I make my bed every morning and have written and talked about this habit often. It’s a small ritual that changes the tone of each day. Lately I’ve been enjoying our newly refreshed bedroom and the simple updates that have made it feel more like home. For the month-long “A Lovely January” challenge I focused on making our new room cozy and personal, and a few small changes made a big difference.
One recent update that brought me a lot of joy was adding patterned sheets with a sweet heart print. Little touches like fun sheets make pulling back the covers an everyday delight and can even inspire you to make the bed each morning. I love seeing a peek of pattern when the sheets show beneath the bedding.
That said, I’ve always loved plain white sheets for their simplicity and versatility. At many times in my life one set of white sheets was all we used—an easy way to pare down and simplify. If a minimalist approach brings you peace, embrace it. Your home should reflect what makes you happy.
When our children were young, I often let them choose patterned or colorful sheets. It was an easy, inexpensive way to refresh their rooms as their tastes changed, and seasonal swaps—flannel in winter, cotton in summer—became a simple, joyful ritual.
Now that we’re empty nesters, I’m having fun choosing patterned sheets for our own bed. Storage is limited in our smaller house—I don’t have a built-in linen closet—so I’ve intentionally made space for the linens I love. Mixing a heart-print sheet with striped shams and layered quilts gives the room a cheerful, personal feel.
Small details truly bring me joy. Combining patterned sheets with different shams, throws, and pillows creates a mix-and-match look that keeps the bedroom feeling fresh and uniquely ours. With fewer rooms in this house, I’m concentrating more creative energy into seasonal changes for our main bedroom and a rattan daybed in my office area, which also gets patterned sheets.
To make switching styles easy, I store extra sheet sets and shams right in the bedroom dresser and in lidded baskets. This keeps my options within reach and makes it simple to change the look without fuss.
Below are some of the patterned sheets and shams I’ve collected over the past year, along with a few others I like. I’m excited to share more mix-and-match bed ideas in the coming months.
Sources for above:
Heart Sheets /// Green Tree Sheets /// Mini Star Print Sheets /// Mini Yellow Flower Sheets /// Wildflower Botanical Sheets /// Light Blue Striped Sheets /// White and Blue Dot Sheets /// Polka Dot Sheets /// Holiday Flannel Deer and Tree Sheets /// Woodland Animal Sheets /// Blue Flannel Striped Sheets /// Orange Diamond Sheets /// Gray and White Striped Sheets /// Pink and Orange Floral Sheets /// Purple Blue Green Floral Sheets
If you’ve been working on a room for the “A Lovely January” challenge, I’d love to see your progress. Many of you have shared photos in our free community group, and it’s been so encouraging to watch everyone’s projects come together. Please feel welcome to join the group and post your updates or tag me on social media so I can see your room transformations.
If you missed my earlier post about simple bedroom updates that make the space feel cozier, you can find that feature on my site for more ideas and sources.
SOURCES FROM THIS POST:
My heart sheets are listed in the sources above.
Blue striped Euro shams, tassel pillows, fringed throws, wall sconces, and the cane bed mentioned in this post are among the items I used to refresh the room. Paint color used is Benjamin Moore Bunny Gray. For the complete list of bedroom sources and more details, please refer to the earlier bedroom post.
I’ve enjoyed having a single “focus” room for January. For February I’ll continue focusing on home improvements while also turning attention to enhancing daily routines—what I like to call “romanticizing routines.” I touch on this idea in my new book and look forward to sharing ways to bring more beauty and intention into everyday tasks. Will you join me in making routines more lovely next month?
If you’re interested in the book mentioned, it is available for pre-order and will be released in May.