December 06th, 2019

This blob of white is actually a bed skirt. 

I've had this particular bedskirt for a long time. It was on our bed in our Connecticut house. Then it was  on a bed in the guest room in our Colorado house.  Up until this week it was on our bed here in Florida. I took it off to wash it and now I wondering if I should bother putting it back on.   Obviously I would have to iron it first. Hmmmmm.

I didn't grow up in a family that used bedskirts by the way.   The entire concept of bedskirts was kind of high falutin'  for the household I grew up in.  So it wasn't on my radar for YEARS!

But somewhere along the line, when I was a single mom, I was given a subscription to a magazine called, Victoria.  It was such a lovely, romantic publication.  I feel in love immediately.  Swoon.  Being the only female in a household filled with boys, I was craving something delicate and feminine and well, just, pretty.  So once a month, after the boys were long abed, I would read every single page in that magazine, lingering over the beautiful photographs and dreaming girly dreams.

After Tim and I got married and we bought a house, during the big move, he noted that one of the heavy boxes he lugged in was filled with my Victoria magazines because I never threw one away. Not one. I read them, and re-read them etc.  I chattered away about how lovely the magazine was and why I enjoyed it so much.  He listened, as he does, and nodnodnodded and when I finally shut up, he pointed out that if I wanted or needed something pretty/girlie/schmancy in our bedroom to go right ahead.  He was man enough to sleep in a girlie bedroom if that made me happy.  Awwwwwww.  What a nice man ;)

Well, I didn't want to make him totally uncomfortable, but perhaps I could come up with one girlie romantic touch.  What I decided upon was the bedskirt.  Some people call it a dust ruffle.  Regardless of what you call it, if you are unfamiliar with the concept  it is fabric that sits between the box spring and the mattress.  It has long extended sides that go down almost to the floor completely covering the bedframe  and obscuring any view of what, if anything, is under the bed.

So we went shopping and finally I found this one. It's white, so it goes with almost anything.  It wasn't too ruffley and while it has a wee bit of cutwork along the bottom it's only a tiny bit girlie. I was so excited to wash and iron it and get it on the bed.  It took both of us to remove the top mattress, get the bedskirt placed and centered just perfectly and then to replace the mattress and get pillows and bedspread all sorted out.  I loved the look.  It softened the rather spartan look of the room just enough for me but not too feminine for Tim.  Balance.

Then, when we moved to Colorado we had a much larger house with much larger bedrooms and we decided to splurge and buy ourselves a new bed.  We looked for a very long time and finally settled on this monster sleigh bed.  It was a lovely heavy cherry wood piece with the massive head and foot boards and, something new to me, side rails.  

The side rails look awesome.  As they are a full 15 inches wide, they completely cover the box spring and actually more since there remains only about 2 inches of clearance from the bottom of the side rail to the floor.  Which means nothing fits underneath.  The side rails were absolutely perfect for breaking nails while changing sheets  and corralling dust bunnies. 

It also eliminated the need for the bedskirt.  So rather than waste it, I put it on the bed in one of the guest rooms.  And it looked perfect in there!  So for ten years, in Colorado that was it's use.

Then when we moved here, we found that our bedroom felt too small, too crowded with that monster sleigh bed in it so once again, we bought another bed.  This one an rather old fashioned metal work bed with big wooden legs.  Which means that once again, the box spring was just hanging out there and the underbed storage box was completely visible.  And I really didn't like that look.  Soooo the bedskirt was once again put to use on our bed.  OK that should be fine.

Maybe because it's kind of old now but I am finding that the darned skirt constantly needs to be re-adjusted now.  It doesn't hang evenly and every day when I make up the bed, I am making adjustment.  Pulling it down here, tucking it up there, and occasionally having to take it off the bed completely and putting it back on, correctly just to keep it looking good.  I don't like fussy. Never have.  High maintenance households irritate me. Ordinary maintenance I am fine with but forever having to adjust something?  Nope.

So about two weeks ago I took the bedskirt completely off the bed to wash and ironing it, fully intending to put it back on and yet...I have not.  I'm debating if I even should.

Here are some photos.  The first is without the bedskirt.  I do not like how I can see the box spring.  It's not horrible. It's not torn up or stained or broken of course, it's just  not pretty.  Also the bedrame legs are visible. Also not pretty.  AND I can see the underbed storage box.  Hey! It's a small house. Gotta get creative with storage.  That's where I keep wrapping paper, small boxes, ribbon things like that.

And then this photo is with the bedskirt on.
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It feels as if it looks more ...I don't know...more finished?  Like putting curtains or drapes at a window.  Also, once again, I cannot see the frame the box spring or the storage box.

On the other hand, without the bedskirt, I don't have to fuss with it every day and I will never have to wash and iron it again.

What do you guys think?  Bedskirt yes? Bedskirt no.
​Waiting for your votes :)