The All-Too-Common Bedding Choice That's Making Your Bedroom Look Outdated

When it comes to interior design best practices, you might rightfully be concerned with making sure the common areas in your home are both on-trend and reflective of your personal style. Sometimes bedrooms aren't a priority in such cases. But as any interior design enthusiast knows, a bed is the focal point of any bedroom design. While your main focus might be finding the right bed sheets for your mattress size and the current season, there are also some common bedding options that are more stylish than others. Turns out, those seemingly versatile monochromatic bedding selections are not the best design choices if you're concerned about your bedroom looking outdated.

Matching bedding sets in the same color were considered timeless at one point. Although there's nothing inherently wrong with comforters, sheets, and pillows sporting a single hue, some designers are advising against this setup. Interior designer Dijana Savic-Jambert is one of them. "Matching sets are definitely going to be a thing of the past," she told The Spruce. Aside from looking too boring and plain, monochromatic bedding gives the impression that you simply chose a bed-in-a-bag option without any further thought about its visual impact. Likewise, interior designer Nina Lichtenstein shared with Homes & Gardens that "uniform pillowcases, shams, sheets, and duvets in a single color or print can come across as dated and overly 'put together'."  To stay on trend, you might instead consider moving away from those overly matchy ensembles for something less symmetrical.

If you have matching bedding and want an update, don't despair. This is a relatively easy and inexpensive fix, and you don't necessarily have to buy completely new bedding, either. Instead, look for ways you can add a bit of versatility without spending a fortune on bedding sets. You can keep your current sheets, for example, and opt for a comforter or duvet in a complementary color or pattern. A new blanket is another no-fuss option. You can even trade out the pillowcases that came with the original set for a couple of new ones in varying shades and prints. The key here is to combine different colors, textures, and styles to achieve visual interest while creating an intentional, curated feel. Allow your personal touch to shine through, and get as casual or formal as you want to.

Finally, if you don't really want to part with monochromatic bedding, you certainly don't have to do so. Aside from being easy to pair with other decor, matching bed sets are also the simplest to shop for. There's no shame in preferring the ease of a bed-in-a-bag option. Instead, it's important to assess your priorities. If you want to stick with a matching bed set in your own bedroom, then feel free to embrace your monochromatic preferences. On the other hand, if you want to make a guest bedroom look more up-to-date, or if you're staging your home to sell it, consider at least throwing on a few different colored pillows or a blanket to give the space a more modern touch.