3 tips to give your bed a luxurious, cozy makeover—without spending major cash

Around this time of year-the coldest, darkest, just plain grimmest part of winter-there are few things that sound more appealing than curling up in a warm, cozy, beautifully made bed. It's a simple luxury that can greatly improve one's well-being and doesn't need to cost a ton of money. We rounded up three super-easy, (almost) no-spending-required ideas to give any bed a sumptuous, relaxing overhaul.

1. Bust out the iron. You may not realize this (I hadn't), but a big reason why the display beds you see in stores look so gorgeous is that the sheets have been pressed. But don't worry, you don't need to spend hours over an ironing board. To get the look at home, take the following shortcut: Iron out your pillowcases and the upper third of your top sheet-really the only parts of the sheets that anyone (including you) will see when the bed's made. It's a five-minute time investment (max ten if you count heating up your iron and taking out the board) and it's amazing what a difference it makes in giving your bed a polished and totally inviting department store look.

2. Add a signature scent. Seriously, what's better than falling into a bed of nice-smelling sheets? The key here is subtlety-you don't want an overwhelming fragrance that smacks you in the face every time you climb into bed. Storing scented candles in your linen closet leaves your bedding with a soft perfume (just stick to one scent or two complementary fragrances so you don't end up with some kind of crazy cocktail of smells). Another trick: store folded sheets with sprigs of rosemary, dried lavender, or cinnamon sticks between the layers, which adds a delicate, all-natural aroma.

3. Fluff your pillows. First things first: do you have down pillows? If not, at least consider taking the plunge, because honestly, resting your head at night on a mound of squishy feathers way beats the experience you get with a poly-fill. They last for years, and anytime you start to feel like they're getting flat, throw them in the dryer on the air fluff setting with a couple of clean tennis balls and they'll emerge puffed up and looking/feeling good as new.