I have often said, and I honestly believe, that all the best does not always equal the most expensive. Just look at Maybelline Great Lash mascara, arguably one of the best on the market and by all counts it’s a steal. I am hoping that many of you will weigh in on this topic and this post won’t ruin my reputation for coveting all the best.
Most things in my life I obsess over—shoes, handbags, paint, tableware, hotels, wine, art—you get the picture. But when it comes to bed linens I am a novice and quite honestly I just don’t get $2,500 for a set of queen sheets. I am more than willing to admit ignorance in this area. Perhaps if I were to sleep on a set my whole perspective might change.
I have a birthday coming up in April and my mother has asked me to get my wish list to her very soon. I am thinking of asking for new bedding. I feel that perhaps I am missing out on something very special and since statisticians estimate you will spend about 30 percent of your life in bed, why not indulge?
I am of course familiar with E. Braun & Company, Léron, Porthault , Pratesi and Leontine, but I cannot tell you with any level of certainty which of the aforementioned has the best bedding. I have been doing my “bedding research” for the past few days and think I have found what I believe to be a suitable choice for my taste and budget. I am going with Saxon by Sferra in chocolate brown and white. Lush and exquisite embroidery, 406 Italian Egyptian cotton percale and winner of the Textiles Industry Award for Best Luxe Design. I’ll be sure to let you know what I think.
Lovely choice ;-) and I'd go with the bed head too ;-)
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful sheets. Very delicate design.
ReplyDeleteMy cats would make mincemeat out of them, but they are very pretty. I liked how the white on white looks but I think the brown on white looks the crispest.
Cindy
Those will be fun to iron.
ReplyDeleteSweet dreams!
Please put a chocolate on the pillow (in wrapper)
for the first night you retire to slumber land.
back in the day, i went through a fancy sheet and towel phase. i tried a set of pratesi a set of sferra and leontine baby linens. sadly the sferra linens pilled almost immediately, something i had never encountered. even when laundered properly and put back on the bed damp to dry - never in the dryer. (something i was advised to do with all fine linens). unhappy with the pratesi and sferra, i bought a set of linen sheets. now THAT was the best and i never looked back. even my husband appreciates the difference.
ReplyDeletethese days, if i wanted 1000 thread count sheets, i would get 2 sets at the tjmaxx and invest the rest in a cashmere blanket. but that comes from a girl that would stay in a bargain hotel so she could stay an extra week!
good luck and happy birthday!
I know...it's the ironing that I dread! But the chocolate sound wonderful!! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks ATBB! I have been in love with that headboard for ages!
ReplyDeleteI like the brown on white too Cindy. It just seems to pop! I'm sure I will find puppy paw marks at some point in time! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip Amy!!!
ReplyDeleteI am an embroiderer. I love luxury bedding but find that you really don't need to spend huge amount of money on bedding or towels for that matter.I always make sure I buy king size sheets for my queen sized bed,(especially since most mattresses are so thick and you may have a topper in addition) and as for the thread count, the higher the better. I often tell my customers to buy from a good retailer and then I add ther logo or monogram. (result: priceless!)ck out www.FazzolariLinens.com
ReplyDeleteThanks Rose!!
ReplyDeleteI bought very high thread count sheets recently and they pilled almost immediately. My big indulgence turned into disapointment.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you know about bamboo sheets anyone?...They're new and green... any need to iron these?... Fay
ReplyDeleteThank you for this information London Calling!!
ReplyDeleteBamboo sheets? I must investigate!
ReplyDeleteOh I love Sferra. You can't go wrong with your choice. I do hope you enjoy them! Like Rose, I do appreciate monogrammed bedding. www.embroiderybyvalerie.com is my embroiderer of choice. A fabulous, unique monogram on your pillowcases and the top sheet can make any bedding feel luxurious! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ashley, I appreciate all the feedback!
ReplyDeleteI love Peacock Alley sheets. I found a set at Tuesday Morning once, and it has to be the score of my lifetime. They are diviiiiine.
ReplyDeleteWow! I don't know where to start. I owned a fine linen shop in Washington DC's tony neighbor of Georgetown and have sold and slept on the all brands you mentioned. Egyptian cotton is best. Always look for that first. Second point is the weave -- I noticed you picked a percale. Crisp tight weave, long wearing. (I would have pegged you for a sateen girl, soft and silky for the colder climate but your southern roots are showing) Lastly is thread count -- the 406 thread count from Sferra is a double twisted yarn...really only 203 thread count. This is a trick bedding folks use because Americans are obsessed with thread count. My advise.... try something from DEA. It is the real deal and has beatiful embroideries to choose from that come in an array of colors. Further you can even select the type of cotton, percale or sateen in several different thread counts. And the best part, it isn't any more expensive than Sferra and it's made in Italy especially for you. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteI will ditto mamacitas comment above,I was going to mention Peacock Alley sheets,they are truly delicious to sleep on,never pill,hold up beautifully and almost conform to one's body.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, if you have great bedlinen you will never go back. You can tell the difference immediately. I have a high thread count set and another average thread count set, and even my husband can tell the difference. Now that's saying something!
ReplyDeleteThis is why I love blogging a putting questions to all of you...I get the best feedback. Yall really are the best!
ReplyDeleteRonda
Baldaquin I guess you can take the girl out of the South, but you can take the South out of the girl!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all of your detailed answers!
I always thought that given a choice between high-thread count (say 600-1000) and egyptian cotton at a lower count (say 400) you should take the egyptian.
ReplyDeleteFor me I guess the final determining thing is to feel the sheets.
My new love is linen sheets. I have a duvet from Muji made from linen and it feels gorgeous. I am still on the look out for some similar bed-sheets. Linen=scrumptous.
I love the look of the Sferra, but guess I need to weigh all of the comments and options on the market.
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone!
I have found my favorite sheets to be.... believe it or not..... The Hotel Collection sold at Macys. They are incredible to sleep on so soft and just lovely. Wash after wash they always feel the same. Not to mention their price point is awesome for what you get! I will never switch until they stop making them! I shouldnt even be passing on this secret.
ReplyDeleteooh ooh ooh! Love this topic! You've got some great comments too! I have to agree with the responses to linen sheets. They are by far my favorite. Although I haven't had time to research them fully. If you want to expand on this topic and just happen to come across good deals on linen, I would love to hear about it!
ReplyDeleteAs far as cotton sheets go, I've found the best way for me to purchase high thread count sets is online at places like overstock.com and smartbargains.com. They often have AMAZING deals. I also love the ideas above about getting them embroidered or monogramed - Lovely!
The chocolate and white is absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHey Rhonda, I work for a fine linen store and I just wanted to share some hopefully helpful information to some of your commenters. London Calling said she bought high thread count sheets that pilled immediately. I’m not sure what she brand she bought, but here are some things to look for. High thread count only tells you how many threads per square inch are in the fabric, which yes in most cases does make the fabric stronger and softer. But, if the fibers the sheets are made of are inferior the sheets will be too. The sheets are really only as good as the fibers. You have to really read the labels to see what the fiber content is. The best is true 100% Egyptian cotton. A fabric that is a cotton blend with polyester can pill. The upside is polyester doesn’t wrinkle like pure cotton so you don’t have to iron. Another note is that if you even wash your pure cotton sheets with polyester fabrics, they will pill. Fine linens are just that, they are like fine china. The wonderful thing is that if you buy from a quality manufacturer and buy the right fabric for you these sheets can last you a very long time. 100% Egyptian cotton is very soft, very durable and actually get softer with each wash. They can out last any set of inexpensive sheets you would buy. Sheets are a very personal purchase and there are a variety of fabrics and vendors out there so I know it gets confusing. I hope this little bit of information helps, even though I am a year behind here. Our store is http://www.elegantlinenspc.com
ReplyDeleteif you want to go to the site we have information on sheets available from many quality manufacturers. We also have a great clearance center.