
Organic bedding is not as unusual (or boring) as it used to be. Companies like Plover Organic, LOOP, and Coyuchi have set the standard for beautiful and environmentally-friendly bedding, but there's one problem: they can be kind of expensive. Is there such a thing as budget-friendly organic bedding? Yes, there is! Here are our top picks for organic bedding—sheets, blankets, and pillows— all under $100.
Sheets
My favorite stores for budget-friendly organic sheets and blankets are definitely West Elm and CB2, where both sheet sets and blankets can be found for under $100. Other stores to check out include:
What's the deal with thread count?
All of the sheets below have a thread count between 220 and 400, which may not sound very good to you. But according to this NYT interview with Macy's former home-product developer Julian Tomchin, you should "be suspicious" of anything higher than 400 threads per square inch:
The standard for counting is to add each warp (vertical) and filling (horizontal) thread per square inch. The most that normally fits, he said, is 400, after which the threads are thinner and weaker. Some companies use two- or three-ply threads and multiply the count. "An 800-thread-count sheet made of two-ply yarn should legitimately be relabeled as 400,' he said. 'That’s how you get 1,000 threads per square inch: creative counting."
TOP ROW
• Organic Ikat Stripe Sheet Set, Twin to Queen, $79-$99 from West Elm
• Organic Percale Ash Grey Sheet Set, Queen, $69.95 - $89.95 from CB2
• Amy Butler Dream Poppy Sheet Set, $34.99-$49.99 from Bed, Bath, and Beyond
• Company Organic Tile Bedding, Queen, $84 for flat and fitted sheets from The Company Store
• Euca-Lyptus Origins Organic 300TC Sheet Set, Full and Queen, $79.99 - $89.99 from Bed, Bath and Beyond
BOTTOM ROW
• Portico Organic Cotton 300TC Sateen Sheet Set, Queen, $81.50 from QVC
• Magnolia Organics Dream Collection 400TC Organic Cotton Sheet Set, $49.99 - $84.99 from Amazon.
• Organic Cotton Knit Bedding, Full and Queen, $89-99 from Gaiam
• Organic Cotton Frayed Edge 230TC Sheet Sets, Full-Queen, $79.00-$99.00 from West Elm
• Organic Cotton 300TC Sheet Sets, $39.99 from Overstock
Pillows
The top six natural or organic options for healthy pillows are: latex, buckwheat, kapok, organic cotton, organic wool, and millet. Check out this post for a breakdown on each one of these options, their recommended sleeping positions, care instructions, and price. Most non-toxic pillows—wool, organic cotton, latex— can be found for well under $100, and some places (like White Lotus for example, where I've had a few good experiences) also offer discounts on sets. For whatever type of pillow you choose, the following stores are bound to have exactly what you're looking for.
- Good Night Naturals
- Pure-Rest Organics
- White Lotus
- The Clean Bedroom
- Allergy Buyers Club
- Pristine Planet for comparison shopping
Blankets and Quilts
Wool Blankets: MacAusland Woolen Mills in Prince Edward Island have been making handcrafted 100% virgin wool blankets since 1870, and they still use all the traditional, old-fashioned machinery (with the one exception of a new washing machine purchased in the last few years). I absolutely love their tweed blankets. They come in a variety of colors and, considering the craftsmanship and the fact that they'll last you a lifetime, are remarkably affordable ($43-$86). Choose from four sizes and three types of wool yarn in almost thirty different colors, or bring in your own wool for custom spinning or weaving. The mill also takes custom orders, if you want a particular size or color.
Organic Cotton Blankets: Besides West Elm and CB2, both of which have lovely organic cotton blanket options, other favorite options include the Larch organic cotton blanket ($58-$76) from Unison; the Organic Essentials Blanket (($44.95-$99.95) from Pottery Barn; and the All Seasons Organic Cotton Blanket ($96.97) from Dax Stores.
(Top Image: Aug/Sep issue of Lonny Mag, pg. 186). Other images as linked)











Shaw's Original Fir...
I gave up trying to find an attractive organic duvet cover for less than $200.
But most importantly, where do I find that gorgeous red blanket in the top photo?
I wonder if the "creative counting" applies to lower thread counts as well. Perhaps those "200" thread count sheets are really 100?
Hellkat, I, too, am trying to find an attractive organic duvet cover for a reasonable price. Have you seen this one at West Elm? http://www.westelm.com/products/organic-cotton-pin-tuck-duvet-cover-and-shams-b340/?pkey=cduvet-covers I like it, but my husband isn't sure and we can't agree on a color (isn't that always how it goes?)
Me, too, Hellkat :(. I've been looking for ages for organic bed linens that I find reasonably appealing and not outrageously pricey, but no dice.
I shall keep faith, however, that one day something will turn up! =P
AT, thanks for the tip about thread count, I was always confused by those.
@pinkgirl7 or go to ebay and type in
VINTAGE UZBEK SUZANI
I found it easiest to have two king flat sheets made into a duvet cover, I found beautiful organic ones with a tiny print and had a lady in China town make a cover and had a zipper installer instead if buttons. The one I had made with the zipper is now my favorite because it takes much less time to cover my duvet without the annoying buttons.
@Hellkat - you might want to try ebay, they have some brand new designer duvet covers for less than $200--heck, for less than $100 sometimes!
Why no love for Target? They've had organic sheets in this price range for years.
That's not a suzani, it's an ikat blanket
kellylj I met Uzbek Ikat not Suzani most likely its not a blanket but a piece of fabric used as layering like a coverlet. These textile can be found on ebay I have a few.
C O Y U C H I!!!!
Pinkgirl7: It's a great idea, but how do you come up with 2 flat sheets? it's hard enough to buy a duvet cover without having to get a package with shams, but I've never seen the option of buying 2 flats instead of a fitted and a flat.
@ladyofrohan7 I just got the pintuck duvet from West Elm in the sea spray color and my husband ended up liking it. I have it paired with sheets in the most gorgeous deep purple color.
FogFreem I think you were asking me-
Since I sleep with a duvet I don't use the flat sheets. I bought a couple of sets of sheets that I loved because of the small print and I have many flat sheets so I matched up the printed sheets with other flat sheets I had and now have two duvets made from four flat sheets that would of been just sitting in the closet.
You sometimes can buy just flat sheets.
The red topper is Central Asian ikat, from Uzbekistan, which is dyed and woven, and looks new. Either someone sewed together the narrow strips of new ikat you can buy on eBay and in other places or it is a bed cover designed by someone in America.
It isn't a suzani. Suzani's are embroidered.
@whiteforest Thanks for the man seal of approval! I like the amethyst (we alternate between light green and light blue bedding), but he prefers the slate.
and the lamp? looking for something beautiful with a worn look
I'm doing some research as I just returned West Elm's pintuck duvet (since it doesn't even resemble the color on the website) and the frayed edge sheet set, since I could see through the fabric. I've had good luck at Macy's, but I'll have to look into more organic bedding.