Refresh Your Nest – Sheets to Build A Dream On

Ok, gang. Let’s talk about sheets, shall we? Sleeping (or lying in bed with a pillow over my face pretending not to hear my kids yelling) is one of my favorite activities. In my previous life sans kids I was an unrepentant night owl, smacking the snooze button on the regular and sleeping in obscenely late on weekends.  Sadly, small people have no respect for these habits – my 5 month old recently decided the party starts at 4AM. #nothankyouplease.

Since any time I get to spend in bed these days is a treat – even if it’s just internetting on my phone during the 10 minutes the kids’ naps overlap – I want it to feel luxurious. Plus, as new moms know, postpartum is not kind to sheets: night sweats! leaky boobs! worse things I will not mention but you will understand! (I was seriously washing sheets EVERY DAY until my genius friend Sue sent me these.) If you got hit by any of the wonderful stomach bugs or flu going around this winter, or were stuck in bed due to any kind of illness, you just want – and need – a new start.

The bedroom is one of the most important rooms in the house – bed is where we recharge, renew, reconnect. Whenever I’m sick or sad or just having a crap day, it’s the only place I want to retreat to and pull the covers over my head until I can face the world again. So why is it usually treated as just a crash pad – the last room in the house we finish decorating, the place where clothes and dust bunnies pile up? Time to show my favorite place some more love. Having lived through an exquisitely terrible series of events this winter, of the “you-can’t-make-this-shit-up” variety, two universal truths hit home: life’s too short, and be gentle with yourself. We only go around once on this crazy ride, so use the good china – or the good sheets in this case.

1. Linoto Linen Sheet: It seems like every time a medium-nice set of sheets gets that perfect broken-in softness, someone’s toenail will make a long tear in the bottom sheet, there will be two body-shaped threadbare areas, or we’re wrestling a saggy corner elastic every time we roll over. I think I’ve found the solution – LINEN SHEETS. They’re only supposed to get better with age and last forever. (Evidenced by the the vintage French, Italian or Irish linens all over eBay, which some internet commenters swear by. Sleeping on someone else’s well-used sheets squicks me out, plus it’s really hard to find fitted versions.) Since these are a leetle spendy, I’m going to start with just a fitted sheet and pair of pillowcases for my birthday next month. Also very European, but with fewer unidentified stains.
2. Sneaker Sheet Set: Can you believe this beautiful madness? The watercolor-esque sneaker illustrations are so offbeat and cute, and the cool gray/warm coral color scheme is killer.
3. Westport 1200 Thread Count Egyptian Cotton Sateen Sheet Set: Well, I think the product name says it all. 1200 thread count. Egyptian cotton. They’re name dropping all the right keywords for a high-quality, superluxe set of sheets, at a surprisingly reasonable price.
4. Make Your Mark Sateen Sheet Set: Have it your way! If you’re into hyper-personalized monograms, this is the holy grail. For this set of sheets, I counted 15 monogram styles and 26 thread color choices, which you can play around with in real time. I may have wasted an entire hour of Mad Men doing just that.
5. Nordstrom At Home 400 Thread Count Sheet Set: These look softer than baby bumcheeks and get awesome reviews, plus they come in a range of pretty colors. I thought the coral was especially delicious, but the yellows and blues are tempting too.
6. Metallic Dottie Sheet Set: Yup, Pottery Barn Teen! Don’t worry, it’s not like shopping in the Juniors department – you can find great sheets at stores that cater to the younger crowd, and often at better prices than the “grown up” stores. These polka dot sheets are very ‘Kate Spade’ and come in gold or silver. Love.
7. Threshold Organic Sheet Set: Score one for Target – these get big points for being cute, eco-friendly and soft. I must be on a coral kick lately, this pattern is so gorgeous! The other color choice is an on-trend (50 shades of) gray. Meow.
8. The Big One Percale Sheets: I don’t get the name either, but if you like your sheets cool & crisp, here ya go. Lots of colors and patterns to choose from including this cute geometric version and a solid selection of solids.
9. Scalamandre Maison Sheets: I can’t stop staring at these gorgeous things – the edgy but pretty black embroidery is mesmerizing! Maybe it’s the lack of sleep talking, but I kind of want to drape myself in these and parade around the house all fancy. This is why I leave the personal styling to the other Mom Editors.

Just looking at these lovelies makes me even more excited for bedtime, which I did not know was possible until now. In case you want more options before you decide who gets to share your bed, I put together a luxe sheets boutique:

Until next time,

Amanda