The best places to buy bedding in 2024, tried and tested
When it comes to bedding, our ethos is that it is not something to skimp on. The bed linen you choose impacts the feel of a room, but it's also a crucial factor in how to sleep.
What's the best bedding to buy?
Bedding, and the best sheets to buy, depends largely on the time of year. Seasonality hugely affects your sleep, so it's a good idea to have a well stocked linen cupboard so you can sleep comfortably no matter the time of year. In the summer, a flat sheet is a lovely choice instead of a duvet for sleepers who run hot (we also recommend a good cooling pillow and mattress combination), though if you can't live without the latter we have a round up of the best duvets here. This gives you the comfort of coverage whilst remaining lightweight. We think high-quality linen, Egyptian cotton, or cotton percale are the best materials for this. If you don't want to have endless sheet sets in your house, then you always have the option to add a throw or blanket, in cashmere or wool, over the top of your flat sheet. If you're seeking comfort and a good night's sleep over all else, we do recommend buying good quality bedding for the softest finish.
Best luxury bedding brand: Soho Home
When a hotel (or members' club) launch their own bedding, you know it's going to be excellent. Having honed their bedding across the 25 years they've been running, Soho Home's linen is a fast-track ticket to making your bedroom feel like a five star hotel. Their linens are crisp and crinkly and come in a wonderful range of pretty colours.
Best linen bedding brand: Bed Threads
If it's linen you're after, Bed Threads offer an extensive range. Every colour in the rainbow is covered, with lovely pastels and saturated hues in between. Their ‘French Flax Linen Sheets’ are the perfect weight for summer bedding: they're wafty, without getting tangled up every time you roll over.
Best affordable bedding brand: Dusk
Plain white bedding is a failsafe option that can work just as well in summer as in winter, and just as well in a red room as a bright yellow one. Dusk are an affordable go-to, with simple white sheets with various levels of detailing and embroidery. Several of our editorial team own and use Dusk bedding, with the Marseille being a particular favourite.
Best independent bedding brand: Rebecca Udall
Rebecca Udall is the queen of pretty patterned bedding. Think white sheets with a subtle twist. Your writer owns a set of the ‘Annabelle’ linen and, whilst it probably should be ironed after washing, it still looks lovely with a low maintenance approach.
Best Egyptian cotton bedding brand: The White Company
The last word in white bedding, The White Company have been dealing in bedding for nearly thirty years. As such, they have nigh perfected their formula. We particularly like their ‘Kara Hemp’ range.
Best sustainable bedding brand: Piglet in Bed
Piglet in Bed offer smart linen bedding in a wide range of colours. Their striped pieces are our top pick and would love lovely paired with white pillows and a throw in complementary colours.
Skip to: Best bedding 2024 | What is the best quality bedding? | What is the most comfortable type of bedding? | What style of bedding is best? | How to choose pillowcases
House & Garden's top bedding picks, at a glance:
- Best luxury bedding brand: Soho Home
- Best linen bedding brand: Bed Threads
- Best affordable bedding brand: Dusk
- Best independent bedding brand: Rebecca Udall
- Best Egyptian cotton bedding brand: The White Company
- Best sustainable bedding brand: Piglet in Bed
What is the best quality bedding?
When buying bedding, the key advice to always follow is to opt for the highest thread count you can afford. As our resident decoration expert Rita Konig says, 'getting into bed at the end of the day is made so much better if you are climbing between really soft, crisp sheets.' We spend more of our time up-close and personal with our bedding than anything else in our houses, so investing some time in choosing it will really pay off.
What is the most comfortable type of bedding?
Preferences vary widely on the best finish for sheets. If you particularly like a crisp feel, opt for 'percale' fabrics - these are traditionally woven with a one-yarn-over, one-yarn-under method for a lightweight, matte finish. 'Sateen' fabrics expose more of the surface of the thread, with a three-yarn-over, three-yarn-under technique; this makes the sheets feel softer and silkier to the touch. Sateen bedding is also less likely to crease than percale sheets.
If you prefer an informal look, linen is the way to go. Made from the fibres of the flax plant, linen is stiffer in texture, though over time linen bedding will become incredibly soft. Linen bedding tends to be more breathable than most cotton weaves, so it's a popular choice for summer. It does crease very easily, but we think in a very attractive way. If you're thinking seasonally, you could opt for linen sheets in the warmer months, and then flannel bedding in the cooler ones. Flannel bedding is brushed on one or both sides of the surface to create a soft, cosy feel.
What style of bedding is best?
And of course, don't forget to consider how you want your bedding to look. There's a huge variety of colour and detailing out there to choose from. If your bedroom is quite masculine, soften it up with scallop-edged or frilly cotton sheets, or if you want a super-feminine feel then patterned bedding or a floral eiderdown will have a great effect. A classic pintuck Oxford border, or an embroidered line around the edge, will create that sophisticated hotel look, or opt for rumpled linen in a soft pastel shade if you prefer a more rustic look.
How to choose pillowcases
Pillowcases are well worth investing in, as much if not more so than your fitted sheet or mattress topper. Of course, from a luxury perspective, silk pillowcases are the best that money can buy. Mulberry silk and other forms of the material have long shown to deliver benefits to your skin and hair by reducing creases and pressure on skin. Even better, they are not nearly so impractical as they used to be, with many brands offering machine washable options (though they do recommend hand washing). If you find your face is often puffy in the morning, take stock of what pillowcase combination you're using. If you are sleeping on down pillows, try changing to a hypoallergenic filling. To read our guide to the best pillows head here.
We've rounded up the best places to buy bed linen and the best bed sheets here in the UK and further afield. So, whether you prefer rustic linens, crisp cotton or soft flannelette; bright colours or pretty patterns, we have created the perfect shopping list for your very best night's sleep. Click here for more bedroom ideas.
Best bedding 2024
Dusk
Dusk might not be a name you're familiar with, but the House & Garden team have tried and tested a whole host of their products to rave review. They have a stylish selection of designs, from crisp Egyptian cotton to cool linens, there's something for everyone in terms of material. Design-wise, their team have opted to play with texture more than colour palette, with mostly white bedding in their range. With affordable prices that belie the great quality of the linen, Dusk is a great destination for simple white bedding.
Several of the House & Garden team own sheets from the 'Marseille' range in 600 thread-count cotton sateen. They are the company's best seller and feel like sinking into a cloud. The Kensington bed linen is invitingly soft, too, with a thread count of 800.
The White Company
There's a reason The White Company has become a classic destination for crisp white bedding. It's an evergreen, reasonably priced favourite, with subtle patterns and detailing that add variety to their collection. The White Company's bedding offering is mostly, well, white. However, their range is anything but dull. Playing with materials, textures, and various levels of luxury, any one of their bedding products is guaranteed to be excellent quality.
The White Company's ladder-stitched Santorini Bed Collection is particularly pretty and looks just as good in a summer setting as it does in winter.
Soho Home
Since its inception just under a decade ago, Soho Home has become a firm favourite here at House & Garden. They are a fail safe pick for items both small and large, and their bedding is no exception. Perhaps unsurprisingly given their sister business, Soho House, their bedding is hotel-grade luxury for your very own bed. Nearly all the fabrics and styles on offer are the same ones used globally in Soho House, so that luxurious feeling of slipping into a hotel bed can be recreated night after night. For more, head to our full guide to the best of Soho Home.
Above all, Soho Home is brilliant at understated luxury. For that reason, we'd plump for some crisp linen bedding in their signature earthy colours. Their Luna Duvet Cover in cream or olive would be a brilliant choice.
John Lewis
John Lewis is a go-to for house essentials and their plain bedding sets are reliably good value. Handily, their sheets come in an enormous range of sizes, from single to king size to super king, so if you fall for a style or pattern you'll undoubtedly find it in the right size.
Our stand out favourites are their 100% linen sets which come in a range of pale colours and are a must-have for warmer weather.
La Redoute
The interior designer favourite, French retailer La Redoute is a great place for a whole host of wonderful homewares.
Joanna Plant, one of our Top 100 designers, has a real soft spot for La Redoute's bedding, having been quoted as saying, "I’m mad about La Redoute…their AM/PM range is particularly good. I have recently bought properly heavy linen and hemstitch sheets for very little money."
Cultiver Goods
Sydney-based homeware brand Cultiver has burst onto the scene as a purveyor of fine quality bedding, tableware and home accessories.
You cannot go wrong with simple white linen sheets, so the ‘Linen Sheet Set with Pillowcases’ would be our first choice. Made from 100% European flax, these sustainable sheets are the perfect partner for summer nights.
The Linen Works
For plain linen sets, The Linen Works is a simple, easy place to shop. With a small range of elegant, pale colours, it's easy to create a stylish and serene bed, and the linens also come with a 50 year guarantee, testament to the brand's faith in its wares. For high quality linen, this is the place to head.
We strongly recommend the linen duvet covers if you're only looking to invest in one or two bits.
Fenwick
The best for creating your own sets. With their own ranges sitting alongside name brands like Yves Delorme and Sheridan, there's little wonder Fenwick is quickly climbing the bedding ranks.
Fenwick's own range is particularly handsome, offering 1000 thread count crisp white sheets at very reasonable prices. Their ‘Mayfair’ set is the last word in luxury.
Rebecca Udall
The best for long lasting softness. In a change of pace from other brands, Rebecca Udall prioritises long staple cotton yarns over thread count. From less wrinkly sheets (read: easier to iron) to a softer finish, there are myriad benefits to this approach. Woven in Portugal, these sheets and made with longevity in mind.
Their new collection with illustrator Isla Simpson, or their signature scalloped bed sheets.
Toast
If immaculate hotel-style bedding isn't quite up your street, Toast make a line that is a bit more rustic and relaxed. In a range of smart ticking stripes and plain white or pink, these organic cotton sheets are wonderfully soft and thick.
Toast's Organic Cotton Pyjama Stripe Bedding looks delightfully cosy and closes with three pretty ribbon ties.
H&M Home
The high street go-to. H&M Home is a fantastic affordable standby, and its bedding collection is one of the most reliable things it stocks. There's a huge range of bedding online, in contemporary patterns and plain colours.
While basic cotton duvet sets starting at around £20, we recommend going straight for their washed linen sets, which come in at about £80 for a double duvet set.
Anthropologie
The best for patterned bedding. For seriously bright and patterned bedding on the high street (albeit at the pricier end), Anthropologie is the place to be. Perfect for teenagers' rooms, these bold designs will liven up any space and make the bed the centrepiece of the room.
The boho retailer do a fantastic range of bedspreads. Our favourite is the Delissa Quilt: an eye-catching, reversible piece.
The Conran Shop
For colourful linens, this is the destination to head for. The Conran Shop has long been the perfect place for stylish furniture and iconic investment pieces. However, it's their own range of pure linen bedding that's caught our eye this time.
The Pure Linen Bedding comes in 13 shades from earthy neutrals to the most eye-catching cobalt blue, and is designed to get softer and softer with each wash.
Gingerlily
The best in the business for silk bedding. For glorious, cool silk bedding, there is nowhere comparable to Gingerlily. All their pieces are designed in-house and crafted from pure long strand silk of only the finest quality. Sleeping on silk has a well known range of health benefits, too, so both your skin and hair will thank you for using this bedding.
Anything and everything silk. Thanks to Gingerlily's cohesive range, we encourage you to mix and match colours together. If we could only choose one thing, we'd get their Ivory Silk Oxford Pillowcase as the benefits for your skin and hair are immeasurable. To read more about silk pillowcases, head to our guide.
Oliver Bonas
The best for decorative bedding. Oliver Bonas' bedding collection is full of sumptuous velvets and rich colours that look a lot more expensive than their high street price tag might suggest.
They have a great range of reversible quilts that are plain on one side and patterned on the other, which look lovely when folded over at the top.
Soak and Sleep
The best for every bed in the house. Soak and Sleep's website plays host to a huge range of bedding, from pure mulberry silk, French linen, chalk pure hemp, Egyptian cotton and more. As a result, you could kit out your entire household's bedrooms in one fell swoop, whilst catering for everyone's different wishes and needs.
Soak and Sleep's 600 Thread Count Egyptian Cotton Bed Linen has a heavier weight feel to it that allows it to hang pleasingly over the end of the bed. Thanks to its sateen weave, it has a subdued and delicate shine that makes it look really luxurious.
Piglet in Bed
Founded in 2017 from a garden shed deep in the West Sussex countryside, Piglet in Bed started out by offering unfussy, low maintenance bed linens that you won't shy away from using. Since then, the brand has expanded exponentially and now includes sleep and loungewear, tablecloths, napkins and more.
Staying true to the company's original purpose, we are shopping Piglet's ‘Bedtime Bundles', a user friendly way to dress your whole bed in just a few clicks. The oatmeal stripe is particularly lovely as it offers a nice alternative to plain white bedding.