apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Switching to a duvet will change your life -- I think it's much more comfortable and I love that it only takes me one minute to make the bed now.

West Elm has some nice one-color duvet covers right now that have a nice shape to them.

We have always used a duvet, and now I am considering switching to a regular comforter. The reason is that I hate washing the duvet and putting it back on the inner comforter. Also, I never know how often to wash the inner comforter. I figure if I can find something nice of good quality I won't need a sheet to go under it. Any suggestions from anyone?

I got my Dwell brand duvet on www.bluefly.com and I love it. They have a great selection at a great value. If I get sick of it I can always buy a new one. In the summer I used the duvet cover with no comforter inside and a top sheet to cover up.

We use a duvet as well. I love it, except for the fact that the duvet inside slips down and gets lost in the duvet cover. I've taken to safety pinning the corners to keep it from slipping, but live in constant fear that the pins will spring open and stab us in the night. Any thoughts on other solutions? Am I doing this all wrong?

Matilda, you only need to wash the duvet (the inner down blanket) every 3-4 years. It's often suggested that you dry clean them, though I wash them in my washer.

I don't know how DiY-friendly you are, but duvet covers are incredibly easy to make--or you could go to a fabric store and pick out fabric for the cover, then commission someone to make the cover.

I made my own duvet cover in under an hour, and it's much prettier than 90% of the covers I've seen out there.

You might want to try Maxwell-Silver New York. You will find many duvets in natural colors.

wait. how exactly is making the bed when you use a duvet easier than, say, with any other type of quilt/blanket/comforter/coverlet/thingamabob?

i used a comforter for many years and just switched to a duvet a few months ago. no discernable difference in the bed making department.

though i've never been a hospital corners kinda gal.

either way, i echo everyone's suggestions thus far.

Shanabanana, how do you wash the comforter itself? OK to do it in a top-loading washer? Use detergent or something like Ivory Snow?

Just run it through the dryer?

Thank you -- I really don't know this stuff!

Garnet Hill has some good stuff. I bought a duvet cover from them 8 years ago and it is still in great condition. Their Eileen Fisher line is beautiful and along the lines of what you're looking for. Not sure if there is a duvet cover though.

You can get a custom made duvet at javisdavis.com for about $200 but they only go up to queen size. Even though it's a kid's bedding site, they have a lot of grown up fabrics. I especially like the "Cadenza" and "Copenhagen" collections

I also have problems keeping the duvet from bunching up in the cover...

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I adore thecompanystore.com for bed linens. I simple love their "percal circles" design and the prices are reasonable (to me anyway). They carry a range of styles...and the winter flannel sheets are super cosy.

Carla, you can sew loops onto the corners of your comforter, and buttonable tabs (or just a simple tie out of twill tape) to the inside corners of your duvet cover. That way you can tie your comforter in place without worrying about safety pins popping open.

I found these directions for washing duvets in Canadian Home and Country magazine and it works really well.
Add soap to emtpy washer, then fill with cold water halfway to top. Submerge duvet and add towels on top to keep duvet under water. Fill washer with water and run on regular cycle. Stop machine once and press air out of duvet. Dry in dryer on low and partway through fluff duvet by hand.

Down comforters can be washed in a regular washer, assuming your comforter is not a king. Then you may need a commercial machine. Use any kind of detergent you like and cold water. Then, pop it in the dryer on low heat with a tennis ball or (clean) running shoe. That will keep it fluffy. When it comes out of the dryer drape it over someone you love until it cools off. That's for the benefit of the person, not the comforter.

Hi All,

I am new to this blog. It sounds stupid but can anyone tell me how can I start a new question????

I bought a great duvet on the Z Gallerie web site about a year and a half ago. It was on clearance so they don't carry it anymore. However I just checked them out and they have some really nice ones with great texture if you don't mind spending $200 on a duvet.

Martha does the four tabs in the corner trick. I haven't tried that but it seems like a no brainer.
Here's the trick to getting the duvet cover back on the duvet in like 3 seconds flat.
1) Clean the cover
2) When it's washed and dried, turn it inside out.
3) reach your hands into the far corners (so you are standing with the opening facing you, reach across inside to the opposite short ends, and put each hand in a corner. You'll now have the cover bunched up along your arms.
4) using your hands inside the cover, grab the two short corners of the duvet itself, so the four corners (2 in the cover, 2 in the duvet) meet up.
5)Now pull your hands back through the opening, still gripping the corners of the duvet. YOu'll draw it into the cover. Give the whole thing a firm shake and the rest of the cover should unfurl over the rest of the duvet, turning it rightside out in the meantime. Straighten out the duvet, spin it around and grab the other two corners (making sure you've got hold of both the cover and the duvet) and give it another shake.
This whole exercise will seriously disturb the cats, but you're done in an instant.

WHY is it easier to make the bed with a duvet? I have found this to be the case, but don't really understand why it is so...is it just because you can pull it up and over and hide everything underneath?

I also like some of the Calvin Klein bedding sets with duvet covers.

How to keep a duvet inside the cover, I have a traditional trick from my mother - simply stitch a few points with upholstery thread, evenly all over - the finished duvet would look like tufted. You can cut the thread easily when you want to wash the duvet.

I have always heard that comforters should be washed only in front-loading washers. Something like the top-loading washer has the agitator in the middle and that can make the down get clumpy. But I imagine if you dry it with the tennis ball method it will un-clump. I have also had a lot of friends take theirs to the dry cleaner, I think that is gross. I would rather find a laundromat with really big front-loading washers than just have it soaked in chemicals.

We use a comforter with a cover (same as a duvet?) over a top sheet and that works great for us. I keep the comforter from sliding inside the cover every day when I make the bed: I grab two corners of the cover and make sure to get the corners of the comforter inside it and give it a good shake before I lay it on the bed. It keeps everything in the right neighborhood that way. I have never had a problem with my comforter sliding or bunching in the cover since I began doing this.

Thanks, all - some useful suggestions. And as a longtime duvet non-user, pam's tip will come in v. handy.

pink! Send your question to editor(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com, with Question as the subject line.

I'm off to continue poking around the recommended places!

I'm thinking that the Calvin Klein line probably has something that will be perfect for my proposed purposes... Rich, dark, mellow solids, no distracting pattern, nice fabrics with some attention to texture.

The reason it's so much easier to make the bed is because I use only a fitted bottom sheet and a duvet, inside a cover. No top sheet, no blankets.

Making the bed means I stand at the foot, shake the duvet a few times until it's fluffy and spread out, toss the pillows into place. I'll never go back to sheets and blankets.

And I wash the down duvet once a year, taking it to a laundromat with big, front-loading washers.

To solve the slipping duvet business, I've put velcro tabs in each top corner, along with one in the middle of the top. Problem solved.

Pam H has the best suggestion for getting the cover on the duvet! It is exactly what I do and it works every time. I wash the cover once or twice per week, and air the inner once every month or so. I do not wash the inner - but have had it drycleaned. Duvets are great because they are light and warm and snuggly! They also reduce the number of layers on the bed so there is less to get tangled up in.

If you are seriously considering getting one, avoid getting anything synthetic and get the best goosedown / feather blend you can afford. They may seem expensive but they will last longer than you will!

Beware of duvets that are too heavy. Some seem to be made of lead feathers. You can't go wrong with The Company Store. And if you have allergies, their Primaloft is just as light and wonderful as down. (Although I'm not as big a fan of primaloft pillows)
You can get duvet covers at so many places. If you are in NYC go to ABC Carpet for a mind blowing experience. You can get them at Bed Bath and Beyond and most department stores. For catalogs or internet try Company C, Anichini, Garnet Hill, Pottery Barn. Or do a google search.

I've been using duvets for over thirty years now. When I started you practically had to go to Europe to get them.

I was just looking for a new duvet cover this weekend.... I am still deciding, but a couple choices are:

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product.do?method=get&id=484634&coll=378310&cat=114

http://www.inhabitliving.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=34

I am also in the market for a new duvet cover and was thinking of this:

http://www.inhabitliving.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=25

but I'm getting bored of Inhabit bedding so I'm probably going to get my mom to make me one if I can ever find fabric. (I can't sew)

Matteo (at ABC in NY) makes some really nice simple bedding. If you are going to go with Calvin Klein, go to the department store to see it in person, then check eBay. They have almost every collection for sale new and you will save a bundle. They also have some Matteo stuff, but only one person sells it, so the savings aren't as great. I used to be a duvet cover person, but I discovered the joys of the bedspread (Calvin Klein makes some really nice simple contemporary bedspreads and quilts) while I was having my comforter dry cleaned 2 years ago.

Be sure that you get a cover that is the same EXACT size as your comforter. Many people think that just getting a queen size cover for a queen size comforter is enough, but within "queen size" you will find a variety of measurements, both length and width in the covers and duvets. It makes a huge difference in terms of how the bed looks when its made. If the cover is too small, the comforter will look lumpy. If the cover is too big, the comforter will slide around, won't center, and you will have a bunch of excess fabric that will need to be tucked in.

I wash my comforter/duvet in a top loading washer and do not have trouble with clumps. Into the dryer it goes on air only with as many tennis balls I can find (also sneakers), which fluffs the down. It is recommended (by whom, I forget) to use very little detergent as it does, um, something not good to the down (sorry, forgot again).

Carrie and others -- OH! see i've just been using mine as one would use any other quilt, with a top sheet. i like the feel of a cool, crisp sheet between me and the quilt, and really only went with a duvet because the covers are easier to change out, clean, etc. than having an assortment of bulky comforters which are a pain in the ass to wash every few months. I never even got that the idea behind a removable cover on your duvet was so that you could omit the flat sheet layer. thanks for explaining!

Thanks for the "keep the duvet in place" tips. Excellent ideas!

check out thomas o'brien's line for target, lots of neutrals... i just got a lovely, subtle chrysanthemum-patterned duvet... haven't washed it yet so not sure how it will hold up in the long run, but the price was certainly right.

Down, like wool sweaters and rugs, should never be dry cleaned. The dry cleaners strip the natural oils from down and wool, making them no better than synthetics. (I learned this the hard way, after sending a beautiful wool rug from Puebla to the dry cleaners). Wash only.

Here's another tip for keeping the duvet from bunching up: Bed Bath and Beyond sells these things called "Comforter Clips". They are metal but covered in soft foam so you don't feel them through the duvet cover. You use them to clip the duvet to the corners of the cover.

I put the cover inside-out on the bed and then lay the duvet on top. Next, clip the corners and then turn the whole thing right-side out again. Voila!

Here's a link to the comforter clips:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=10313465

Exprensive, but there is a sample sale for Frette - beautiful Italian linens - they usually have a great selection.

Saturday, Dec. 2nd through Thursday, Dec. 7th
Saturday through Wednesday: 9:00am to 6:30pm
Thursday: 9:00am to 5:00pm

317 West 33rd Street, NYC (Just west of 8th Avenue)

Credit Cards Only (American Express, Visa or MasterCard)

For more information, call (718) 747-1656,
Monday through Friday: 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Ikea surprisingly has really fun duvet covers. The design is contemporary but I'd splurge on your sheets for softness & comfort. Don't snub Ikea until you've checked out what they have :)

I heartily second the recommendation of inner duvets from The Company Store. I bought one of their Legends Geneva Primaloft comforters a few months ago and was astounded by how light and fluffy and warm (but not stifling) it is. It always seems to keep me perfectly comfortable, no matter what the room temperature. It's like sleeping under a cloud, with no worries about allergies. I wash it in my front-loading washer at least once a month and wash the duvet cover every two weeks or so. Like so many others here, I'm never, ever going back to top sheets and blankets! (and I've used the saftey pin technique in the corners for years, with no blood spilled).

Richard, whenever I read the words "ABC in New York", my wallet staggers and clutches its little leather heart. But I have a feeling that that would be the perfect place to look for what I want. I'll visit, and then try the eBay route.

My life is slightly complicated by the fact that I am in the process of buying a tiny apartment in Paris, and am trying to furnish it with stuff from the US at a lower price. This means I'm dealing with different standard sizes in everything from plumbing fixtures to matresses.

I think someone posted it, but I sewed twill tape to the inside corners of the duvet cover, and to the corners of the duvet itself.

opo, I sleep with a duvet and a top sheet, too. Partly b/c I don't want to wash the duvet cover every week! But also b/c sometimes I get too hot under the duvet, but I still feel more comfortable with the sheet than with nothing. (I'd blame perimenopause, but I've been this way all my life!)

I just realized I have nothing to contribute to the "which duvet to buy" discussion. Sorry! The current one was a gift, and my previous one was an ancient hand-me-down...

I'll second the Garnet Hill recommendation--I now buy their sheets and duvet covers almost exclusively.

The way a duvet cover makes bedmaking easier is that you dispense with the whole top-sheet/blanket tidying aspect. If you are the kind of person (or sleep with the kind of person or make beds for the kinds of young people) who thrashes and greatly disrupts a traditionally made bed, duvets do make life much more manageable.

One word of caution--don't buy a cheap duvet cover that's only nice on the side that shows, though. If you're going to give up top-sheets, you want to fabric on the underside of the duvet to feel smooth and comfortable.

Sweet dreams!

Aaaand, I should have added that the twill tape is to tie the duvet to the inside of the cover and keep everything in place. *ahem*

Even easier than finding twill tape - cut a few (new) shoelaces in half, sew them to the inner corners of the duvet cover and the outer corners of hte duvet.

Oh, Jonathan. Those are high class problems to have. If I didn't have the resident toddler to look after, I'd volunteer to go to the Paris apt. and make sure it gets outfitted just so...

I wish someonetold me I didn't have to have my sheets and blanket and duvet before I purchased it all...no wonder I have been throwing it off...now that I am single...I think I will try just sleeping with my duvet and life will seem simple...I was starting to think this was sounding like a bad joke "how many NYers does it take to make a bed..." but I finally got it (here in boston) at 5:30 in the morning where I still can't sleep anyway!

(garnet hill sheets + blanket, dwell bedding from bluefly...)

Oh...and for the summer I have a darling coverlet (from utility) which I have from the best kept secret--pod in brookline--

AT, there are some things you are going to covet in Boston!

I still think changing a duvet cover is a pain in the heinie compared to changing sheets. I sometimes use a duvet cover, but also a top sheet.

I like the colorful down duvets at the Company Store - they have sewn compartments so don't shift.

I just throw down duvets/comforters in the washer and then dryer. Ducks and geese do get wet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duvet

i reallyc an't believe some people are still using standard bedlinen along with duvets!! - bless!

The duvet is a super warm quilt that only requires a cover - which is the equivalent of a sheet and is the bit you take off and wash - there are various different TOGs (measure of thermal resistance or warmth) available - see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tog

You only need to wash the actual duvet part once a year - after all its the equivalent of the matress underneath you and how often do you wash that??

It's not uncommon for Americans to use a sheet with a duvet. My mother (Australian) didn't, but I hate being uncovered while sleeping, so I prefer to have layers.

I HATE it when I'm traveling and the hotels have only duvet covers and a bottom sheet; this usually happens in Scandinavia, where they are really all terribly sensible. For me, it seems a good idea in theory, but in practice, I SWELTER! And if I cast off the duvet, and there's no sheet, I freeze. I like to be covered when sleeping, too.

So far, in my web-poking, the Calvin Klein stuff is still seeming closest to my needs, although I did like the Macy's proprietary duvet cover in "Bark". There's precious little info on the website - not even size in inches - and I don't know if there's a smooth side to go against the skin.

I like Thomas O'Brien's designs, but I've had bad experience with shoddy "deisgner" goods from Target - the duvets did look good, though.

The Dwell stuff is kind of charming, kind of unappealingly "graphic" to my sensibility.

I've liked some of the Anichini (?) stuff I've seen. I have to check out Garnet Hill and the Company Store.

And Mila - thanks, but what I really need is someone to help weaken the Euro...

Oops! Not "Mila", "Mamma Chilanga" - I contracted a wee bit...

Just piping in to say that I am Wheatleigh obsessed too (I grew up in the Berkshires before moving to NYC). I wanted to have my wedding/reception there but the prices made me choke. Sigh.

I like the idea of using just a duvet - I think I'll try it, because my bedroom looks like a mess in the morning, with bed linens tossed all over the place.

My only concern is finding a comforter that is warm enough to use by itself. Also, has anyone tried a wood-filled comforter? I heard they are better than the down-filled ones.

I also like the very affordable IKEA duvet covers (I think its $40 for the cover and two shams).

THANK YOU all for enlightening me about not needing any other bedding with the duvet. I grew up with printed comforters and so I really thought it was a replacement comforter. I feel liberated.

I use Baby Diapers Pins to keep duvet inside the cover.
They are safe.

I had a duvet made out of sheets, soft and already broken in. I used a floral on one side and stripe on the other. I have 2 looks for the price of one.
I don't seem to have a problem with the comforter moving around, I do have a problem with the down moving a bit. All I do is grab one side and shake it to move it all around. This also allows the comforter to move back into place if it does shift a bit.
cheers!

My 2 cents:
I've used a duvet for the past 15 years and it's fabulous because you don't have to make the bed. Still, I use a top sheet; else, I'd have to launder the duvet once a week instead of the top sheet.

Question to anyone out there:

I love the curtains and the blind here and have long wanted to do something like this at home.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to get my hands on blinds that are longer? (My windows require at least 86" long so as to go from ceiling to below the window sill.)

Also, does anyone know how the draping of the curtains here is achieved? It seems to be just with the tie-back hardware, but that's impossible, as curtains never look that even if done with tie-backs alone.

I agree that getting a duvet cover made is the way to go -- it's easy, and you can pick the exact fabric and texture you want. If you can't sew, I recommend Kate Bettwy, who lives in Clarkston, Mich., and runs a one-woman business making couture window draperies (she'll do other sewing jobs too). You can either buy fabric and send it to her with measurements, or tell her what you want and she'll get it for you. And because she's in Michigan, she charges much less than someone in NYC would. She just did some silk draperies for me -- double-interlined, reverse-pleated, AMAZING -- for a very reasonable price. email: katescustomcouture@yahoo.com

Along the lines of keeping the inside duvet in place, does anyone have a suggestion for keeping a fitted sheet in place? My boyfriend tosses and turns at night and somehow manages to pull the fitted sheet corners up so that it is halfway across the bed in the morning.