apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This is one of those "why didn't I think of that" things. I'm so trying this when I get home...although I'm lucky that my boxspring is solid offwhite.

My mother has done this for YEARS. Note this will not look great if you are using the metal bed frame that came with your bed.

Of course! It's a great idea, I've been doing it for years, can't remember where I saw it first...
The best part is the fitted sheet is such a cheap, good fix-I bought a colorful light purple one for my daughter's bed at WalMart for something like $9. The sheet quality isn't important, just that it fits and you like what it looks like better than the ugly boxspring. Check clearance sales when you want to change the look.

I've been doing this with my box springs for as long as I can remember and it's so much easier and nicer looking than a fussy bedskirt.

For now, we just have our bed right on the floor. I used an old fitted sheet with a great pattern for the box spring. We have cream sheets and it really, really helps things look more pulled together... especially since we just have the bed on the floor. :)

Yes, this has been a helpful trick for me. However I wouldn't recommend using a black sheet on a black bed. I had hoped to camoflage the boxspring, but the deep, shiny black of the bed made the black sheet look faded. The neat contrast in the pic above is a much better strategy!

Good idea. You can also use a bedspread one size smaller than your bed (i.e. a full for a queensize bed) to cover the box spring and drape to the floor without any fussy ruffles.

I've been doing this for years too -- it IS especially good if you just have the bed on the floor. What also looks good texture-wise is a thin blanket, just do your best to make neat corners and safety pin them in place.

Really, this is a tip/trick? Seems like kind of a no-brainer to me...I mean, what else would you do if don't use a dust ruffle? Just leave the boxspring bare?

skitterypigeon, have you tried sateen or satin sheets? the gloss might go better with your metal bed frame.

i've been doing this in my current setup. instead of a fitted sheet however, i've just been using an extra comforter cover and tucked it under.

west elm sells boxspring covers

I have a boxspring cover that is like an enormous tube top. You don't have to remove the mattress to put it on. But the sheet idea would probably have been cheaper and just as easy!

How can this be easier than a bed curtain? You still have to lift the matress off the bed to put it on, and you must do this at least once a month or dirt will collect.

I use a California King duvet cover for my full size bed. It covers all that and really is easybecause it acts like a spread.

I grew up doing this and hospital corners (thank you mom.) I much prefer it.

I've done this - just a plain white one so that I don't have to change it to match my sheets, but it doesn't look messy like a plain box spring. And now I don't have a box spring at all.

Years ago when I had a shabby chic bedroom with tons of vintage textiles I used an old chenile bedspread that draped nicely. The nice thing is you can use a bedspread/tapestry with center holes or stains as only the edges show!

The Company Store also sells box spring covers. They have a quilted version that looks nice (and doesn't look like a mattress pad).

I feel out of it--this never occured to me before. Too bad I don't have a box spring anymore.

I vary the sheet... I have one that matches my frame (gunmetal grey) or just buy two fitted sheets of the same color when I get new sheets to give a consistent band of color under the duvet. I don't like dust ruffles much, my cat and I are the leading producers of dust bunnies in the free world and they tend to be pesky to keep clean ;)

I've been doing it for years. My sheets are always mix and match to add visual interest.
Bedskirts are just too frilly for me.

we lived in a beautifull house , the problem was scorpions, we could not have anything on the floor that they would climb up on so i started covering my box spring and even down to the bed frame with same color fitted sheets. this have been 20 years now, oh, we no longer live in the scorpion house.
antonietta

This has never occurred to me either, but now I see it a lot of places online and I can't believe how simple and nice it is. I'm going to do this for sure.

Like a lot of the other posters, I've been doing this for years. Bedskirts are too fussy for me.

wow... i never thought of covering my box spring any other way! it's nice to know i'm effortlessly fashionable :)

i'm on the hunt for the perfect subtly printed sheet to complement my white and grey bed. in the meantime, my box spring actually has a pretty cool fabric so i'm fine leaving it exposed for now.

I can't believe that I never thought of doing this. Thanks for the tip!

This would look nice for the platform bed frame that I'm getting. I noticed a few people said they don't even have boxsprings...so now I'm wondering if i even need one. Can anyone answer if I should spring, or not-to-spring?

Haha - this never occurred to me - I guess I'll be doing this once I get home tonight - thanks AT!

Patricemarie, if you have a real platform bed, you almost certainly *shouldn't* have a boxspring. But check the manufacturer's instructions, of course.