Should My Bed Set Match My Curtains?

If you’ve ever stood in your bedroom and thought, “Should my bed set match my curtains?”, you’re not the only one. It’s one of those decorating questions that pops up the minute you start taking your space seriously.

 In This Article 

• Why Bedding And Curtains Matter So Much
• When Matching Bed Covers And Curtains Is A Brilliant Idea
• When Coordinated, Not Identical, Looks Best
• What People Usually Match Their Curtains With
• Simple Rules To Make Any Combination Look Intentional
• So, What’s The “Done Thing”?

Short answer. Your bed set and curtains don’t have to match perfectly for your room to look “right”. Matching bed covers and curtains or even full matching curtain and duvet sets can look gorgeous, but they work best as one of your tools, not a strict rule. The real goal is a bedroom that feels calm, pulled together and like you on your best day.

Our view is simple. Matching works best “to a degree”. Your bedding and curtains should coordinate in colour, pattern or texture so they feel related. They don’t need to be identical twins. If you love a neat, hotel style finish, bed set matching curtains is an easy win. If you prefer a softer, more relaxed look, mixing is often better. The important thing is that the whole scheme makes sense when you stand in the doorway and take it in.

Why Bedding And Curtains Matter So Much

Your bed, your curtains and your floor do most of the visual heavy lifting in a bedroom.

The bed is a big block of colour and pattern right in your eye line. It is where you crash after a long day, where your pillow quietly deals with sleep, sweat, occasional make up and the odd bit of drool, and where you flip the duvet to the cool side on warm nights.

Your curtains frame the window and control the light. They help you sleep in on Sunday, stop street lamps from keeping you awake and soften draughts in winter.

The floor, whether it's carpet or a rug, anchors everything.

When those three feel connected, your brain reads the space as calm and intentional. When each one has a completely different mood, your eyes work harder to make sense of it all. You might not notice it consciously, but it can make the room feel busier and less restful.

There is a wellbeing angle too. Your bedding and curtains are usually the first and last things you see each day. Soft, considered combinations can make it easier to wind down at night and wake up feeling a bit more put together in the morning.

So the question “Should my bed set match my curtains?” is really about how you want the room to feel when you get into bed and when you wake up again. Calm. Cosy. Energising. Minimal. Once you know that, you can decide how closely everything should match.

When Matching Bed Covers And Curtains Is A Brilliant Idea

There are plenty of times when going for a proper matched look is exactly what we’d recommend.

Kids’ And Themed Rooms

Matching is magic in children’s rooms and nurseries.

Think about a gaming set where the duvet, pillowcase and curtains all share controllers, neon colours and “Game Over” slogans. Or a woodland set with foxes and mushrooms running across the bed and the window. Or ballerina and unicorn designs that repeat soft pinks and little characters from duvet to curtain.

Because the walls and flooring are usually simpler, the perfectly matched print turns the whole space into one clear story. It feels fun, immersive and easy to pull together. You don't have to overthink the rest of the styling because the pattern is already doing the hard work.

Guest Rooms And Hotel-Style Neutrals

In guest rooms, matching bed covers and curtains can instantly make the space feel “done”.

Picture a soft taupe velvet duvet with matching pillowcases, a velvet throw and curtains in the same shade. The look is very boutique hotel. Everything blends into one calm envelope and your guests get that “freshly made” feeling every time they walk in.

This works just as well with simple white or cream sets. A white embroidered duvet, white pillows and light neutral curtains feel quietly luxurious without needing lots of extra accessories.

Small, Light Bedrooms

If your bedroom is on the smaller side, a matched look can help it feel bigger and calmer.

Light bedding that blends into light curtains, with walls in a similar soft shade, reduces visual breaks. The bed, window and wall read as one pale backdrop, so the room feels more open. You can then add interest with a textured rug, a wooden headboard or a couple of patterned cushions.

Seasonal Moments

Matching can also be a lovely choice for special bedding.

Think of festive duvet sets with rows of cheerful Santas or woodland Christmas scenes. In our own shots, the bedding often carries the seasonal print while the curtains stay neutral. You still get that “decorated for December” feeling without needing Christmas curtains as well.

When Coordinated, Not Identical, Looks Best

In most everyday adult bedrooms, coordination works harder than strict matching.

Look at how many rooms use a neutral “frame” with a statement bed. You’ll often see:

• white or natural curtains
• pale walls or panelling
• warm wooden or woven furniture
  
  

Then the bedding changes on top. One week it's a ditsy pink floral, the next it is wide beige stripes, later a navy stripe or grey gingham. Because the curtains and walls stay soft and consistent, every duvet looks like it belongs.

You also see rooms where the curtains quietly echo one colour from the bedding instead of repeating the whole print. A mustard and red boho duvet sits with deep green curtains that pick up the leaves in the pattern. Navy checked bedding sits in front of mid blue curtains, with a dark blue wall behind. Green striped bedding lives happily with green walls and white curtains.

The pattern tends to live on the bed. The curtains act as a calm backdrop or a simple colour block. Matching curtain and duvet sets still exist, but they are the exception rather than the rule in grown up spaces.

This softer, coordinated approach is ideal if you like your bedroom to feel relaxed and lived in rather than perfectly styled. It gives you freedom to change your duvet covers with the seasons or your mood, while your curtains and bigger furniture stay the same.

What People Usually Match Their Curtains With

If you do not always match your curtains to your bed set, what do you match them with instead. In real bedrooms, a few habits come up again and again.

Walls

Lots of people like their curtains to sit just lighter or darker than the wall colour. Cream curtains against warm beige panelling. Soft grey curtains against deeper charcoal walls. It gives a cocooned, wrapped up feel, especially at night, and keeps the focus on the bed.

Rugs, Carpet And Flooring

Another common move is to let curtains match the rug in tone. When curtains match the rug, the eye reads those two big shapes as a pair, which instantly grounds the room.

The same idea works when carpet and curtains match in mood. Pale carpet with soft, pale curtains feels airy and fresh. Deeper carpet with richer curtains feels snug and den like. The bed can then bring contrast so the space does not feel flat, for example a lighter duvet on a darker base or the other way round.

Headboard And Furniture

Curtains can also tie into key pieces of furniture.

Soft grey curtains with a grey upholstered headboard and white bedding feel simple and modern. Natural curtains that echo a rattan headboard, a wooden bedside table and a jute rug create a warm, casual look. Beige curtains that bridge oak furniture and cream bedding pull everything together without shouting.

Overall Theme

Sometimes the link is more about mood than exact colour.

A leafy duvet, a cushion in soft green and natural curtains together say “calm, nature inspired bedroom”. Blue striped bedding, a striped cushion and simple white curtains gently suggest “coastal”. You do not need everything to match perfectly for the room to feel intentional.

Simple Rules To Make Any Combination Look Intentional

Whichever pieces you decide to match, a few design rules help the whole room feel thought through rather than thrown together.

Choose A Hero

Start by choosing a hero piece. It might be a patterned duvet, a bold curtain fabric or a standout headboard. That is the thing you want people to notice first.

Once you have your hero, keep the other two big elements quieter. If the duvet is full of colour and pattern, let the curtains and floor go simpler. If the curtains are dramatic velvet, choose calmer bedding and a softer rug.

Repeat Your Key Colour

Pick a colour you genuinely love and repeat it about three or four times around the room.

For example, sage green on the duvet, a cushion and the lampshade. Or deep navy on the throw, a framed print and the curtain edging. When a colour pops up in a few places, the room feels pulled together even if nothing is technically “matching”.

Balance Pattern Scale

If both your curtains and bedding have pattern, balance the scale so they do not compete.

A large floral looks happiest with a smaller print or fine stripe. Bold stripes on the bed feel calmer with subtle, textured curtains. Think of one pattern as the headline and the other as the caption.

Use Texture When You Keep Colours Simple

All white or all neutral rooms look expensive when you layer textures.

Tufted or dotted bedding, slightly crinkled cotton, linen look curtains, a woven rug and a rattan headboard all sit in the same gentle palette but give plenty of interest. You still get that soothing “light and airy” feel without the room looking flat.

Consider Room Size And Light

Smaller or darker bedrooms usually benefit from lighter colours and softer contrasts. Lighter bedding, pale curtains and a mid tone floor bounce light around and help the space feel more open.

Larger or brighter rooms can cope with deeper colours and bigger prints, whether that is on the bed, the curtains or both. You could have rich green striped bedding with walls and curtains in a softer green and still keep the space feeling calm.

Let Cushions And Throws Do The Bridging

If your bed set and curtains are very different, cushions and throws can act like translators.

Pick up the curtain colour in a throw at the foot of the bed or in a couple of cushions. Repeat the duvet colour in a window seat cushion or a lampshade. Those small echoes are often all you need for everything to feel intentional.

So, What’s The “Done Thing”?

So, should your bed set match your curtains?

There's no single rule you have to follow. Matching bedding and curtains is still a lovely, classic choice, especially for kids’ rooms, nurseries, guest bedrooms and hotel style schemes. It gives you instant cohesion and takes the guesswork out of decorating.

At the same time, coordinated rather than identical looks are just as stylish. You might let a bed set matching curtains lead in one bedroom. In another, you might let your curtains match the rug, or let carpet and curtains match in mood while the duvet changes with the seasons. Both paths can look finished and thoughtful when you pay attention to colour, pattern scale, texture and how you actually live.

Our recommendation is to start with how you want the room to feel. Choose a hero colour or print you genuinely love. Decide which elements should echo each other and let the rest support quietly.

When you're ready to play, explore our duvet cover sets, cushions, throws and curtains. Try a fully matched look. Try a softer mix. Keep the version that makes you happiest when you switch off the light.