Rest your feet: Shop online for your sheets

Helen Malani, Special to the News

Published January 26, 2006 at midnight

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Shopping is my job. I'm very fortunate. It's what I love. It's what I know. With that said, there are very few things in life I dread shopping for.

I hate buying my meditative Indian uncle Bagu his birthday present every year. This man has everything, but needs nothing material because of his spiritual leanings. Then there are hardware stores. I always find myself overwhelmed in those warehouse stores full of wood, caulking, fertilizer and paint. Ugh!

Lastly, there's bedding. I don't enjoy buying sheets and sheet sets because it feels like I'm doing a jigsaw puzzle. Every time I'm in a bedding store, I have to look for the flat sheet, the fitted sheet, the duvet cover, the bed skirt, pillow cases, then on top of that, make sure they all are color or pattern coordinated. I must admit though, I love how my bed looks. I change colors according to my many moods and the seasons and on lazy Sunday afternoons.

A whopping 39 percent of shoppers buy new bedding to redecorate and 31 percent buy because they simply have a mood change. January is the perfect time to indulge an emotional bedding purchase as that's when retailers hold their annual white sales.

Unlike me, the majority of shoppers prefer buying a complete bed-in-a-bag over separates. You can always change your look with your moods by choosing separates that will complement the set you already own but will give you a whole new image. Before buy different colored sheets, think about what message you want to convey to the world or to that special someone you share the bedroom with.

Remember, color reflects people's moods. If you like pink - it's the most romantic color and rather tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy. Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in.

Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown also can be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.

The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals.

Next, think about count and cost, which usually go hand in hand. Thread count is the number of threads per square inch - the higher the count, the softer the sheet.

A general rule of thumb is to go with the highest thread count you can comfortably afford, because no matter how soft the sheets, one doesn't sleep well if you're worried about your credit card bill. Using an online shopping search engine allows you to quickly refine your search and saves time.

My bedding search starts at www.shopzilla.com and typing the word bedding. In less than 10 minutes I found my romance, in bedding that is.

Helen Malani is the chief shopping expert for shopzilla.com.

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