What is a Bed Valance, and Do I Need One? A Complete Guide to Valances & Bedskirts
Walk into any well-appointed hotel room and you'll notice that the beds look finished in a way that's hard to put your finger on at first. The bedding is crisp, the pillows are dressed correctly - but there's something else. The bed itself looks complete, as if it belongs in the room rather than simply sitting in it. In most cases, what you're noticing is a valance - and once you understand what it does, you'll wonder how you managed without one.
What is a Bed Valance, and Do I Need One? A Complete Guide to Valances & Bedskirts
What is a Bed Valance?
A bed valance - known as a bedskirt in the United States and parts of the wider English-speaking world - is a length of fabric that fits around the base of a bed, between the mattress and the floor. It hangs down from the level of the mattress, covering the bed base, the frame, and the gap between the base and the floor.
The purpose is both decorative and practical. Decoratively, a valance gives the bed a finished, considered appearance - the visual equivalent of a hem on a well-made garment. Practically, it conceals whatever happens to live beneath the bed, from the structure of the base itself to the suitcases, storage boxes, and seasonal items that tend to accumulate in that space.
In Spain, the equivalent term is falda de cama or, more commonly in the context of the specific bed structure widely used here, a funda de somier - a cover for the somier, which is the slatted or solid bed base that forms the foundation of most Spanish beds. Whether you call it a valance, a bedskirt, or a funda de somier, the product and its purpose are the same.
Why Does a Bed Look Better With a Valance?
This is worth understanding, because it explains why valances appear in virtually every hotel room and every properly styled bedroom photograph, yet are often absent from everyday homes.
A bed without a valance exposes its base - and most bed bases are not particularly attractive. The metal frame legs, the fabric-covered sides of a divan, the slatted wooden structure of a Spanish somier - none of these are designed to be seen. They're functional, not decorative. Left exposed, they create a visual gap between the bed and the floor that reads as unfinished, in the same way that a table with its underside visible feels less resolved than one with a tablecloth.
A valance closes that gap. It creates a continuous visual line from the mattress to the floor, giving the bed a sense of mass and solidity that makes it feel like a proper piece of furniture rather than a functional object placed in a room. In photographs - which matters enormously for anyone running a holiday rental - a bed with a well-fitted valance looks considerably more polished and more inviting than the same bed without one.
Valances in Spain - A Note on Bed Sizes and Somier Bases
Before choosing a valance in Spain, it's important to understand that Spanish bed dimensions differ from UK and US standard sizes - and that the most common bed base type here, the somier, requires a slightly different approach to fitting than a UK divan.
The most common Spanish bed widths are 90cm (individual/single), 135cm (matrimonial/double), 150cm (matrimonial grande), 160cm (Euroking), 180cm (superking) and 200cm (emperor). Lengths are typically either 190cm or 200cm. When ordering a valance for a Spanish bed, always check the width carefully - a 135cm double valance, sized for the Spanish market, is not the same as a UK double.
The standard drop - the distance from the top of the bed base to the floor - for most Spanish beds is 30cm. This is the measurement to check before ordering: the ideal valance should reach comfortably to the floor without bunching, or fall just fractionally short for a clean, contemporary finish. To measure correctly, simply place a tape measure at the top of the somier or divan base and measure straight down to the floor.
The Yorkshire Linen Luxury 30cm Base Valance
At Yorkshire Linen Beds & More, our current valance collection centres on the Luxury 30cm Base Valance, available in three carefully chosen colours: white, silver, and beige. All three share the same construction, the same sizing range, and the same quality specification - the choice between them is purely one of colour coordination with your existing bedroom scheme.
The valance is woven from a 144 thread count 50/50 polycotton jacquard - a fabric choice that deserves a brief explanation. The jacquard weave produces a subtle micro-herringbone pattern on the surface: not a bold decorative statement, but a refined textural quality that catches the light gently and gives the valance a slightly more considered appearance than a plain flat fabric. It reads as quality without drawing attention to itself - which is exactly what a well-designed valance should do.
The polycotton blend is a practical choice for this application. It is durable enough to handle regular washing without deteriorating, breathable enough to prevent the musty quality that can develop in rarely-washed bed base coverings, and sufficiently crisp to maintain a smooth, freshly-pressed appearance between washes. It also dries quickly - a genuine advantage in the Spanish climate, where valances can be line-dried and back on the bed within a few hours.
The valance is fitted with discreet interior ties that allow the length to be adjusted between 190cm and 200cm - which means a single product fits both of the standard Spanish bed lengths without any cutting or alteration. This is a thoughtful practical detail that makes the fitting process considerably easier.
- White: The most versatile of the three colours and the most commonly used in hotel settings, white works with virtually any bedding and any bedroom colour scheme. It reads as clean, fresh, and unambiguously tidy, and it photographs extremely well - which makes it the natural first choice for holiday rental properties.
- Silver: A soft, warm grey with a slight sheen from the jacquard weave, silver sits beautifully with contemporary bedroom schemes in neutral tones - grey, taupe, soft blue, or white. It's less stark than white and slightly more decorative, while remaining versatile enough to work across a wide range of interiors.
- Beige: The warmest of the three, beige coordinates naturally with the earthy, Mediterranean tones that are common in Spanish homes and villas - terracotta, cream, natural linen, warm wood tones. It's a particularly natural choice for properties on the Costa del Sol, where the interior aesthetic tends toward warmth and naturalness rather than the cooler, more minimal palette of Scandinavian-influenced design.
All three are available from single (90cm) through to emperor (200cm), covering the full range of standard Spanish bed sizes.
How to Fit a Base Valance
Fitting a base valance is straightforward, though it does require lifting the mattress - which on a heavier mattress is easier with two people.
The process is simple: remove the mattress entirely from the base, lay the valance flat over the base with the skirt hanging down on three sides (the two long sides and the foot of the bed, leaving the head end open for access), then replace the mattress on top, which holds the valance in place. The interior ties are then adjusted as needed to achieve the right length.
Because the valance sits beneath the mattress, it stays neatly in place when you change your fitted sheets - you only need to remove the mattress again when you want to wash the valance itself, which in most households is every few weeks or whenever the bedding is given a full deep change.
For the Yorkshire Linen Luxury Base Valance, care is simple: machine washable, line or flat dry (do not tumble dry), and not suitable for dry cleaning. The polycotton fabric holds its shape well through regular washing and requires minimal ironing to look smooth and presentable.
Valances for Holiday Rental Properties
For property managers and holiday let owners on the Costa del Sol, valances deserve particular attention. The appearance of beds in listing photographs has a direct and measurable effect on booking rates, and the gap between a properly dressed bed and an undressed one is immediately apparent in photographs.
A valance costs relatively little - from €32.50 for our Luxury Base Valance - but the visual improvement it makes to a bed, and therefore to a listing photograph, is disproportionate to that price. Combined with quality bedding and a bed runner or bedspread, a properly fitted valance helps a rental property present its bedrooms with the kind of polished, hotel-quality finish that commands better reviews and supports higher nightly rates.
White is the most widely used colour for rental properties, for the same reason that white bed linen is standard in hotels: it photographs cleanly, communicates freshness and cleanliness clearly, and washes well at temperatures that ensure hygiene.
Shop Valances & Bedskirts at Yorkshire Linen
Our Luxury 30cm Base Valance is available in white, silver, and beige, in sizes from single through to emperor, from €32.50.
👉 Browse the Full Valances & Bedskirts Collection
We are continuously adding to this collection - if you are looking for a specific size, colour, or drop length that you don't currently see, please get in touch and we'll do our best to help.
Visit us in store at Ctra. de Mijas, Km 3.5, Mijas - Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm - where our team is happy to help you find the right valance for your bed, your room, and your budget. You can also reach us by phone on +34 952 197 577 or via WhatsApp at +34 626 147 703.
Yorkshire Linen Beds & More - Quality Home Textiles on the Costa del Sol since 2005.
