a bedroom makeover

I live in my bedroom, pretty much.   And when Alexander’s home, my room becomes, as he puts it, “my summer house.” My son’s things have migrated into every area of our apartment, except my bedroom.  Alexander’s preference would be to have me locked inside my room, let out only to cook meals.

So given that so much of my at-home time is spent in my bedroom, it’s important to me that I like what I see when I'm there.

It’s been over ten years since I’ve changed my bedding; it’s time.

I love the look of a duvet, and have one.  But I like a cold room, and even with the air conditioning cranked up, a duvet is too warm.  So instead, I have a down blanket and a coverlet.  For years, I’ve had a reversible, quilted Yves Delorme coverlet.  It is looking tired; the once vibrant blue is now a pale ghost of itself.

Last week I go down to Harris Levy, a store near Chinatown that sells gorgeous high-end linens at a small discount.  I ask to see any discontinued items.  It’s there I see a queen sized reversible quilted coverlet, again by Yves Delorme.  The pattern is a few years old, but at $175, it’s a great deal.  I know I shouldn’t, and think I won’t, but then I ask to see the quilt unspread.

We unpackage the coverlet and see faint water stains on it.  Phew.  I can now safely say no.  But I don’t.  What’s wrong with me?  I offer to buy it for $100, and the owner says I can return it if the stains don’t come out.  Now it’s discounted 85%.  I give in.

I take the quilt to Joseph’s Cleaners, where they perform their magic. It comes back perfectly white with no stains. Really, I should be a professional shopper.