A carelessly made bed negates all efforts to decorate the bedroom interior: any elegant room will suffer from a sloppy appearance. It is interesting that the methods for carefully designing a bed differ in different countries: everywhere there are their own ways to give the bed an aesthetically attractive appearance. Western and Eastern traditions diverge especially strongly on this issue: the bed itself has a different appearance.
How is it customary to make the bed in Russia?
The traditions of organizing a place to sleep have undergone significant changes over the centuries. And even the last few decades have contributed to changing household habits. The sofa, which in the 19th century was used extremely rarely for night rest - only in special situations, from about the 60s of the twentieth century became almost the main sleeping place in small apartments.
Sofa instead of bed. Of course, the sofa has changed, turned into an ottoman, sofa, daybed: they can be transformed into a sleeping place for two, and then again used as furniture on which to sit during the day. In this case, all bedding is put away in a special cabinet. For a long time, furniture makers produced sofa beds with legs, just like regular beds. Sofas with drawers for linen appeared later.
Even in communal apartments of the 20s–50s, people preferred to sleep on beds. The bed decorations were:
- lace valances;
- pillow covers.
Most women loved needlework and knitted lace items, did hemstitching, and embroidery. It was real art. The linen was boiled, bleached, starched, ironed, giving it an ideal, almost formal look. There could be several sleeping places in one room, but they were all cleaned with special care. It was not customary to sit on a bed during the day: there were chairs, sofas, and armchairs for this.
Double bed. In Russia, a marital bedroom with a large bed always included a double blanket (the so-called “Euro sets” came into fashion only in the 80s). And the duvet cover came with the blanket. The shape of its cutout was different: very rarely the blanket was inserted into the cutout from below. Much more often, a rhombus, circle, square, or oval was cut out in the middle of the upper part of the duvet cover. It was through this that they inserted the blanket into the duvet cover.
Not so long ago, people in Russia preferred white bed linen or cotton fabrics with small floral patterns.. A blanket must be laid on top. It either covered the pillows completely or had covers attached to it: it was a set designed in the same style.
New trends and variety of furniture lead to the fact that now there is no single tradition. Both the sofa bed and the double bed can be made according to individual preferences. It can be noted that the fashion of recent decades:
- colored or even dark underwear;
- pillows are smaller in size;
- mattresses are harder.
Housewives use mattress covers that keep the mattress clean, and willingly follow bed design styles borrowed from other nations.
What is an American style bed?
The even and complete base of the bed, which is so popular in America, allows you to cover it with a cover with a “skirt” valance. The practicality of such a bottom cover for the base is beyond doubt: this way less dust gets under it, the bed looks very impressive. And the mattress (thin or thick) is placed on top of the lower cover. By the way, this attribute should match the style and color of the top bedspread and pillows.
Loving a large number of decorative pillows on the bed gives a feeling of coziness, but they are not used for sleeping. Be sure to tuck two sheets, although the top one (under the blanket) is slightly different. There may be several blankets, bedspreads, rugs, it all depends on the taste of the housewife.
Do the Japanese run tatami or not?
The biggest differences from the usual appearance of a European bed are the Japanese bed for sleeping. There is no need for special furniture: the bed is simply spread on the floor. Previously, for sleeping in Japan they used:
- mats;
- tatami (durable and thin mattress made of rice straw).
Now - a futon, it also does not require special furniture. During the day, he goes into a closet or just a special niche. Interestingly, such a more comfortable mattress appeared in Japan only in the 19th century.
The Europeans’ attempt to make a stylized “Japanese” bed is a tribute to the fashion for oriental practices, but such a bed is not a copy of the traditional Japanese bed, which is located directly on the floor. A wide and low bed with a soft mattress is a kind of compromise: this is not typical for Eastern traditions, and a pillow is not a mandatory item of sleep for the Japanese. They use very small and elastic rollers. Although a double bed is typical for this country.
How to make your bed in Italian
Italians tend to respect the bedroom, maintaining the highest requirements for linen, pillows, and bedspreads. Like most Europeans, they do not use duvet covers, but large sheets with a blanket on top.
The size of the sheet is of great importance: it not only covers the bed, but must also have a significant fold for a high mattress. The bedspread hides the pillows in a special way: it is folded under them, as if wrapping them into a complete cushion. To do this, the size of the bedspread must significantly exceed the size of the bed.
Modern beds, as a rule, have an orthopedic base, which is decorated with external wooden elements. Unlike an American bed, it is impossible to attach a lower cover to them: the Italians do not do this. To protect the mattress use:
- mattress covers;
- two sheets.
There are no duvet covers as such: a large sheet is placed under the blanket, its edge protruding slightly.
The oddities of the French in relation to the bed
The French, like the British, maintain a low temperature in their bedrooms in winter. Hence the sitting by the fireplace, blankets, and night pajamas. Several layers of blankets, bedspreads, and capes are also placed on the bed, which allow you to keep warm at night.Featherbeds were loved not only in Russia; they also help Europeans keep the bed warm.
Pillowcases are perhaps the most international thing. Although everyone has their own pillow size.
The thoroughness of the Germans knows no bounds
Traditions do not remain unshakable anywhere, according to many observers of European life. But the Germans are always spoken of as neat and consistent people who love order in everything. The European set includes two duvet covers and one sheet: it is believed that the Germans adhere to this particular tradition. Each spouse has their own half of the bed or a separate bed.
And Russians, accustomed to the fact that a blanket and a bedspread are different things, are sometimes surprised that in Germany and Austria in private homes they are one and the same thing. However, don’t generalize: in hotels, bedspreads are not blankets.
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