How to Buy a Bed skirt and Give Your Bed a Fresh Look
by Will Robertson
Just like a new pair of great shoes will totally change an outfit, the right bedskirt can markedly transform the look of your bed. Bed skirts come in a few different construction styles and many different patterns and fabric choices. The selection is almost limitless, but finding just the right one can pull the look of your bed into a complete presentation. A bed skirt, also referred to as a dust ruffle, is a piece of tailored fabric bedding that covers the box spring and space beneath the box spring to the floor. Its purpose is both decorative, giving the bed a fashionable look, as well as functional, slowing the accumulation of dust beneath a bed. Two Main Styles of Bed Skirt Most bedskirts are either pleated (also called tailored) or ruffled (also called gathered). A pleated bed skirt is made of flat panels of fabric with 2 or 3 splits on each of the sides and at the foot. A ruffled bedskirt is a continuous piece of fabric that goes around the 2 sides and foot of bed which is sewn with a ruffled pattern at the top of the bed skirt. Two Main Bed Skirt Constructions Bed skirts are constructed in 2 main ways. A deck bed skirt attaches the decorative bedskirt fabric to a piece of decking fabric that goes between the mattress and box spring. The advantage of a deck bedskirt is that the weight of the mattress holds it firmly in place, so it does not easily shift. The disadvantage of the deck bedskirt is that you actually have to lift the mattress to put it on or take it off to wash, though you may not need to do this very often. A panel bed skirt is made of 3 panels that are attached to the 2 sides and foot of the bed with pins. The main advantages of this construction are that they are easily attached / removed, and they are adjustable in length (unlike deck bed skirts). The main disadvantage is that they are not as secure as a deck bed skirt. Measuring for a Bedskirt Before you purchase your bed skirt, decide what type construction you want. For a deck bedskirt, you will have to be precise with the measurements because it is not adjustable. But for a panel bed skirt, you will not have to be precise because they are adjustable, usually several inches. To find the drop you will need on your bed skirt, measure the height from the floor to the top of the box spring. For a pleated skirt, subtract at least 1 inch from the height so that the bed skirt will not touch the floor. If you are getting a ruffled skirt the traditional style is to make is just short of the floor, but recent fashion trends have favored allowing the bedskirt to flow onto the floor 2 or 3 inches.
Getting the right length is important for creating the look you want. Just a couple inches can make a big difference in the overall appearance of the bed. But there is quite a bit of variance in what people think looks good and how bed skirts have been done traditionally. Some styles have used a high bed skirt and some low. So in the end, get a length that is pleasing to your eye and know that it is right for that reason.
About the Author Will Robertson is owner of MyLuxuryMattress.com, a specialty sleep shop featuring luxury bedding, latex and memory foam mattresses. Will answers his customers frequently asked luxury bedding questions at MyLuxuryMattress.com/Blog
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