From Peacock Alley To Porthault: Your Guide to Buying Luxury Linens

 

Investing in beautiful sheets is an important part of gracious living since we spend so much of our lives in our beds. However, I find that many of my daughter’s friends are not aware of how to choose them and today’s post is to help them { and you, dear readers } - if you find yourself wanting to invest in fresh, new beautiful luxury linens { like the ones from Matouk above or Peacock Alley sheets } before spring arrives and the wedding season we all look forward to each year.

The most important myth to immediately lay aside is that thread count, which is an indicator of how many yarns are woven into a square inch of fabric, is the key quality indicator for fine sheeting. It is one of the factors, but not the key factor.

The key quality indicators for fine sheeting are, in the order of importance:

1. The type of cotton used - 100% pure Egyptian cotton is the ultimate luxury standard because the cotton staple is extra long and smooth, and the longer the fiber, the finer the yarn. Extra long staple cotton fibers make a stronger, softer yarn, and in turn, sheets made of 100% Egyptian cotton weave into a much stronger and softer fabric. 100% Egyptian cotton sheets will last longer than any other type of cotton.

However, even within Egyptian cottons, there are grading differences, with Giza 45 being the highest grade available, as shown below in this example from Sferrra Linens. This accounts for one of the reasons why, even within luxury bedding lines all carrying 100% Egyptian cottons, you will see large price variations.

If you’d like additional information about thread count, please click here.

2. The next quality indicator is the stitches used per square inch in sewing. Unfortunately, this is not often stated on packaging but ultra luxury brands will be able to supply you with this information if you request it. Why is this important? The more stitches used per square inch, the longer your beautiful sheets will last. Ultra luxury linens can be passed down for generations, and often are.

3. The next quality indicator is the type of finishing process used. These finishing processes are highly guarded trade secrets by the various luxury sheeting manufacturers which can make a substantial difference in the hand and durability of the sheeting material.

3. After these three indicators, then thread count per square inch could be your fourth determining factor in choosing your luxury linens.

Is there anything more beautiful than morning light floating over fine percale woven of 100% Egyptian cotton, illuminating hand stitched flange edges?

Now that you understand a bit more about quality, what really determines what you will buy is the feeling you prefer against your skin.

Below, you will see and learn about the differences between cotton percale and cotton sateen weaves and how they feel against your skin and, linen sheets, too.

Do you prefer to crawl into a bed on a hot summer day into smooth, crisp sheets that feel cool against your skin? Then select 100% Egyptian cotton percale sheets like these, from Anichini. Percale refers to the type of weave. With percale, the cotton yarns are woven over and under each other (as with a basket weave) to produce a strong, long - lasting fabric.

It’s hard to resist a beautiful edge detail, like this scallop from Peacock Alley’s 100% egyptian cotton percale CALYPSO collection. Peacock Alley bedding is headquartered in Dallas and offers beautiful luxury linens for a bit more affordable price than some of the European lines, perfect for my daughter and her friends.

If you prefer more color in your sheeting, this edge color variation of the CALYPSO percale collection is one I like and it adds a fresh, young appeal my interior design clients here in Midland, Texas like for their children’s bedrooms.

But perhaps you prefer sheets that feel silky and smooth against your skin versus the crispness and snap of a percale weave? If you do, a 100% Egyptian cotton sateeen weave will be more to your liking. A sateen weave brings more yarns to the surface, which is what gives sheets with a sateen weave their lovely, silky-smooth luster.

Belgian linen sheets are also a luxury standard, but, when new, they will tend to feel a bit rougher against your skin so be sure to test out a sample before you order them to make sure you and your partner will both be comfortable. They will last forever, which is why they have been the choice of European royalty for millenia, but they are an acquired taste for many in the USA who have become used to the crispness of percale or the softness of sateen.

There are many purveyors of fine luxury sheeting, and besides Peacock Alley sheets, some of the most recognized brands the world over are Pratesi, Frette, Yves DeLorme, Anchini, SDH { I recently purchased my own bedroom’s new luxury sheeting from them - they specialize in ecologically responsible manufacturing processes }, Matouk, Leontine Linens { if you like graphic monograms, this is a beautiful line } and, for organic linens, Libeco. The ne plus ultra, however, of luxury linens is D. Porthault in France, who made the linens for Jacqueline Kennedy when she was in the White House, for the Duchess of Windsor..and many others.

If you have extra time, watching this video is an education in why fine, custom linens from D.Porthault are worth the investment: http://dporthaultparis.com/video/

No matter what type of sheeting you choose to invest in, I hope this post has helped educate you a bit in what to look for so you will be happy with your decision for years to come. And, if you’re planning a wedding, please remember that many stores, like BELLA LINEA specialize in fine linens and bedding and offer a wedding registry, too, making it easier for your guests to help you collect the linens of your dreams.

And, if you’d like help in designing custom linens for your home, office, yacht, or private jet, I would be happy to assist you.

Whether it’s these by Pratesi..

or these by SDH…

or these exquisitiely hand embroidered linens made by D.Porthault of France:

or these by Yves DeLorme from their Spring collection last year, featured here on one of my favorite luxury design blogs, QUINTESSENCE { I’m looking forward to hearing Stacey Holston Bewkes, the editor, speak at the upcoming Design Bloggers Conference } , I hope…

you receive them in a beautiful gift box like this.

Gracious Living. Timeless Design. Family Traditions.

Thank you for reading Hadley Court, I appreciate your time and invite you, if you’d like, to please subscribe to my blog if you haven’t already and to please follow Hadley Court on Pinterest, G+, Facebook and Twitter, too.

Have a blessed week ahead ~

Leslie Hendrix Wood, Decorator

Founder

http://hadleycourt.com