apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I personally would choose a dark grey, dark brown, or black - understated, and will give your bed some of the visual weight that a wood frames would. Target has some really nice, simple ones listed online.

Find the best priced white bed skirt you can, on sale somewhere and trim it with grosgrain ribbon in a red color to match your fabric. That will pull it all together nicely. I'd go with white bedding as well, but that's just me...

I don't think the existing duvet is going to work. Even if you find sheets or a coverlet in soemething that ties it all together, it will look very disjointed. I'd do the bedskirt in a solid. Red would be easier to keep clean, white would look fresher. I wouldn't mind seeing a narrow stripe or a windowpane plaid to go with this.

I agree that a white bedskirt would be best. I used to have a very simple, tailored linen one with linear openwork...not too frou-frou. I don't even think it was too expensive...maybe from Bed, Bath, and Beyond?

Anything more interesting than white would make the bedskirt too much of a focal point, I think. Then maybe a couple of patterned throw pillows in colors that tie the rust and pale blue together?

I am thinking a medium grey or a sunny yellow with some texture. One trick I've found is to use a bedskirt that is a relatively heavy fabric so it hangs nicely. However, i would stay away from white because if you wear shoes in your home the skirt tends to get dirty from contact...especially if you sit on the bed wearing shoes.

I'm thinking a light, airy green or red and white stripe bedskirt. Match the light green from the duvet to tie them all together more.

Grey. The color of the quarter looks nice with that red, coincidentally.

Hi, Michelle here. Thanks for the tips so far! Definitely some ideas coming out that were totally lost on me. I think the idea of adding a ribbon stripe to coordinate with the red is a great idea to tie the skirt in visually. By the way, I'm not married to the duvet cover, it's just what I have at the moment. I like the way the blue/green and red go together, but it'll need to be replaced in the not too distant future anyway, so I'm open to changing that along with the skirt. Thanks!

I'd do a lovely unbleached linen with red piping. You can work that "accidental matching" thing that way.

I was scouring the internet this weekend for a white bedskirt on the cheap - this one would look nice, maybe. Or if you're crafty, you could go the dropcloth-as-bedskirt route.

I suggest a white that is the same shade as the white in fabric sample. But then I'd select one of those shades of red from the leaf fabric, and embroider the hem of the bedskirt with a feather stitch or hemstitch. It will provide a delicate visual link, but not be overly "matched."

My first thought was a good deep burgundy color, in a heavy, perhaps slightly textured weave, and a tailored style bed skirt. That would "ground" the bed visually, coordinate with the colors in the pattern for the headboard, look well with your current duvet, and allow for future changes in bedding.

Personally I find it very difficult to match whites well, almost as difficult as to match shades of black.

Well, I'm a pattern-on-pattern fan. I use India-print bedspreads as bed skirts. (You just put them over the bedsprings, then put the mattress on top, letting the ends drape down to the ground.) But you can use any sheet or bedspread to get the same effect -- you don't have to buy an actual bedskirt.

You can also make your own bedskirt if you have a sewing machine. It's easy. To go with that lovely headboard fabric, I recommend looking at Japanese kimono fabric. You can find it cheap on eBay.

Solid colors out of a box aren't going to be as interesting as what you can come up with yourself.

If this were a blouse - What skirt and blazer would you choose to wear with it?

I don't see the blue/green duvet going with this at all - Stick to neutrals, solids and stripes with this as if you were getting dressed to go out for dinner or a show.

Pattern-on-pattern would be fabulous.

You could also buy a cheap white bedskirt, by some Rit dye in a coordinating color, and dye to match.

are you sure the metal frame would look bad? i have rarely seen a bedskirt that i like-they get dusty and dirty and the ruffled varieties are appalling. like a previous poster suggested-that quarter (pictured) looks good with headboard fabric! if your bedframe is black metal consider spray painting it. when you make the headboard you could use metal buttons or upholstery nails in coordinating finish.

http://livingtheswelllife.blogspot.com/2008/06/diy-upholstered-headboard.html

If you could find a dark red to match the darker parts of the leaves that would be ideal.

Me and my husband hate bedskirts too and when we recently got our new bed we just ended up using a top sheet as a bedskirt. I think it looks better and will hopefully last longer (bedskirts don't last long with our cat).

I agree with a couple of previous posters that you should consider this the same way you would your wardrobe. I honestly don't think the duvet is going to work with this upholstery. I don't think you necessarily need to stay with white or red though. I would recommend trying another neutral for either the bedskirt or duvet cover, but it doesn't have to be blah either. For instance, a dark denimy color would look great as either and would be amazing with that fabric. A dark chocolate or grey would also look fantastic. You could also try a more "natural" look and use an unbleached canvas or loosely woven hemp fabric. As another poster pointed out, the darker colors give visual weight. If your room is really small or dark, the lighter colors are sometimes a better choice though.

Since you're not happy with your metal frame and want a wood one, I'd recommend this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00081NKKI/ref=ox_ya_oh_product
I own it in the full size and not only was it pretty inexpensive, but it's really easy to put together and since it's unfinished pine you can personalize it with very little effort. Plus it's high enough to offer a significant amount of storage space underneath. Oh, and the quality's good too.