Since we spend around a third of our lives in bed, this guide to luxury bedding and throws will highlight what you can do to boost your sleep and comfort levels.
Most of us will be puzzled about thread counts and terms like ‘percale’, but to ensure a great night’s sleep, you should invest in luxury bedding that uses the best quality materials to enjoy quality sleep.
Materials for Bedding and Throws
When it comes to sourcing luxurious bedding and throws, you will need to choose between natural or man-made fibres.
Each has its benefits and to help understand them:
- Manmade fibres
When it comes to bedding, the popular manmade fibres tend to be polyester and acrylic which are synthetic polymers. Polyester can be combined with cotton for improved colour fastness and make the bedding easy to care for.
- Natural fibres
Among the natural fibres used for bedding is the ever-popular material cotton – but there’s also hemp, flax and sisal to choose from. Animal fibres including wool are popular luxury choices with UK company John Atkinson who are seeing an increase in the number of people switching to wool as part of their bedding setup.
Cotton Bed Sheets
Cotton is a popular choice for many of us and it’s a breathable natural fibre that is cool and smooth.
In quality cotton bedding, the manufacturer will remove any excess fibres to help reduce shedding or linting. This also brings us to sourcing the very best in luxury bed linen, and that is to invest in Egyptian cotton. The material is renowned for being the best cotton in the world.
The difference with this type of cotton is that it is soft to touch, very durable and tends to be made from extra-long fibres.
Luxurious Egyptian cotton bedding with a thread count ranging from 200 to 800 will indicate the item’s quality. Some luxury bedding manufacturers are producing sheets with a thread count of 1,600.
The thread count refers to the thread number – that is both horizontal and vertical – per square inch of the fabric. With a high thread count, the more luxurious and durable the bed sheet will be. Also, a high number means the bedsheet may be heavier, so if you prefer a light sheet, then avoid those items that have a thread count of more than 800.
When choosing luxury cotton bed linen, choose sheets that feel good on your skin and appreciate that a higher price product usually indicates better quality.
Linen Bed Sheets
For those of you who want a material that is cool in summer, and able to trap body heat in winter, then linen is a very good fabric.
It’s not as popular as quality cotton but offers a smooth finish and is eco-friendly, though you may find it will wrinkle more than other fabrics do. After a few washes, it is an excellent and comfortable material. You should also know that:
- Linen offers a fresh, cool and pleasant feeling.
- Linen has a natural pH balance.
- Linen is anti-static.
- Pure linen has anti-allergenic properties and is bacteria resistant for.
- Linen is twice as durable as cotton.
Linen is breathable and absorbent – a sound choice for those who get hot at night.
For luxury bedding fans – those who enjoy the feel and quality of luxury products – linen is their material of choice.
Silk Bed Linen
There’s no doubt that silk as a material for luxurious bed linen can be an indulgent option.
It has a lovely smooth feel and delivers a natural, breathable fabric that will leave you cool on hot nights.
Bedding Weave Types
Having mentioned the types of materials and the thread count, there’s also the issue of the weave.
It’s the weave type that has been used for the bedding that will affect the look and feel of it.
According to Forbes the most popular weaves used are sateen and percale.
What is a sateen weave?
Put simply, a sateen weave will see bedding having more threads vertically than horizontal.
It’s this that will offer a silk finish to the bedding and it’s used usually in sheets with a thread count of at least 300. The surface has a silky touch and an attractive sheen.
What is a percale weave?
For those who want a plain weave, then a percale weave is for bedding with a thread count of at least 180, with the thread being woven in a criss-cross pattern.
Percale sheets tend to be crisp to the touch, be more breathable and lightweight. They also have a matte texture.
How to choose the Best Type of Bedding for you
When it comes to choosing the best type of bedding for your bed, then the right material could make a huge difference.
This also extends to throws for your bed and using quality material will work well with the luxury bedding you decide to invest in.
Creating that Luxury Bed
Essentially, when it comes to creating a luxury bed that oozes opulence with sumptuously soft sheets that you will be proud to spend time in, you will be recreating a five-star hotel experience in your own home.
When it comes to creating a luxury sleeping experience, top quality hotels tend not to use fitted sheets when it comes to covering their mattresses.
Instead, they will usually choose to use one or two oversized flat sheets that will then create a smooth sleeping surface.
However, hotel employees will be using ‘hospital corners’ to ensure that the flat sheets are tucked tightly around the mattress.
This can be a tricky skill to learn but with some practice, everyone can create a smooth, luxurious fitted sheet feeling by using flat sheets.
Buying Luxury Bed Linen
It needs to be borne in mind that while luxury bed linen will help bring a refined look and feel to your interior design scheme, the real aim is to provide a restful and comfortable night’s sleep. And while we have mentioned that the thread count is important, it’s not always the best indicator of quality.
That’s because the thread count will deliver different textures, but you need to pay attention to the quality of the raw materials being used. The quality of the yarn used for luxury bedding really matters. And if you have your fabrics laundered by professionals, then you need to consider using natural cotton, linen or silk.
Luxury bed linen will also usually have fine details such as hemstitching, embroidery and contrasting borders that will look effective without overpowering the look you are trying to achieve.
To help guide you in your aim to enjoy the most luxurious offering when it comes to bedding for your modern home, you should look at the products from Brooklinen, Casper, Frette and Saatva.
For blankets and throws – and to replicate that five-star hotel look and feel – then the range from John Atkinson who make blankets and throws made from cashmere, lambswool and also cotton should be inspected.
By simply looking at and touching these products, will help underline why luxury bedding is worth the investment to deliver opulence and comfort.
And by using this guide, you will be heading in the right direction to selecting the right luxurious bedding and throws that are suitable for you and your bed but remember to spare no expense when investing in quality, luxury products!
