Eight fabrics, and the only question that matters first: do you sleep hot or cold? Everything below is measured on our own bedding, not copied from a supplier sheet.
| Fabric | Fibre | Feels like | Warmth | Softens | Ironing | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linen | 100% linen | Dry and textured |
Cool
|
Softens for years | Not needed | $70 |
| Cotton Percale | 100% cotton | Crisp and dry |
Cool
|
Softens gradually | Medium iron if you like it sharp | $50 |
| Cotton Gauze | 100% cotton | Airy and crinkled |
Cool
|
Soft from night one | Never | $80 |
| Seersucker | 100% cotton | Puckered, barely touches |
Cool
|
Soft from night one | Never | $150 |
| Cotton Sateen | 100% cotton | Smooth, cool then warm |
Balanced
|
Soft from night one | Not needed | $50 |
| Washed Cotton | 100% cotton | Soft and matte |
Balanced
|
Soft from night one | Not needed | $60 |
| Waffle Cotton | 100% cotton | Textured, raised grid |
Balanced
|
Soft from night one | Not needed | $70 |
| Quilted Cotton | 100% cotton | Soft and gathered |
Warm
|
Soft from night one | Not needed | $60 |
You wake up too warm
Look for a weave that moves air instead of trapping it. These sit away from the skin and dry quickly.
You want it soft on night one
Some fabrics need a month of washes to relax. These arrive already there, matte and with no stiffness.
You sleep cold
Weight is not the answer, trapped air is. These hold warmth without feeling heavy on the bed.
One set, all year
Linen
Linen breathes when the room is warm and holds warmth when it is not, which is why it is the one fabric people keep on the bed through the seasons. It arrives with a soft rumple and is meant to keep it. Flax fibre is hollow, so it moves air instead of trapping it, and it gets softer every single wash rather than wearing thin.
Ideal if: Sleeps hot, hates ironing, wants one set for the year.
The hotel bed feeling
Cotton Percale
Percale is the plainest weave there is: one thread over, one thread under, nothing else. That is what makes it crisp, matte and cool to the touch, and what makes it last. It has a dry hand rather than a slippery one, and it wears in instead of wearing out.
Ideal if: Wants a crisp, cool bed and does not mind a quick iron.
Light, and it never needs ironing
Cotton Gauze
Several very fine layers woven and then crinkled, with air trapped between them. The result is a fabric that weighs almost nothing but is never cold, and whose crinkle means an iron is beside the point. It softens noticeably over the first month.
Ideal if: Likes a lived-in bed and never wants to iron again.
It barely touches you
Seersucker
The puckered stripe is woven in, not pressed: alternate threads are held at different tension so the fabric lifts off the skin in ridges. Less contact means less heat, which is why seersucker was a summer cloth long before it was a bedding one.
Ideal if: Sleeps hot in summer and wants texture without pattern.
Cool at first, warm after
Cotton Sateen
Sateen floats more threads on the surface, which is what gives it the close, smooth drape and the quiet sheen. It feels cool when you get in and warmer once you settle, and it drapes against the body rather than standing away from it.
Ideal if: Sleeps cold, and wants the bed to look its best in lamplight.
Soft from the first night
Washed Cotton
The washing is done before the fabric reaches you, so it skips the stiff phase entirely. Matte, with no shine at all, and a slight give in the hand. The most forgiving of our fabrics on a bed that gets made quickly.
Ideal if: Wants softness immediately and a bed that looks relaxed.
A layer of its own
Waffle Cotton
The raised grid holds air in small pockets, which makes waffle warmer than its weight suggests. Light enough to use alone in summer, substantial enough to fold at the foot of the bed the rest of the year.
Ideal if: Wants a light extra layer, on the bed or on a chair.
Structure, not bulk
Quilted Cotton
Two layers of cotton stitched around a light fill. It gives a bed shape and shadow without the weight of a comforter, and it is the layer that makes a made bed look made.
Ideal if: Wants the bed to look layered rather than flat.
What we do not claim yet. Thread counts and fibre origins come from our suppliers and are being verified one by one, so you will only find them here where we have checked them. No certification numbers are listed until the certificates are in our hands. Warmth, hand and care are our own, recorded on every product we sell.