A Breakdown of Bedroom Bedding with a Comforter & Coverlet

1. Euro Sham

Euro sham pillows make up a major portion of any well put-together bed. These large square pillows oftentimes feature flange edging, and are designed to be placed behind all of the other pillows on your bed. Euro shams generally measure 26" x 26", and are available in a range of designs, fabrics and colors. Some people use soft and comfortable pillow inserts so that this pillow actually doubles as a sleeping pillow. However, most people prefer to use the Euro sham for support when sitting up in bed or for decorative purposes. The shams in our example feature a wide decorative flange, however, we also offer a range of Euro shams with cord, self cord, tassel fringe, gimp and brush edging.

2. Decorative Sham

These smaller shams are designed to be placed in front of your larger pillows to create an interesting layered look. In order to break up the symmetry of your bedding, we recommend choosing two sets of pillows with matching color scheme that aren't identical to one another. In this case, we've paired a Damask medallion print with a plain fabric to offset the busyness of the bedding as a whole. You can learn more about creating a color scheme here. We offer a range of decorative shams featuring a wide variety of fabrics and edging.

3. Linens

Your linens consist of the pillow cases, a fitted sheet and a top sheet. It's important that your linens match your overall color scheme, but if you can't find a matching color or if you're not sure where to start, you should stick with white. Choose high-quality fabrics from trusted sources to find a set of sheets comfortable enough to cuddle up next to nightly. Learn more about linen quality and what thread count means.

4. Decorative Boudoir Pillow

A boudoir pillow is the perfect accessory for your bed. These rectangular pillows offset how your pillows are stacked, and create an interesting and eye-catching decorating solution. Decorative pillows can come in all shapes and sizes and include a range of rectangular pillows, called boudoir pillows. In our example, we've used a boudoir pillow to match our Euro shams perfectly, but many people find that a boudoir pillow provides the perfect excuse to add a fun fringe or a big splash of color. A boudoir size pillow is also a great accessory for beds, lounges and sofas.

5. Small Decorative Pillow

Decorative pillows include boudoir pillows, but we like mixing and matching our selection by topping our bedding with one of each. These square pillows are usually less than 18-inches on any side, and are available a wide range of closures, fabrics and trims. In this case, the decorative pillow matches the rest of the bedding, but don't let matching keep you from being creative. While we recommend sticking to a matching scheme that's not overly busy, a plain fabric with a silky sheen could look great here. We also recommend adding textured fabrics for added depth.

6. Coverlet

Simply put, a coverlet is a blanket. A coverlet is placed underneath your comforter, and is designed to reach just past your mattress when draped across your bed. Coverlets are versatile blankets that look great folded partially or halfway down. They are easily tucked into the mattress because you won't have a ton of excess fabric to contend with, and look great when simply draped across the foot of the bed. By contrast, a bedspread is much larger than a coverlet, reaching all the way to the ground. A bedspread provides a more elegant or traditional appearance than a coverlet, and oftentimes feature elaborate prints. A bedspread rests over the top sheet without an additional comforter on top.

7. Comforter

Many people use comforter and duvet interchangeably, but these two types of beddings options are actually very dissimilar. A duvet is a fluffy blanket that's filled with down or synthetic polyester filler. The duvet on its own is usually plain white or some other neutral color. You can sleep with just a duvet, but we don't recommend it. To keep your duvet longer lasting and protected, you'll want to place your duvet inside of a duvet cover.

Unlike a duvet with its duvet cover, a comforter doesn't have (or need) a cover. While its actually a lot like comparing apples and oranges, a comforter could be considered an all-in-one solution to the problem is keeping a duvet clean. Comforters often come in complete sets, often referred to as "bed in a bag", and can be used with or without a top sheet.