Bedding Basics

Color:  "The most popular colors are blues, whites, neutrals, and greens," says Woods, who consulted Amy Cooper of Suite Dreams, a linens shop, to create the three looks. "If a bedroom is a bold color, I bring in a lot of white. Everything in a bedroom -- the furniture, the fabrics, and color -- is about balance, and you have to achieve that for the room to work."

Bed skirts:  "Often I match the skirt to the headboard to keep the bed from looking too busy," says Woods. "I like to use tailored skirts with trim or banding. The skirt should never be too short -- it should graze the floor ever so slightly. You can completely change the look of a bed by adding or removing a skirt."

Pillows:  In Woods' opinion, nothing ruins a bed like flat pillows. "I insist on fluffed down pillows; foam is too flat. A down pillow adds volume and softness, giving the bed an inviting feel," she says.

Linens:  Woods prefers plain, white linens. "They're so crisp and clean," she says. But in the end, she admits, "it's not about the way it looks but how it feels."

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