved is if there were also stacks of cash under my mattress, but that's another matter entirely.)
posted by phunniemee at 9:36 AM on October 11, 2011 [7 favorites]

I just got a down comforter and feathertop bed from pacific coast feather and my feelings towards them both are largely obscene and uncomfortable to publicly discuss in any great detail.
posted by elizardbits at 9:39 AM on October 11, 2011

Go to a mattress/bed store and try out an adjustable bed. They are powered and come with a remote control. You can select any type of mattress. I have had one for 10 years and wouldn't do without it.
posted by nogero at 9:41 AM on October 11, 2011

I highly recommend excessive pillows.

My full-sized bed has six pillows made of various materials (feather, cotton, latex, misc synthetic, etc.) in multiple sizes (standard and king). In winter it gets two additional throw pillows because they match my heavier bedding. Combining items from this ridiculous pile allows me to get comfortable in any position, whether laying down to sleep or propped up to read, with spares for my partner to use (or throw on the floor) as desired.
posted by cranberry_nut at 9:43 AM on October 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Floor sleeping, man, if you can get away with it.

- IKEA Sultan futon mattress straight on the floor
- Mattress cover
- Good-ass sheets
- down comforter w/ good duvet cover
- Two firm-ass pillows
posted by beefetish at 9:43 AM on October 11, 2011

My ideal solo situation is a thick oriental rug and some blankets -- not for everyone but you never know! I find sleeping on the floor very comfortable, nice and cool when it's warm, delightfully warm when it's cold, and it makes waking up very easy.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 9:43 AM on October 11, 2011

If you are near one, you absolutely must go to the Hastens store and lay down on one. In the US, that would be Texas, Chicago, LA, New York. This is an incredibly 1% answer, but these are the best beds ever made. They are rather wildly expensive! They are also OUTRAGEOUSLY amazing. (Their pillows too!) Really, really expensive!

As for sheets (and pillowcases, and duvets and also pillows): Yves Delorme, all the way. They go on sale twice a year; don't pay retail.

I realize this answer will be an outlier here. The budget on these items is hysterical. But you said "awesome" and here it is.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 9:47 AM on October 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

My bed is circular and fucking massive (probably 6ft diameter) and I love the shit out of it. I will never go back to a bed with corners if I can help it. It is a box spring with two foam mattress pads on top (foam mattress pads are the best for not being disturbed by a fidgeting partner). We have a king size feather duvet and we just put the big heavy winter blanket on which makes me feel all tucked in and snug and it's amazing.
posted by corvine at 9:54 AM on October 11, 2011

I bought this mattress from Amazon a few months ago and I love it. One of the things that I like about it is that I can hang my feet over the edge and there's no uncomfortable ridge/cord/thing. It's on the floor because that's what I'm used to and because when I lie in it I can see trees and sky through the windows. If it were any higher I'd be looking at my neighbor's house instead. I have lots of pillows of different kinds: real down, memory foam, and polyester filled. I have a light silk quilt, or maybe it's synthetic that just feels like silk, and old very soft cotton sheets.
posted by mareli at 10:10 AM on October 11, 2011

I have spent real money on beds in the past and now, finally, I am incredibly happy with a loft platform topped by a futon. The futon is soft enough for comfort & shenanigans, but the platform gives the best support I've ever slept on.
posted by headnsouth at 10:16 AM on October 11, 2011

I've never slept in sheets that were more awesome than my organic cotton set. They're amazing.
posted by TooFewShoes at 10:21 AM on October 11, 2011

I hate this question because I'm currently sleeping on a flat Ikea mattress that makes me feel like I haven't slept for days. Maybe I should start sleeping on the floor.

My ideal bed involves flannel sheets, a velveteen blanket, down comforter, and a mattress that doesn't ratchet my back out of whack. I'm hoping some of these answers help me find a way to ameliorate my flat mattress pad problem.
posted by stoneandstar at 10:32 AM on October 11, 2011

After many years of synthetic pillows and duvet I found myself sleeping in a bed with feather pillows and duvet and decided to invested in both. They are amazingly super extra cozy and much more comfortable in a large range of temperatures.

That improvement made me realise that my 10yr old bed and mattress needed replacing, too. So I went ot IKEA and tested all their firm spring mattrasses and the various top pads they offer and picked the set up I liked best and then I picked the most suitable slats and bedframe for that mattress. And ever since I the back and neck pain I used to suffer from is gone. So my advice would be to go and test a large range of options and take it from there.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:33 AM on October 11, 2011

The one thing that turns my perfectly ordinary bed into a haven is my blackout curtains.

Even though I have a hand-me-down mattress (a twin, even) and sheets and comforters purchased because they're affordable, blackout curtains turn it into a comfy nest. I have an air filter for white noise.

That plus a warm cat = daydream material.

I don't sleep as well when I visit my parents, even though I sleep in a better bed, because I don't have the blackout curtains, air filter, or cat.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:37 AM on October 11, 2011

We have a memory foam mattress from Overstock.com, a 10" firm in the king size. It was $500 with shipping and two and a half years later it's still going strong. I also have a Tempurpedic pillow that I love - they seem small compared to ordinary pillows but you don't want it too big.

We also have a feather duvet, which is a must.
posted by Dragonness at 10:48 AM on October 11, 2011

A few summers ago in my cottage on Cape Cod I built the best bed. I had a hot new girlfriend coming up and was sleeping on a mattress on a loft that was clearly not going to impress her, and with no time to spare I just massively overbuilt the thing out of construction lumber: the posts are 4x4" fence posts, with a 2" rabbit cut out to form a pocket for the rails which are 10" wide ¾" plywood, doubled for the bottom 4" to form a lip on which rests the ends of 4 2x4" joists – the middle one sistered! – which support a ¾" ply platform which holds a 10" memory form mattress.

The thing just doesn't move or shake, not even a little. Someday I may make one to replace my (very nice) Stickley bed here in our apartment, same basic plan but out of hardwood and with thinner prettier posts and rails – it'll still be ridiculously strong.
posted by nicwolff at 10:55 AM on October 11, 2011

Oh, and we have that same $370 Sleep Innovations memory foam mattress that mareli got from Amazon and we love it.
posted by nicwolff at 10:57 AM on October 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Trying to answer all your questions, as I am currently completely happy with my bed.

The bed frame I made myself. It is a four-poster bed, made out of oak and poplar. The important thing is that it is high, as I do not like the standard spring layer most people put on their beds. It is a king size bed, deliberately not a "California King", which is hard to find sheets for.

The mattress is a "ComforPedic", which is a knock-off of a Tempurpedic. It is 10" thick, and has a couple nice features that low-end knock-offs do not have. The most important one is that the foam on the sides is much firmer than the foam in the middle. That's because it is too squishy to sit on the edge of the bed without that firmer part. I think I paid about $1,200 6 years ago for it, on sale. Completely worth it.

As an aside, I moved to this mattress from a "sleep number" bed, and it is shockingly better in many ways. One of those ways is that it is much better for sex. An air mattress is not so good for horizontal fun time, in my experience. Another way it is much better is that it doesn't get leaks. I bought my sleep number bed about 20 years ago, when they still had lifetime warrantees. I must've replaced my inflatable bed sack about 6 times due to inevitable leakage and wear. Annoying, as you don't really have a bed until it arrives a week or two after talking them into yet another replacement.

I'm also quite particular about my bed dressing.

First, I cover my mattress with a modern, breathable liquid barrier. I have two of them. I think they were about $50 each. The bed is a big sponge, after all, and, er, liquids happen in bed. I'd much rather wash the barrier every month or so than deal with the gross huge sponge. It isn't at all like sleeping on a big sheet of plastic, like one might buy for a kid.

Second, I buy nice but not crazy-expensive sheets. I don't like super-high-thread-counts. Maybe that is odd, but I find that 600-800 thread-count sheets are extremely comfortable without being overly sweat inducing. I think that super high counts act almost like a sheet of plastic.

I do like flannel sheets, but with the down comforter they can be too warm.

Third, in the summer I use a light comforter, and in the winter I use a decent down comforter, covered with a nice duvet cover. A nice duvet cover to me is one with buttons, cotton on both sides, and a beautiful pattern, usually stripes.

I have four complete sheet sets. That's about perfect. Even if I'm being lazy about doing laundry, I can change the sheets weekly.

For pillows, I only use one, which is a "gel fiber" pillow I bought at Costco. My wife likes more pillows, and has a gel fiber along with two feather pillows. That's too much for me, but she likes it. I used to have a thermopedic pillow, but I like the gel one far more. Pillows get old fast, so I try to change them about twice a year.
posted by Invoke at 11:05 AM on October 11, 2011

1. Springless Latex Mattress (Tempurpedic's seemed very comfortable but too warm for me.)
2. Some sweet sheets. I agree with Invoke about 600-800 being sufficient.
3. Down comforter
4. Enough pillows to give you any kind of neck, back, leg support you want.
5. I like a white noise machine myself (a fan works).
6. Make the room as dark as possible.
posted by MasonDixon at 11:16 AM on October 11, 2011

If you're anywhere near Southern California, check out Custom Comfort Mattress. It's a family company that makes really quality mattresses, and affordable because they sell direct to customers. They use natural cotton, latex and wool and have some organic options, and a lot of the work is done by hand.

When we were shopping for a new mattress, we went to one of the Custom Comfort showrooms and tried out a bunch of the mattresses, and ended up buying one that was twice our budget because we laid down on it and never wanted to get back up again - and it's been so worth it. 2-sided pillow-top latex mattress, cozy and supportive at the same time.

Also, a secret is that we don't have a bed - we just have the mattress, the boxspring, and Bedlegs attached directly to the boxspring, with a simple bedskirt (like this, except I sewed my own) over it. Plenty of room for storage underneath.
posted by illenion at 11:25 AM on October 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

I am in love with my Tempur-Pedic Symphony Pillow. The regular Tempur-Pedic neck pillows give me neck cramps, but this one is just amazing. I can't even.
posted by litnerd at 12:12 PM on October 11, 2011

Bed In A Box -- I have had their standard queen memory foam mattress for 4 years now. Just as good as (if not better than) a Tempurpedic at a fraction of the cost. Everyone who lays on it always says "Wow! Your bed is so comfortable!" I will never buy a 'regular' mattress again.
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 12:34 PM on October 11, 2011 [3 favorites]

BedInABox

Great memory foam mattress at 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of a Tempurpedic. Had it for about a year, so we'll see how the durability goes.

Made in USA.
posted by teg4rvn at 12:35 PM on October 11, 2011

My DOWN PILLOW has been been one of the sweetest comforts of the day for > 25 years. Best investment I ever made.

My mattress is a cheap futon pad, with an indeterminate number of various types of mattress toppers and pads stacked on top. When any one pad gets old and squashed, I recycle it as a cat bed and buy a new layer for my stack. This system is soft, comfy, adjustable over time, and cheap.

I love the feel of soft, old linen, and linen is the least sweat-making fabric there is. New linen sheets can be sandpapery and very expensive, so I've been scouring Ebay etc for old linen tablecloths of appropriate size (for a twin bed, plentiful and cheap). I'm washing and drying them over + over again to get them soft; I think I'll even ask a friend with a cement mixer to tumble them around in there for a while. My goal is to be sleeping in layers of soft, old, heavy linen -- that's my idea of happily ever after.
posted by Corvid at 1:46 PM on October 11, 2011

This. I'm kind of dozy thinking abo
posted by cromagnon at 2:07 PM on October 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

I love my Novaform mattress from Costco - it took us a year of research and testing out beds everywhere before we finally bought this one and I think we definitely made the right decision. I also prefer my down comforter to a non-down comforter. And supima cotton sheets are nice and soft!!
posted by echo0720 at 3:40 PM on October 11, 2011

Love my Bed. First of all, it's a california king, and we joke that it is the size of India. I love being able to stretch out, and even if stuff is in the bed, I am still comfortable. It's a beautyrest, no pillowtop, just the right firmness and softness. High thread count sheets and down comforter. Memory foam pillow to cradle the head.

some small green tea bars of soap still wrapped in the package, tucked away between the sheets to make it all nice and scented. I do solid color bedding - like chocolate brown, because I find a big, solid bed that's monochromatic and earth toned, very calming. Got the frame - also a chocolately brown, from Ikea, and it's a nice low bed. Not much else in the room fits other than the bed, and I like it that way, because the bedroom is all about the bed.

Meanwhile, I also bought my parents a beautyrest bed from a Macy's outlet for about 1/3 of the price.

I love being in my bed. I miss it very, very much right now.
posted by anitanita at 4:20 PM on October 11, 2011

For the last few weeks I have been dreaming, FANTASIZING, about a weighted blanket. I really, really believe a weighted blanket is going to rocket me into a new dimension of bliss. As soon as I have a couple hundred extra bucks, that shit's gonna be MINE.
posted by triggerfinger at 4:34 PM on October 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm restricted to my bed currently, and my husband bought me six extra pillows - BLISS. Two of them are latex pillows that we call the Magic Pillows and have arguments over who gets them each night. We're planning on buying more, mixed up with flat foam and down pillows. The latex ones are great under your head, the foam ones between your knees, and down pillows are a dream to hug or snuggle up to.

We only have cotton sheets because it's hot here, but if you're somewhere cold, try silk or warm flannel. I have a very old cotton-polybedsheet that I love to death because it's so thin and smooth. I've slept under expensive sheets before, and the only thing I've noticed is either the weight - very heavy or very thin - and smoothness.

We got a down mattress topper over our standard mattress which makes the bed all fluffy and warm, and is way way cheaper than an expensive mattress. We're changing mattresses next month, and will get a firmer mattress to go with the soft top.

Oh and a big bolster along the foot of the bed so I can tuck my feet under it at night - it's somehow immensely comforting and I would not sleep in a bed without it now.

If you want to see whether you'll enjoy a weighted blanket (we made one for one of my kids which helps during bad nights, and I borrow it occasionally when I'm sick), try piling pillows over yourself and see if it feels good. You want fluffy weight so the air can circulate - maybe try several duvets piled over each other. You can buy very cheap duvets in several weights from Ikea and they can be piled in different configurations depending on the temperature and

Oh and an eye-mask is a cheaper alternative to black-out pillows. A silky big one is lovely. I sleep with a very light pillow over my head when I have a migraine because the pressure on my head feels wonderful and it blocks out light and sound.
posted by viggorlijah at 6:37 PM on October 11, 2011

I have about 6-8 regular sized pillows in the bed most of the time, plus a body pillow in a soft fuzzy pillowcase. But the best things in my bed are a couple of Mediflow water pillows. I have mine basically all the way full so they are very firm and tall. They stay a little cooler than regular pillows, and the neck support is awesome.
posted by antimony at 7:48 PM on October 11, 2011

we upgraded recently and it is the best thing ever.

1. firm mattress
2. 2" thick memory foam mattress topper
3. heated mattress pad
4. clean sheets.
5. feather pillows from ikea.
6. fuzzy blanket/heavy comforter depending on the season
posted by beandip at 8:06 PM on October 11, 2011

I love down duvets and have generally made my own covers out of nice 100% cotton material that just gets softer with washing. However, this past week I got a duvet cover at Crate and Barrel that seems to be made out of marshmallows, though the tag says cotton sateen. It's so smooth and soft and makes my duvet seem twice as poofy.
posted by bendy at 8:34 PM on October 11, 2011

Several years ago, I decided to make my bed amazing. I think I succeeded admirably.

From bottom to top:

* Four-posted bed with solid plywood base and center feet - barely moves
* BedInABox mattress - super comfortable
* Barrier layer - stops allergens, liquids and dustmites
* Down mattress pad - "box construction" means the down stays distributed, and the down allows airflow and keeps the foam from getting too hot feeling.
* Sheets - My favorite are fuzzy flannel that aren't all that high thread count
* The Lump - One of those rice bags you warm up in the microwave for a couple minutes, to warm feet
* Silk comforter - My parents got it in China - it's N silk cocoons stretched out to bed size with a covering. Lightweight but *really* insulating. It stays on the bed summer and winter.
* Extra blanket - to add a bit of warmth in winter
posted by lorimt at 10:02 PM on October 11, 2011

I love a high and soft bed. I have a double bed on a foot high frame with a conventional boxspring and mattress. On top of that a Tempurpedic mattress. Having the Tempurpdeic on top of the mattress and box spring gives the bed some bounce, which I like.

When touring old homes I have noticed that old fashioned beds are quite high. The top of my bed is 36 inches off the floor. I have to use a stool to get in. I feel like a princess in my lofty bed.

I use a King Size comforter and it goes nearly to the floor. One cool thing, when you buy a comforter set, it comes with two pillow sham covers. I don't use sham pillows so I put the sham covers on the foot of my bed. The kitties love their little "kitty quilts." And they're easy to wash when they get covered with fur (the shams, not the kittehs.)

Soft cotton sheets and a couple of purring cats complete my dreamtime contentment.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:26 PM on October 11, 2011

I'm intrigued by BedInABox (I haven't slept well in as long as I can remember), but damn, they sound like a shady company...
posted by schmod at 8:35 AM on October 12, 2011

I have a down filled duvet, but after visiting China I decided to upgrade to a silk filled duvet, I love the way way it drapes over you.
posted by chill at 9:39 AM on October 12, 2011

I LOVE MY BED. Every single night I get in to it and think "man, this is SO COMFORTABLE".

This latex mattress

This cotton and wool mattress topper ("happy lamp fleece" variety)

This wool pillow

This shredded latex pillow

This sheet set

This blanket

This silk comforter

This duvet cover
posted by Cygnet at 11:05 AM on October 12, 2011

First you must start out with a very good frame. I bought a solid platform because for years I had slept on a cheapass frame that over time bowed in the center. When it bowed, so did my box springs and mattress. Other than that, 100% cotton, more than 300 thread count, sheets. NOT SATEEN!! It pills and wears out quicker than cheapass sheets. After that your pick on pillows, comforters/quilts/bedspreads. I do like a Vellux blanket in the deep winter.
posted by PJMoore at 12:39 PM on October 12, 2011

My mattress is pretty average, it's a cheapish pillow top over a firm boxspring thingie, but it's not too bad (although I am planning to replace in the next six months). I have a 50/50 feather down quilt, which is awesome, and two pillows, one all feather (on the bottom) and all down (on the top). The all down is wildly soft and squooshy, and offers no support whatsoever, just comfort. I find feather pillows last for years, but they do want to be shaken out and aired regularly. I don't like high count sheets, I really really love very heavy all cotton hotel bed linen if you can get it, and flannel for winter.

I tried a buckwheat pillow a few years ago and hated it - not very comfy, but my God, the noise! Like trying to sleep on potato chips.
posted by thylacinthine at 6:33 PM on October 12, 2011

I'm loving the Kluft Prestige (Alexander) mattress on a simple bowed frame platform.
posted by bz at 6:01 PM on October 15, 2011

This question is hilarious to me because I probably have one of the world's shittiest mattresses and I STILL daydream about my bed. What other environment is so conducive to spending long amounts of time horizontal?! But dude, down comforters, there is no turning back after your first one. I have one from Ikea that always feels starchy and crinkly and awesome, and then I have one from Kohl's that we got waaay discounted on Black Friday. It makes getting out of bed ridiculously difficult.
posted by estlin at 4:52 PM on October 17, 2011