Minimalist this, minimalist that. The age of white-washed, super scant, and industrial spaces are behind us. Designers are craving excitement and color this season, manifesting this shift with maximalist bedding sporting punchy colors, big stripes, and winding patterns.
An eye-catching bedding set is as good as a full bedroom makeover. Linens have the ability to fully shift the tone of a room: A set of deep cobalt silks can add mystery and allure, while a gingham duvet can take a space from empty to adorable.
And if you’re just beginning your foray into bolder styles, fear not—a pattern looks just as good peeking from behind a solid-colored quilt as it does solo.
Our Top Picks for the Best Maximalist Bedding
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Clementine Atelier Medica Silk Fitted Sheet
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Matouk Cabanon Stripe Flat Sheet
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Deep burgundy makes for a statement neutral with this linen duvet cover set. Contributor Elise Portale notes that the European flax linen is “soft and comfy,” and the material only gets softer with numerous washes. Much like the burgundy, a deep olive or a warm sunset shade can make an impactful design statement in your space—pair with a pattern or a stripe to make the most of your maximalist bedding moment.
Polka dots are back. Ranking highly in both our best Amazon sheets and softest sheets stories, these organic linens boast quality and style—tester Kristi Kellogg says “after a couple years of use, they’re still in tip-top shape—they haven’t faded or pilled, and they’re still soft and comfy.” Up the charm factor with a petite polka dot, which makes for a fun design detail without being twee or dated.
Many an AD staffer loves the feeling of Brooklinen’s percale, and this new striped mustard colorway brings the visual texture we love to a design moment. Contributor Yelena Moroz Alpert finds Brooklinen’s prints a good midway point between something too chintzy or something too dull, and thinks highly of the material as well. “The long-staple cotton is more durable than typical cotton, and I can tell that these are woven tightly,” she adds. “I don’t see a way to snag it easily or mess it up in the washing machine.”
Handmade in upstate New York with high-quality Italian and Belgian linen, Linoto sheets are an indulgent piece of home decor and make for a super high-end maximalist bedding setup. With 30 shades to choose from, you can take your room coastal with an aquamarine, or make things Mediterranean with this espresso. Try the navy striped set for a touch of French Provencal. No matter your choice, you can rest assured these are some of the finest linen options on the market beloved by contributor Erika Owen for “the lived-in look they constantly have, thanks to the easy wrinkling.”
Floral bedding is an easy way to optimize maximalism in your bedroom—the block print style of this duvet cover and shams create a welcoming, bohemian vibe, making things feel both bright and relaxed in your space. They’re also made from 100% cotton, which bodes well for breathability and durability, so you can enjoy this unique bedding set for some time.
Piglet in Bed is our cottagecore go-to. Their wide selection of gingham styles achieve the English countryside kind of style that’s widely trending, while still maintaining quality. “The quality is unmatched, and I predict I’ll use these for as long as they’ll last (seemingly incredibly long),” says contributor Zoë Sessums. “You really get what you pay for, so I would say these are A+++ sheets.” These sheets are Oeko-Tex-certified (meaning they’re free of harmful chemicals), and their linen blend is made from a soft combo of 55% European linen and 45% long staple cotton.
If you’re looking to make your bed the centerpiece of your maximalist dreamscape, these sheets from Clementine are a good start. A deep navy silk is both cozy and alluring—sophisticated and still sexy. Harrison confirms these sheets are “as soft as they look, and make for such a luxurious sleeping experience, it’s almost royal.”
These sheets take a different approach to cottagecore than Piglet in Bed but achieve the desired look from a different, perhaps more French angle. They look like exact antique replicas—a pinstripe paired with a line of tiny florals in a soft indigo. They’re also made from percale, meaning they’re cooling, soft, and long-lasting.
A $140 hack to transform your space comes in the form of this striped quilt from Quince. This 100% European linen piece accomplishes what Kendall Jenner’s mountain home set out to do: make a damn good impression of the old with something new. Pair a little ruffled bed skirt with this piece and you’ve got the full-fledged English bed chamber.
From the Pierce and Ward collaboration that “synthesizes Asian and Craftsman influences,” this lush duvet set creates visual interest among other natural tones. E.g., it can protect a beige bedroom from looking drab. The beige and fir green are made with a slight mustard wash to transition them into a warmer shade that’s more suitable for cozy spaces. The shams aren’t necessary for the duvet here, nor is the duvet necessary for the shams, making it a great mix-and-match set if you’re looking for just a splash of pattern instead of a full maximalist overhaul.
The benefit of a throw blanket or bedspread is its transitional maximalism. If, at times, it feels like too much? Stow it away, though we think it’s unlikely that this color-blocking take on plaid will overwhelm you. It actually pairs well with minimalism elsewhere. Think solid color sheets and pillowcases alongside this bold print. A dark green, ochre, or rust might do well here, even a lighter beige, to illustrate this design style by layering instead of relying on bold colors.