Bedding

Choosing the Best Bedding Sets and Bed Linens for Your Home

Each day, you spend about as much time in your bed as you do at your job. While those blissful eight hours in dreamland may seem to fly by most nights, they constitute a significant chunk of your life and are important to your well-being. Invest in top quality bed linens and bedding collections for an even more relaxing sleep.

What Are Bed Linens?

Bed linens are the different pieces of bedding one uses to make a bed. These include fitted bed sheets, flat bed sheets, blankets, duvet inserts, duvet covers, comforters, quilts, pillows, pillowcases and decorative pillows. Individual pieces are available in a variety of types of bedding materials and colors, with the most popular being cotton, linen, percale and sateen. If you want your bedroom to have a cohesive look, opt for a bedding set with every necessary piece.

Types of Bedding and Bed Sheets

Mattress Pad: Your mattress should be an investment, and your mattress pad should work to protect that investment. This bed topper will stave off inevitable wear and tear, dirt and dust mites and generally extend the life of your mattress. It also adds extra cushioning and support, making your bed irresistibly plush.

Fitted Sheet: This type of bed sheet should cover both your mattress and your mattress pad, providing a soft surface to lie on. Deep corner pockets have a little extra wiggle room for thicker mattresses or ones with a big mattress pad or bed topper.

Flat Sheet: A staple of any bed linen set, flat sheets are the first layer of the bed that you can actually use to cover yourself as you sleep. Choose your sheet set fabric based on temperature— organic cotton and linen are soft, yet lightweight and ideal for summer months, while sateen and flannel are cozier in the winter months.

Duvet: Your duvet is one of the outermost bed linens and includes two parts—the insert and the cover. Duvet inserts are available in both down and hypoallergenic down alternative options. Duvet covers are usually constructed with cotton or linen, and are removable and machine washable, making them easy to keep clean and swap out seasonally to coordinate with your overall home decor.

Quilt: Quilts and coverlets are able to take the place of a comforter or duvet in warm-weather months, as they're a lighter bed linen. In colder weather, quilts can be laid on top of the comforter or duvet for extra warmth and coziness. Like duvet covers, this bedding is also machine washable and easy to stylize with bed pillow shams.

Blanket: Blankets are a necessity in guest rooms—you never know what a guest's sleeping needs are, and they're an easy way to layer up if your home is too cold for their comfort. Because it doesn't have filling, a blanket is much more lightweight than a quilt and is easy to store in a linen closet or wardrobe drawers until it's needed in any season. Alternatively, lay one folded at the foot of the bed, just in case. Colorful blankets and bedding also add a nice pop of interest to your bedroom.

Pillow Shams and Pillowcases: Pillow shams and pillowcases both protect your bed pillows and tie your bed together aesthetically, by coordinating in color and pattern with the top layer of your bedding. Machine washable, luxuriously soft 300-thread count cotton makes for a plush, comfortable pillowcase to lay your head down on at night. Shams are typically a decorative touch for the top of the bed, though are helpful when propped behind your pillowcases while reading.

Pillows: Finish off your bed with supportive pillows. Bed pillows come in a variety of styles and materials from down and down alternative inserts to euro and standard size. Pillows should be covered in shams or pillowcases to protect them from sweat. Pillowcases can easily be laundered regularly whereas pillows themselves are washed less frequently. Be sure to purchase the right sized pillowcase for your pillows, since king-size or euro pillows are much larger and will not fit in standard cases. Beyond the pillows you sleep on, decorative pillows can be added to your bed for a pop of color or a cozy feel. Pillows add a bit of luxury to the bedroom and are available in many colors and sizes. Stack up large oversized pillows for layering and small bolster throw pillows for the front of your pillow arrangement.