Dress my bed!

I'm sad to report that the downtown DC West Elm is closing. Really, I am. But I'm happy to report that all items in the store are now an extra 15% off already marked-down prices. Gotta focus on that silver lining, because despite the bigger picture problem of retail downtown, I really wanted a new headboard. And I might have been stalking one from West Elm for some time now. Yesterday, I scored it... at a major discount!

There's something really satisfying about purchasing a new headboard. It feels quite adult of me, and I love that I bought it myself. We've owned West Elm's tall bed frame for years, topped with another WE headboard that T found as a floor model. The headboard worked fine, but I've never loved it. I like to think it'll make someone on Craigslist very happy soon. This one, though? So soft and pretty without being too feminine. And how fantastic would it look with a brightly colored wall behind it?

It's funny... I've been having so much trouble finding bedroom decor inspiration. Our current stuff is the bedding in this photo, and while we love the color and the vibe, the fit of the duvet has never been quite right for our bed.

So we're open to something new, but what? Looking for new bedding has been such a nightmare. Everything out there right now seems either white or pale gray (not interested), pastel (too girly for T), bright but terribly designed, or made of fabric that makes me cringe. What's a color-lover to do when it comes to bedding?

While we're talking bedding, let's take a step back in time...

See, there's the whole matter of "single Maggie" bedding that comes into play from time to time. T and I have a long-running joke about the colors and prints that I'd surround myself with if not for him. When applied to bedding, the term inevitably refers to something shockingly bright and printed, probably from Anthropologie. When he met me I was living the single Maggie lifestyle, and oh how I miss this bedding:

I had a deep purple bedskirt and a million crazy pillows and my social justice prints on the walls. Of course I did. And he fell in love with that girl, I'd like to remind him! Bright colors and loud prints and all!

I can already hear him calling for his sunglasses after that image...

Give me your best bedding inspiration. I feel like I've seen 'em all, so prove me wrong.