BEDDING — Inside the Home

Euro Pillow

How To get that Hotel Bed Look with Euro Pillows

 How to get that Hotel Bed look with Euro's

A tropical breeze, the light scent of coconut, luxurious thick pillows that kept you in bed a lot longer then you should have stayed.  Did you come home after vacation and surf the Internet looking for those perfect hotel pillows?  Have you tried to recreate that "hotel bed" look and feel at home?  Here are a few ideas to help you achieve that vacation Nirvana at home.

If you've ever stayed in one of hotels that feature "luxurious hotel bedding", you'll want to sleep in that bed forever.  You can, and for less money than you think.  With the right combination of covers, linens, and bed pillows, you can drown in sweet dreams every night.

Hotels are now featuring white linens and duvet covers instead those old ugly colored bedspreads that didn't show the dirt and stains.  A perfect bed in today's hectic world is an experience we need to recreate at home.  I won't go into the statistics, but we spend an inordinate amount of time in bed, so why not make it lavish, comfortable, and inviting? 

First, start with the mattress dress it up by adding a plush mattress pad.  Most hotels use a thick polyester mattress pad, which you can find for around $50.  Or, you can opt for the rich, plump, plush down mattress pads that will have you hitting the "snooze" button far too many times.  Top this with the highest thread count sheets you can afford, 300 counts and up will give you good quality sheeting.  Higher thread counts last longer, hold up to laundering better, and are deliciously soft.  Although, materials like supima cotton, Egyptian cotton, or Tencel/Lyocell are super soft even in lower thread counts.  You should shop for quality fabric over thread count.  For texture and drama mix your top sheet and cover sheet with varied colors and patterns.  Top off your bed with a thick, soft comforter.  If you're on a budget you can easily add a wonderful, silky duvet cover to your existing comforter, giving you an instant update for a lot less money. 

Last, don't forget perfect pillows.  Great pillows will make even the most boring bed, become an inviting oasis.  If all those scrumptious bed trimmings aren't in the budget, spend money on the pillows!  Hotel Euro Pillows can add instant richness, not to mention heavenly comfort to any bed.  Euro pillows are larger in size then standard bed pillows, measuring a huge 26-inches square - some are larger, they plump beautifully and create an instant hotel look for your bed.  Euro pillows are not only oversized, but they are overfilled with a blend of feather and down. 

Be careful when shopping, very few retailers offer a down filled Euro pillow.  Many are down and feather blends.  Look for pillows that offer at least a 10/90 fill content.  However, for the ultimate in ultimate sleep luxury you'll want a 27/75 fill blend, pure decadence.  With all that gushy, extra soft fill, your head won't want to leave the pillow.  

With the addition of colorful pillow shams, Hotel Euro pillows can be stacked creating an instant headboard.  Vary pillow sizes and shame colors to add texture, and depth to your bed.  By propping several Euro pillows against a wedge pillow, you'll have comfortable and relaxing support for reading in bed. 

How to Properly Fluff a Pillow

"Fluff from the end closest to you, bringing back the fullness that was originally there.  This might require a couple of tries before you get the hang of it. If you're fortunate enough to have a throw pillow, this is an easy fluff. Simply pick up the pillow from the corner with a firm grip and with your free hand, pat the flat part two or three times and place back on the seat. Here's the fun part that imparts the finishing touch. Give a karate chop directly in the center of the top of the pillow making an indentation in the middle. You're done! You have just "poofed" like a pro."  From lifestyle expert, Mar Jennings

How Karate Chop a Pillow

You've envied it in the decorating magazines. That beautifully made bed with the perfect pillow sporting a neat fold right down the center.  Even though the name might make you think of a fluffy pillow fight, this "karate chop" technique can give you a quick, fresh look.  Position the pillow on the bed where you want to add a designer touch.  Next, set the pillow on its edge.  Do a quick, light "karate chop" right in the center.  Now, pull up each corner of the pillow slightly.  Do this several times, until you get the crease depth you want.  You can also use this decorating tip for Euro style pillows on your couch.  A Euro pillow with a "karate chop" crease is a fun, different way to add some panache to any room.

A few things to look for when buying Euro Pillows:

Make sure your Euro pillow is "leak proof".  This means making sure the weave of the fabric is tight enough to keep the feathers from poking through.  The best fabric is for basic filled bedding is 230-thread count cambric cotton. 

Purchase the highest quality fabrics you can afford, they will be softer and longer lasting.

Look for a combination of down and feather fill for the most comfortable pillow.

Look for pillows with fabric that is waterproof.

If you have allergies, look for one of the new hypoallergenic pillows, such as Primaloft.  This fill is so great a mimicking down-fill; you won't be able to tell the difference, and in many cases, they are less expensive.

About the Author

What is the difference between a pillow top bed to a euro top bed? Which do you think is better?

Why?

That came up about two weeks ago when we were looking for a new mattress. The pillow top has what appears, in my eyes, to have a comforter looking thing sewn on to the top and it's part of the mattress. The standard or euro, as you call it, does not and as a result can be flipped. Flipping or turning a pilow top matres defeats the purpous of the pillow top

John Robshaw Handpainted Fort Euro Pillow - Sienna

Tags: euro, euro pillow, euro pillow cases, euro pillow shams, euro pillow size, euro pillows, home, pillow, sham, shopping

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 7th, 2010 at 6:58 am and is filed under bedding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.