Loui Burke, an Australian creative director and home expert, has been making waves online with his “fed-up” bed-making videos, which have gone viral and sparked a debate about pillows, quilts, and bed-making. His Instagram following doubled in a single week as people began to pay attention to his practical interiors advice.
According to Loui, the biggest mistake people make when it comes to bed-making is treating the bed like a table and lining every pillow upright across it. Instead, he advises stacking the sleeping pillows flat and using decorative pillows to introduce height and shape in front.
Styling a Bed Properly
Loui’s philosophy for creating a beautiful bedroom is centered around using fewer things, making the things you do use work harder, and paying attention to proportion, layering, and presentation. He recommends a simple formula for styling a bed: four sleeping pillows, two European pillows, and one long lumbar cushion for a queen or king bed.
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“You need far fewer than people think,” he says. “Once you need a diagram to remember where everything goes at night, it has become ridiculous.” Loui starts with a mattress protector and a fitted sheet, followed by a top sheet, which he brings all the way to the head of the bed before positioning the duvet approximately 30 centimeters lower.
This leaves enough sheet to fold neatly over the top of the duvet, creating a crisp cuff. The upper section of the duvet is then folded back with a coverlet layered beneath the fold. Sleeping pillows are stacked rather than propped, followed by two European pillows and one lumbar. Finally, Loui steams the visible bedding once the bed is made, taking it from “I changed the sheets” to a bed that looks like it has room service.
Loui’s approach to bed-making is not just about aesthetics; it’s also about creating a sense of luxury without breaking the bank. He believes that scale and presentation do more than price, and that using a duvet one size larger than the mattress can create a more generous drape down either side of the bed.
Properly filled duvets and pillow protectors also help to create a luxurious look, and Loui advises keeping the palette relatively tonal and paying attention to the way everything sits. He’s a big fan of steaming, which can make inexpensive linen look more refined.
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A beautiful bed should still look sleepable, according to Loui. He wants people to aim for a bed that looks finished but still inviting, with a turned-back duvet, a visible coverlet, and natural linen or cotton giving the bed layers without making it feel untouchable.
Loui’s goal is not perfection but rather a bed that looks like you’re allowed to get into it. He’s ready to see excessive cushions and aggressive cushion chopping disappear, along with shiny polyester bedding and decorative pillows that serve no purpose.
Bedding Trends for 2026
Instead, Loui sees bedrooms moving towards a more personal and less trend-saturated look. He advises starting with good natural materials and a restrained base, then bringing in color, pattern, or vintage pieces in ways that can evolve. This approach to decorating is refreshingly straightforward, and Loui believes that it’s the key to creating a bedroom that won’t date quickly.
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As Loui looks to the future of bedding, he notes that a current bedroom in 2026 should feel personal rather than trend-saturated. With this in mind, it’s likely that people will start to focus more on creating a space that reflects their individual style, rather than following the latest trends.
Loui’s advice is not just about bed-making; it’s also about creating a sense of luxury and comfort in the bedroom. By using high-quality materials, paying attention to proportion and layering, and adding a few simple touches, such as a steamer, people can create a bedroom that feels like a retreat, rather than just a place to sleep. The key to achieving this look is to focus on the details, such as the way the bedding is arranged and the use of natural materials, and to avoid over-accessorizing, which can make the bed feel cluttered and untouchable.
Creating a Personal Space
He believes that a beautifully made bed is just the starting point, and that the rest of the room should be designed to promote relaxation and tranquility.
