by Catalogs.com Info Guru Aurora LaJambre

One of the best parts about staying in a hotel is that perfectly made bed.

Pulling up the covers may suffice when you’re busy getting ready for the day, but that’s no fun. Tuck in the corners and fluff up the pillows in the morning and you’ll thank yourself at night.

Incorporate these tips into the morning ritual and soon making the bed just right will be your signature.

10. Stock the tool box

If you like to cook, you know a meal can only be as good as the ingredients you use. Same goes for the bedroom’s focal point. Use high-quality sheets and you’ll naturally take better care of the whole shebang. A full set should include a sheet, pad with elastic around the edges and matching pillow cases.

9. My Dear Watson,

Buying bedding that fits your mattress seems elementary, but it’s not something we do every day. If you guess wrong, buying King-size when you really need Queen, go back to the store and make the exchange. If they’re too small you’ll wake up every morning wrapped in a baggy mess; too loose and the mattress will look like it’s wearing a diaper.

8. Iron first

Ironing may not make your list of favorite things, but smooth crisp sheets ought to. Admit the ironing board is no match for bedding and lay towels over a clean table instead. Press everything from the shams to the quilts.

7. Put a skirt on it

Mattress skirts aren’t necessary for a good night’s sleep, but it’s the details that make a perfectly made bed so … perfect. Skirts hide any storage containers you conveniently slide underneath, and give everything a lush feel. If you prefer to skip the skirt, consider skipping using the underneath as storage as well to maintain a clean, uncluttered appearance.

6. This means war

Mattresses and bedding are manufactured in standard sizes so why does the fitted sheet spring loose every other morning? If you have a pillowtop mattress or extra-deep bedding, the fit will be slightly off, just enough to drive you crazy. It’s time to break out the tug-of-war skills. Stand at one corner and have someone else stand diagonally opposite. Then pull and tuck the sheets. Repeat for the other two corners.

5. Top blanket

Patterned pillows and bottom layers add a fun visual element, but it helps to have a solid top sheet to tie it all together. The trick is to do a fold over at the center so that the top of the blanket stops at the pillows. Tuck the sides and bottoms down snug.

4. Dreams do come true

Maybe you don’t neeeeed a goose down comforter if you have a blanket, but in a perfect world you have a big fat one – and we are talking about a perfectly made bed. Drape the comforter over the top, leaving a narrow strip of the blanket visible. This will also hide the blanket fold for that extra hotel-like finishing touch.

3. Throw one on

When it gets too hot for the duvet, whip out your favorite throw blankets. Knits add an attractive textural contrast. Fleece and super soft cotton throws keep you snug on a chilly spring night. Fold it in half and drape it over the end of the bed so you can easily grab it at night.

2. More pillows

Beds look sad without a pillow party. Pillows continue the illusion that you’re sleeping on your very own cloud so layer them on. The ones you sleep on go in the back against the headrest. Give them a little plump then set a few smaller decorative pillows in front. If you like to watch TV or read in bed, top it all off with a firm cylindrical pillow in a pattern or color that matches the back ones.

1. Chocolate

Leave a little piece of chocolate by the bedside and tell no one it was you. “The chocolate fairy stopped by!” –That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.