Colored, textured and patterned comforters and duvets are telling a dramatic bedtime story these days.
"Bedding acts as a narrator to set the tone of the room," said Anthropologie's home textiles buyer Brittany Peacock. "As the focal point of the room, the bed is a natural location for a pop of color or pattern."
Taking their cue from manufacturers and high-end design projects, consumers are moving away from the pale colors that once dominated bedroom decor and toward vibrant tones and patterns, said Joy Coulter of Couture Designs in New Albany, Ohio.
"In the more upscale magazines, I am starting to see more bright colors, especially in master suites," she said. "The new trends seem to be getting away from so much neutral and gray. People are tired of having just white bedding, and they're ready to try something bold."
Louise Traficanti, creative director for Eastern Accents, a bedding company in Chicago, thinks that homeowners were decorating with muted palettes for several years in response to the economic downturn and their own financial constraints. Things have begun to change, she said.
"Over the last two years, we've been really pushing more color, and seeing our customers respond enthusiastically to patterns and designs," she said.
More color in the bedroom also is a reflection of how much time people spend there, added Chris Chapin, co-founder at Company C , a home furnishings company in Concord, New Hampshire. With the bedroom functioning as a place to watch television, read a book or use technology, it's not surprising that people are craving livelier looks realized through florals, prints and geometric patterns in dramatic colors, she says.
"People want color and some excitement in their lives. Color can represent what someone's passionate about," she said. "You walk in, you feel good."
The desire to decorate in a way that tells your story also has helped drive the use of color, Traficanti said. "As people get more expressive about their own personality," they are choosing more interesting colors and patterns for a "more curated look," she said.
Eclecticism is in and "matchy matchy" is out, added Andrew Howard of Andrew Howard Interior Design in Jacksonville, Florida. A room should look as if "it grew over time-that it wasn't bought on the same day with all the fabrics perfectly coordinating."
The practice of buying bedding in a bag-a complete set of sheets, comforter, bedskirt and shams-is on the wane, Coulter said.
Texture and layering also contributes to the bold look, Chapin said. Increasingly, customers are mixing quilts, waffle-weave blankets, rich throws and other fabric pieces to create an interesting look, she said.
Going bold with your bedding is also one of the most affordable ways to change the look of a room, said Suzy Cacic, an interior designer who blogs at BetterDecoratingBible.com.
"Bedding is an easy way to dress up your bedroom without having to stick to a commitment like painting your walls or purchasing new statement furniture," she said. "Leaving your walls neutral and playing up your decorating with accessories such as your bedding is an easy and commitment-free way to bring in some great style to your space."