Nate Berkus Shares How He Makes a Bed Look Magazine-Worthy

How the heck do beds in magazines and on social media look so perfect? According to Nate Berkus, perfecting bed styling is actually super simple and he has three main tips for those wanting to create that polished magazine-ready look in their own bedroom.

“Have you ever wondered, when you’re looking at a beautiful home that’s shot by a magazine, why the beds always look styled so beautifully?” Berkus said in a March 28 Instagram video. “Assembling a bed is actually a really fun, artistic endeavor.”

The first step is to build a base layer of functional pillows to provide support for the decorative ones. “I always use four pillows with the regular pillowcases and then I pick two decorative pillows that I really love,” Berkus said. “I’ve designed some for my Nate Home collection, I’ll find others on Etsy or different places.”

Then, pay attention to what your sheets and comforter are doing at the top of the bed. “I like a cuff, so I fold [the top of the sheets] down,” Berkus said. He likes to create a cuff that’s about a foot wide.

“And then everyone always wonders, ‘What do you do with the throw? Why does everybody need a throw?’ Berkus said. “Honestly, you probably don’t actually need a throw. But if you want your bed to look really beautiful and finished, then putting a throw at the end of the bed, folding it over, having this texture, I think it’s really beautiful.”

A textured or different-colored throw creates visual interest by breaking up the large block of color or print of the duvet cover or quilt. It just adds a layer of intentionality.

“So I hope that answers if you’ve been wondering, ‘how do you do that? Why does everybody’s bed look so great and mine doesn’t?’ Berkus said. “It’s really not that hard to do.” And that’s Berkus’ latest master class in subtle design choices.