9 Elements of a Dreamy Bedroom Retreat — A Top Dallas Designer Shares Her Secret Sources

Cathy Kincaid is the queen of elegant, livable interiors. Her rooms brim with stylish antiques and traditional furnishings, enveloping us with striking color palettes and charming patterns — all inspired by the best in English, French, and American design. She has always envisioned homes as our sanctuaries, and that’s never been more true than now.

A beautiful bedroom can be the most rejuvenating room of all, so for classic cocooning, we’ve turned to Kincaid to know more: What are the elements of a perfect bedroom, and who are the designer‘s go-to sources.

Bedding: Leontine Linens’ crisp cotton percale sheets and coverlets are almost noiron and last forever. I also love D. Porthault sheets. There’s nothing better than to wake up with flowers all around you.

Lighting: You need a swing-arm wall lamp with a three-way bulb for reading in bed; Vaughan, John Boone, and Hudson Valley make good ones. Bedside lamps with custom antique-textile shades lined in pale pink cast a pretty glow; Charles Birdsong makes all of mine, and The Lamp Shoppe makes beautiful shades. Never use downlights because they glare.

Mattress: Bunny Williams first told me about the comfortable custom mattresses by Charles H. Beckley. They’re all-natural cotton and horsehair and last forever. People with back problems love them, as they’re not too hard or too soft.

Pillows — down or synthetic: Down, and The Pillow Bar makes the best because they fill them to your specifications. They also put your monogram on the cover and tuck in a little lavender sachet.

Declutter: Leontine Linens makes a pretty bed caddie that tucks between your mattress and box spring. It keeps your glasses and tissues at hand’s reach and clutter off your nightstand.

Make it yours: I use Julia B. in Pennsylvania and Penn & Fletcher in New York to hand embroider canopies, draperies, and other dressmaker details in a room. Wallpaper your closet so it feels like you’re walking into a hatbox.

Walls: Use de Gournay wallpaper in the bedroom instead of the dining room — it’s like waking up in the garden. I almost always paper a bedroom, even if it’s a soft texture or geometric for depth.

Essential furniture: Bedside tables with drawers and shelves. We designed custom ones with John Rosselli in New York with a shelf that pulls out to hold water and books. You can use a desk on one side of the bed instead of a table, especially in a guest room. And always spend a night in your guest room to see what’s missing.

Calm in the storm: My dogs. I’ve had dogs since I was a little girl, and they sleep with me every night. Animals can be so comforting.