THE SUMMER BED

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Summer sleep is its very own design challenge. Nights can feel like heaven or hell. If the temperature of your home isn’t comfortable, your rest isn’t restful. The air gets heavier, the nights stretch longer, and every layer on the bed suddenly matters more than it did a few months before.

A well-designed bed doesn’t require you to strip all the comfort and layers from your sleep, instead it requires you to choose materials that work for the season, not against it. Layers that stay breathable and allow you to luxuriate in your bed all summer long, and as a natural homebody, luxuriating in bed is a year-round TALENT of mine.

START with the RIGHT BASE LAYERS

If the foundational layers of your bed trap heat, nothing you place on top of them can save it.

For summer, that means:

• a natural fiber mattress protector (cotton or bamboo, not polyester blends)
• a lightweight, breathable fitted sheet with a visible weave
• no excess foam toppers unless absolutely needed for comfort

The goal is simple: let air move.
Your summer bed shouldn’t feel padded. It should feel supported.

CHOOSE LINEN THAT LIVES WELL IN HEAT

Not all linen is the same. Some is stiff, some is too smooth. For summer, you want linen that breathes, gets softer every time you wash it, and has a little texture to it. Thing is, any decent linen is going to cost you, because while it has many wonderful benefits, being affordable isn’t really one of them.

Look for:

• stonewashed linen
• medium-weight linen
• a little rumpled (no need to iron it)
• soft, natural colors like sand, cream, pale blue and warm ochre

Linen keeps you cool as you move around at night, and it only gets better with age. It’s the fabric that makes summer sleep not just bearable, but beautiful.

BRING THE COTTON IN

CHOOSE A SUMMER BLANKET, NOT A COMFORTER

The biggest mistake most people make: keeping heavy bedding on the bed out of habit.

Summer bedding should be:

• a linen or cotton blanket
• a waffle weave throw
• a thin quilt
• or nothing if the temperature demands it

Texture replaces weight.
Softness replaces insulation.

Your summer bed should feel layered without feeling loaded.

UNEXPECTED SUMMER TREATMENTS

Summer palettes aren’t loud. They’re intentional.

The most restful summer beds use:

• sandy neutrals
• soft blues
• warm whites
• pale golds
• muted browns

These colors cool the eye, soften the room, and reflect morning light gently across the space.

Bright colors can be used sparingly, but your summer bed thrives on calm.

Soft summer whites

Not every summer room needs color. A soft white keeps the room light and lets your bedding and the sunlight do the work. Edgecomb Gray is a warm, easy neutral, Lacey Pearl has a little pearly glow, and Decorator’s White is my go-to for every season.

Color drenching in warm earth tones

Pick one color and paint everything in it: walls, trim, doors, even the ceiling. With no hard lines breaking up the room, it feels wrapped, quiet and cooler. For summer, I love warm, sun-soaked earth tones: Terra Bella, a soft clay with a hint of orange, Townsend Harbor Brown, a deep reddish brown like rich soil, and Urban Nature, an easy sage green.

Treat the fifth wall

The ceiling is the wall everyone forgets, and you look at it every night before you fall asleep. Wallpaper up there is a surprise. Go bold with a fun, colorful pattern, or keep it soft with something calm and neutral.

ABOUT SCENT AND SOUND

Summer sleep is sensory, and a peaceful summer rest can be planned and set up so the season’s heat waves don’t ruin your slumber.

Bring in:

• a clean, calm scent, like the FSB Bright Start candle lit while you make the bed in the morning
• a light fabric mist on your sheets and pillows, like the Paulette Maray Fabric Mist
• lightweight curtains that let the breeze in
• light white noise if the evenings stay active outside

And when possible, open the windows early to change the air in the room.
Fresh morning air is part of the summer bedding ritual.

EDIT THE NIGHTSTAND

A cluttered nightstand makes the room feel hotter, visually and emotionally.

For summer, keep:

• a carafe of water and one glass (flip it upside down on top, or keep it on the side)
• one book (grab one of the titles to get lost in from our bookshelf)
• a vessel, bowl, or stem
• your summer candle or oil, like the FSB Turndown Service candle, a soft, plant-based candle for winding down at night

Everything else goes away for now.
Summer asks for space.

THE SUMMER BED ISN’T JUST COOL, IT’S INTENTIONAL

A well-designed summer bed doesn’t simply lower your temperature. It lowers your shoulders. It changes how you enter and exit the day.

Summer bedding is a practice in calm, and bringing some ease to your senses and nervous system.