White Bedding: Refresh Your Home with Luxury Bed Linens

In this post: One of the easiest ways to refresh your home is with new bed linen. Here are some of my favorite sources for white bedding and other luxury bedding options.⇒

White bedding is the LBD of the home decor world.

And like the ‘little black dress’, white bedding is classic, elegant and everyone should own some. There are certain things that exude nobility in pure white.

Among them towels, dishes and bed linen.

Think about it. When you go to a posh hotel, the sheets and towels are always all white. Likewise the dishes in a refined restaurant (fine china excluded).

Yet white linens don’t have to be boring. There are countless textures and embellishments that can add distinction and style. 

One of the fastest ways to refresh a bedroom is by updating the linens. So, today I’m sharing ways to refresh your home with white and neutral bedding.

But first, a word about price. January is a great time to buy linens because white sales are everywhere, but most stores have sales all year long.  That said, the purpose of this post is to share ideas and sources for some of the more special pieces of bedding I own. So please don’t be surprised that some of these items are not exactly budget conscious.

Some things to note:

First, if you’re going to splurge, January is a good time, when pricey items can be purchased on sale. But if you want to buy now, do check for sales.  

Second, just because I’m showing an entire ensemble, doesn’t mean you need to buy every piece to get the look. If money is tight, just spring for the decorative throw pillow and pair it with the classic white sheet set you already own.

And finally, I do tend to collect pieces over time and that’s kind of the point.  You can do that when mixing whites, so pick up the coverlet this month and the shams in the spring and so on.  

Ok, that was my disclaimer… 😉 Now let’s look at gorgeous white bedding!

A Touch of Shimmer

It’s amazing how varied a look you can achieve within the same all white color palette. The bedding above has a luxe and regal feeling, and includes tonal appliqués in a scroll motif on the refined cotton duvet cover and pillow shams. The coverlet and a set of shams bear a medallion quilted pattern with ornate stitching that emphasizes the sheen of the fabric. Punctuating the entire presentation is a mix of decorative pillows with beaded flourishes that mirror the scroll and medallion motifs.

These pieces all come from the same collection, but when mixing white linens, that’s not essential. In fact, more typically, I mix lots of different lines together, and you can see the unique results that concept yields in the other rooms below.

Delicate Embellishments

Our blue and white guest room has a more relaxed attitude, in the past leaning toward a cottage feel. I’m working on an upgrade with a bit more sophistication, but it will still embody a country French theme. While there’ll be changes to the room in the upcoming months, I’ve already started with updating the bedding. My direction is focused on pretty and feminine, with lots of embroidered detailing on the dry-handed fabrics. It’s all cotton and linen with soft laundered finishes – this is not the place you’ll find shimmery accents.

I decided to stick with the blue toile comforter, but everything else is a sumptuous feast of whites. From the diamond quilt coverlet to the pillows and shams, each piece was selected for the flourish it is graced with and for how these varied elements would play off each other. Not one piece is left unadorned and that’s exactly how I like it for the spirit of this room.

Quality Fabrics

In stark contrast to the complex mix of patterns, above, the bedding in our master bedroom takes a completely different spin on white bed linen. As the room we use every day, the emphasis here was on luxury bedding and the exquisite comfort it provides, so I went more for simplicity in design, but luxury in fabric.

The duvet cover, sheets and shams are a fine cotton sateen, chosen as much for how it feels as for the simple elegance it conveys. The sheen is very subtle, yet evident enough to evoke a graceful polish. The euro shams, instead, are in white washed linen, equally understated but adding just a touch of romantic flair. A Mongolian lamb toss pillow is the icing on the cake, imparting an inviting softness for when we retire at the end of the day.

When I want a hint of texture I do change it up a bit. I just love the white on white embroidered look and the subtle pattern on the super soft organic cotton duvet set below adds just enough interest, while maintaining that crisp white look.  Even with all white bedding you can alternate your looks.

Contrasting Textures

Of the bedrooms I’m updating, the one that’s most near completion is a bedroom that used to be very dark. When done, this room will be a complete transformation, and I’ll explain all of the changes when I do the room reveal. But for our purposes today, I’ll just focus on the bedding.  

(ETA: You can now see the completed transformation HERE.)

This bed takes advantage of textural interest, with a crochet lumbar throw pillow as the crowning touch in front, then pucker quilted shams layered behind it and crisp cotton pique euro shams peeking out from the back against the headboard. Mixed into the melange are washed linen sheets and pillow cases, along with a duvet cover in the same laundered fabric.

Quilting and Puckering

If white is too stark for you or just not your thing, you can get the same effect with off white, beige or tan. In the guest room I revealed a few months ago, I mixed soft neutrals in Belgian linen. I’ve included that bedroom here even though it’s not white, in order to give you the sources all in one place.

There are as many variations of white bedding as there are options available of LBD’s. It’s something you simply can’t go wrong with and if one piece wears out, you can mix in something new.  It can be accented with any color or you can enjoy the beauty of all white.

And truth be told, white linen looks just as good draped with a single strand of pearls as that little black dress.

White Bedding Resource List

To get the look, click on the items below for direct links to the products. Where actual items were no longer available, I’ve provided similar options. If an item is out of stock but may be restocked, I left it on the list.

(This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.)

This post is part of our “20 Minute Decorating” series. Please be sure to visit all of the other posts below!

French Country Cottage | A Simple 20 Minute Floral Arrangement 

On Sutton Place | Winter Shelf Decor

Shabbyfufu | Quick Coffee Table Styling Tips

StoneGable | Easy & Beautiful Orchid Arrangement & Care

Thistlewood Farm | How to Declutter a Room in 20 Minutes

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