Reading in bed: a duvet cover as bedtime story

It started as a design project. Tiago da Fonseca, whose work can be found at Moss, has created a duvet cover called Bedtime Stories. It’s bedding, printed with a story. Which makes so much sense.

This is a particularly sophisticated duvet cover. Layered like the pages of a book, it can be turned as it is read -- or for warmth. On his website, da Fonseca explains it this way: “‘Bedtime Stories’ completely involves the reader in the story and each page adds or removes a layer of comfort to each side of the bed – more pages makes you warmer and comfier, hopefully guiding you and your partner into a pleasant night’s sleep.... It is even possible to remove pages, just like you would do in a book (if you dare!).”

But what kind of story will you fall asleep under? How about a fairy tale.

da Fonseca went back to the original Brothers Grimm for the perfect bedtime story. He chose “Briar Rose,” better, and more warmly, known as “Sleeping Beauty.” It begins:

Once upon a time there lived a king and queen who had no children; and this they lamented very much. But one day, as the queen was walking by the side of the river, a little fish lifted its head out of the water, and said, “Your wish shall be fulfilled, and you shall soon have a daughter.”

What the little fish had foretold soon came to pass; and the queen had a little girl who was so very beautiful that the king could not cease looking on her for joy, and determined to hold a great feast. So he invited not only his relations, friends, and neighbors, but also all the fairies, that they might be kind and good to his little daughter.

And then things go bad. There is jealousy and a curse, destruction, a valiant prince, and a happy ending. Otherwise there might be nightmares.

The Bedtime Stories duvet cover is for sale on Etsy for about $100.

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