Unshrouding Many Of The Mystifying Terminology Behind Luxury Bed Linens To Make Buying Easier

What defines luxury? For everything, there is a different answer, and it's not always clear cut. In fact, many times, luxury is different for different people. In a car, some people feel luxury is simply big, soft seats. Some people have to have a lot power at their disposal. Others want a lot of high tech gadgets. Many people feel that a luxury car is a combination of all these factors. So what is luxury bedding?

What Is A Duvet?

Eiderdown, which is harvested from Eider Ducks, is what the traditional duvet is stuffed with. The duvet was initially created more for warmth than luxury. However, duvets that are still made in the traditional manner, with Eiderdown, are definitely luxurious bedding, now that the concept of the duvet is known around the world. The duvet is meant as a replacement for blankets and comforters and, as Eiderdown is not easy to clean, duvets are generally covered with a duvet cover.

What Makes Luxury Bed Sheets?

Bed sheets are normal, but not all are luxury bed sheets. There are several different ways to measure quality in bed sheets, though only a few are used everywhere. This is thread count, as well as the threads' country of origin. Choosing your luxury bedding should involve more research than just those terms, but they're the two you'll see most often advertised. The best, softest luxury bed linens don't necessarily have the highest thread count, or come from Egypt.

Matelasse

This is not so much an item in itself as a type of luxury bed linen. The word itself means "padded" in French. When used with luxury bedding, you can expect a thick, hand quilted luxury bed linen that, ironically, contains no padding within the garment itself. Sometimes the quilting is used to create intricate designs, but not always. Although generally produced from 100% cotton, there are other materials that sometimes make their way into Matelasse.

What Is A Coverlet?

The coverlet, which typically sits atop the duvet or other thick covers, is generally more decorative than functional. Coverlets can be found being used as picnic or throw blankets in addition to adorning the random luxury bed. Their purpose is less to keep warm than to decorate and, as such, they're not terribly thick. Duvet covers have been steadily replacing coverlets in most luxury bedding ensembles for quite a while, though there are still coverlets available for purchase. You'll usually find them in a less expensive luxury bedding set, or packaged alone.