Interiors: If we spend a third of our lives in bed, then why don’t we spend serious money luxuriating in linens?
Let’s be honest, one of the most enticing things about a weekend away is climbing into a freshly laundered, luxurious bed with crisp white sheets, pillows like clouds and a cashmere throw for cosiness.
Hoteliers spare no expense to ensure your slumber is deep, peaceful and refreshing; so why do so many of us put up with a shoddy mattress at home, pillows with no puff and sheets that have lost their sheen? We spend a third of our lives in bed, so why don’t we think it’s essential to luxuriate in linens?
Quality mattresses
Not many people know this, but Heal’s on Tottenham Court Road started out as a bedmaker. Recently it launched Sleep Studio, where you can try out mattresses of a quality you didn’t even know existed. All handmade in Britain and pocketsprung, top-of-the-range is Natural Sleep, in cashmere, mohair or silk (around £2,000, heals.com).
Over in Notting Hill, Naturalmat has its only showroom outside of Devon, which is where it makes all of its organic, natural and locally sourced mattresses. As well as a range for grown-ups it specialises in beds and bedding for children and tots. Or if you just want to refresh what you already have, try a Naturalmat topper (doubles from £350, naturalmat.co.uk).
A sample bedroom from Heal's in Notting Hill and Devon
Choosing bed linens
What’s all this about thread counts and percale vs sateen, I hear you cry? On the whole, the higher the thread count the smoother the finish as it refers to the number of threads in the warp and weft of a square inch of fabric. So 300 is good, but Frette’s 1,000 is off the scale. Beaumont & Brown sells 400-thread-count fitted sheets for a reasonable £31, or try your luck at TK Maxx.
Thread count is just one aspect of quality – the length and superiority of the yarns are the most important factor. Any polyester mix is not your friend if you want breathability (think crisp, pure cotton work shirts as opposed to drip-dry polyester). Percale is a fabric characterised as light, breathable, crisp yet soft, and ideal for summer; sateen is usually thicker, more tightly woven, silky smooth, with lustre and drape and ideal for winter. Go all Downton Abbey and invest in sateen bedlinens for your winter houseguests.
Silky sheets from Frette
Benefits of silk pillowcases
The silk bedlinen specialist Gingerlily extols the benefits of silk to the skin and hair (from £39 each, gingerlily.co.uk). At Frette’s new London store in Mayfair, I asked design director, Felicina Ritarossi what she thought of silk.
“Silk can really benefit those with extra-sensitive skin, as it’s completely natural and extremely soft,” she says. “It can also help skin to reabsorb moisture, which can help those with dry skin. The smooth surface of silk can help reduce friction on your hair, which often causes it to split and tangle in the night.”