apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

my mom is a nurse and when i lived at home she used to do hospital corners with our bedding so tight i couldn't put my feet at the bottom of the bed!

I learned to do mitered corners in nurse assistant school. Because of that, I do them for my sheets in my own home (couldn't hope to do them on the comforter, it's way too fluffy!).

We have encountered the same dilemma with our beautiful bed! =) I will admit that we do not make our bed everyday. In the winter (also have a down comforter), I bring the comforter's bottom edge to the exact edge of the foot of the bed and fold the top part accordion style over the pillows (printed side up). During the warmer months (no comforter) we use only a neatly folded blanket in the hotel style at the foot of the bed. At all times, I use a shoehorn to tuck the sheets into the bottom and sides of our bedframe. It works wonders since I cannot lift my mattress to tuck the sheets in. My husband thinks I've gone mad when I pull out the shoehorn!!

Comforters should not have hospital corners. They're not made for it, and if they're down filled it can damage the feathers.

Quilts, blankets, sheets etc should have hospital corners. It protects the ends, keeps the bed tidier, and looks spiffy. I don't worry about making the bed perfectly every morning tho, since bedding needs to be aired. With practice, it's easy to make hospital corners that are sharp, but still leave space for a tall person's feet. The bed does need to be scaled to the tall person's size. A person who is over 6 feet tall may be more comfortable in a king or California king bed so they have appropriate space to stretch out. Beds need to fit just as much as sofas and our clothes!

the secret to the tuck with a down comforter is to have one that is one size larger than your bed. a king if your bed is a queen, a california king if your bed is a king. even if you don't tuck, a larger size comforter makes your bed look a little more opulent and is also useful if you share your mattress with a bedding hog or a toss and turner

my brother's godmother taught me to do hospital corners as a a kid. i wouldn't know how to tuck in a sheet any other way.

I only use a down comforter, and no sheets, so I don't tuck.

Not to split hairs, but I think the Anders bed has been out awhile--I know b/c I was admiring that line for awhile! :)

FYI, that quilt is from Area's "brick" line, which was recently named one of the top quilts on AT.

And, which Maxwell recommended for a "Good Questioner" to tuck, in October.

Great minds think alike.

I was just deciding between that bed and Crate & Barrel's Bento bed last week.
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1011&f=10858

I went with the Crate bed. Personally, I thought the Anders bed looked better in the photos than in person at the showroom. Several other items at R&B did catch my eye, though, and I'm headed back tomorrow to place an order.

Can't sleep tucked in; feel trapped and pinned down. The first thing I do is rip everything out from the sides and bottom. And I find a top sheet and blanket or top sheet and quilt to be annoying, as I always get tangled in them, so basically I look at a bed made like that and cringe. To me it looks uncomfortable, even dangerous, a time-consuming pain to make (I don't need another area in my life in which to strive for perfection), not to mention reminiscent of (unpleasant) hospital stays, so definitely *not* appealing. Plus, the hospital corner look does not look inviting, does not make me want to snuggle. Give me a duvet any day...

I'm with Abby wouldn't know how to make a bed without hospital corners. Sheets, comforter but during the winter the down duvet gets tossed on top. Always look forward to spring and the nice clean look.

I can agree 100% with your findings! I am an interior designer and believe me I wasn't born knowing how to make a perfect bed. It is so nice to see that people pay attention to that kind of detail when flipping through a catalogue!

I was brought up making my bed w/hospital corners, but that habit fell by the wayside long ago. I have to have the bedding very loose toward the bottom of the bed. That's just the way I roll. ;)

Hey vitamin design milk, me too! I can't sleep if the bottom of the sheet isn't completely and firmly tucked under, and my default setting when I DO remember to make my bed is hospital corners. They just look better.

well, I'm a doctor's brat so I was brought up with hospital corners, though mine are quite so precision engineered.

BTW, I'm over six foot and I've never had a problem with room for my feet -- or the rest of me for that matter.

I like the crispness of hospital corners and don't have a problem sleeping with it. When I'm in a hurry, I don't fret over getting them perfect, as long as there isn't any bedding dragging on the floor. My husband however can't stand being pinned in. So he just pulls the sheets loose to his liking when he gets in bed and I stuff 'em back in in the morning when I make the bed.

looks great, but give me fitted sheets and a soft duvet any day... my bed is my comfortable, soft, easy place. not anything reminiscent of hospitals or hotels! (and boy do i struggle with the hotels).

My mother taught us to make our beds with hospital corners on the sheets. You mean not everyone does this? :)

I'm with kuroneko. This is the way I always make my bed. It takes ten seconds, tops. Here's my tutorial: Once the sheet is centered, stand on the side of the bed. With your left hand, pinch the hem of the sheet about one foot from the end of the bed. Lay your right hand on the top edge of the bed to keep the sheet taut. Keeping it taut, bring the hem up to the top of the bed and lay it down. It should be in a triangle shape. Lay your right palm on the top edge of the bed and fold the triangle point down, over your hand. Tuck in all the sheet below the bed frame, and you're done. :)

I grew up tucking sheets and blankets this way. Got a down comforter a few years ago and the top sheet and tucking went by the wayside so I could wrap up in it. Now in the firm grip of menopause - don't even think about tucking! It's all got to be completely loose so I can throw it off in a hurry when a hot flash hits.

Question, which this post sort of dove-tailed in to. I'm considering getting the case study bed and possibly a case study daybed...but you brought sturdiness. How sturdy ARE the case study beds? Would it be something that my heft frame might completely demolish or breakdown? Or are they pretty solid?

Can't sleep tucked in; feel trapped and pinned down.

I'm with monika1, both in the quoted sentence and in every other word of her post. (And as a tall person, I'm certainly not going to limit my choices to dramatically larger apartments in order to have a California King bed, merely to achieve the look of hospital corners.)

Like so many others, I was brought up to get those sheets as taut as they could be -- hospital corners were the ONLY way.

And, like so many others, I now have a lovely duvet and my SO has his -- no wrenching covers from each other, no tedious bed-making. He wraps like King Tut, I stick my toes out when it's getting too warm. Happiness.

Shari, Have owned a case study daybed for several years and just recently bought a case study bed. Rest assured, it's extremely sturdy. While looking around, there was not many beds (and none in the price range) that were as well built. It's advertised as being able to last a lifetime and this I believe to be absolutely true. The queen bed has 6 legs screwed in by 4 screws each (very labor intensive if you do it yourself). The high quality plywood is both gorgeous and durable. My wife even jumped up and down on the bed and not one squeak or shift. So there's no chance your bed will breakdown (unless it's an earthquake of course).

Add me in to the "Mom taught me to make hospital corners" gang. Also I worked at a B & B on Nantucket one summer and did thirteen (13) beds a day. I'm well-taught in taut beds! Very funny trying to teach hubby how to do this, though. Can't teach old birds new tricks. So, folks, get your kids while they're young!

I don't like and don't use a top sheet...thankfully my husband and I agree on this. We go with a fitted sheet, cotton thermal blanket, and a lightweight quilt much like the one pictured here. In the winter, I fold up the white down comforter at the bottom of the bed. I love the way our bed looks all tucked in like this but it does take extra time and is not all that practical for everyday. I leave before my husband is up in the a.m. and I'm just happy the bed is made at all. What makes me crazy is when he flips the toss pillow upside down--I fix it as soon as I come home!

Like monika1 and wende, I HATE hospital corners. First thing I do in a hotel is yank them out.

so glad i'm not the only one who hates the top sheet. i tuck my coverlet and quilt with hosp. corners. they stay tucked, and in the morning i don't make the bed -- i pull the covers all the way back so the bed can air. supposedly this reduces dust mites!

I actually have a hospital bed with a metal bar angling down from both the head- and footboards to the side rails of the bed making it impossible not to make hospital corners and tucking everything neatly in..including the comforter.

Thanks Timmy.