Dream On |
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As we say goodbye to autumn and head into the chill of winter our thoughts naturally turn to how to make our most intimate spaces cosy and warm. And where better than the bedroom – the place we go for refuge, rest and regeneration – to indulge in serious luxury and top-of-the-range design?
This season three essential elements combine to produce the very best in bedding. Look for warm, rich colours that heighten the all-important sense of “envelopment”, top-quality fabrics and fibres to promote warmth, well-being and comfort, and textures that hint of the domestic virtues and handmade treasures of an earlier age, including hand-knitting, crochet and small floral prints.
But, though the latest trends in bedding are designed to make a visually arresting boudoir, don’t forget the ultimate aim is to drop off into a rejuvenating slumber, your gorgeous surroundings forgotten.
General trends
Natural shades are perennial favourites for sheets, duvets and blankets but this season richer palettes with layers of texture are enjoying a well-deserved renaissance.
“The trick is to find a balance,” says Victoria Amos-Hourigan from Linens & More. “The trend is to have white and cream sheets with a more colourful duvet cover or throw.”
The ‘Celene’ duvet, valance and comforter set from bedding wholesaler Lord of the Isles comes in a warming, restful combination of bronze and coffee. Their Baksana Sofia range also comes in antique gold and features a textured floral design with a soft sheen.
“These colours are rich and inviting. They ensure your bedroom becomes a haven in the cold winter months,” says Cheryl Sullivan of Lord of the Isles.
Where neutral colours are used the big trend this season is to emphasise natural fibres. Linen, cashmere and mohair show their natural texture in colours of linen, camel, charcoal, taupe and soft grey.
Stripes in all variations retain their presence in the market and, if you want to go a little left of field, the Heimtextil fair in Frankfurt and the Maison & Objet fair in Paris – both held at the beginning of the year – threw up a colourful option. The style involves using black and white as a base with highlights of red and citron green. Heather Cummins of Linens & More was at the fairs and the look now features in the company’s range, available in New Zealand stores.
Heather says she also saw a lot of hand-knitted throws in Europe, reflecting the continued resurgence of traditional domestic crafts.
Another development is for bedding ranges to extend beyond the bed itself. At the luxury end of the market, companies are coordinating sleepwear, slippers and toiletries with ultra-deluxe bedding. The 2007 Frette collections at Cavit & Co have Frette-to-Wear accessories. These include delicate slips for women in the Bruxelles range, to coordinate with rich linen and jacquard bedlinens in a soft palette.
Matisse International Furniture is stocking the latest collection for Giorgio Armani’s Armani/Casa range, inspired by art deco motifs and referencing Chinese decor from the 1920s and 30s. Their special touch is to include embroidered silk kimono dressing gowns with the bedlinen.
Sheets
Egyptian cotton sheets in white and cream continue to be popular at the top end of the market. However, a wider spectrum of hues can be found in more accessibly priced sheets.
When looking for sheets, make sure you know the exact size you are looking for. Measure your mattress by length, width and most importantly depth – which can vary significantly. Note that the standard sizes of the past are no longer applicable as modern mattresses have more depth for comfort.
Yarn size
The higher a yarn’s size, the finer it is. Finer yarns allow for lighter and more supple fabric. Higher thread counts are created with finer yarns.
Thread counts
Over the past few years, talk of thread counts has dominated the bedding marketplace and the numbers keep going up. “First people wanted 400 thread count, then 600 thread count and now everyone wants 1000 thread count,” says Linens & More marketing manager Kirsten Crase. But, she hastens to add, “thread count is not the most important quality indicator”. Instead yarn size, fibre quality, finishing and construction all determine the quality of a sheet. Also keep in mind that, with higher thread counts, price and quality do go hand in hand. An extremely high thread-count sheet at a very low price is exactly what it sounds like – too good to be true.
Fibre quality
One hundred per cent cotton sheets are by far the most popular but there is a huge variation in their quality. The highest-quality cotton is long staple cotton, which has longer fibres that create stronger and finer yarns. Among long staple cottons, the longest are Pima and Egyptian – however, not all Egyptian cotton is long staple. The best Egyptian cotton is from the Nile delta and this will be noted on the packaging. Egyptian cotton from other areas in Egypt and from China will not refer to the place of origin. It is rare to find Pima cotton in New Zealand but suppliers say that it should become readily available in the next year or two.
Sheet finishing
Cotton yarns are woven into sheet fabric and then finished in a process that includes singeing and mercerising. Singeing burns off the tiny fuzz that can later develop into pilling on your sheets. Mercerising increases a sheet’s strength and lustre. Bedlinens of lesser quality may not be singed or mercerised but high-quality bed linens will always be. These processes won’t be mentioned on the packaging but it’s always worthwhile to ask before you buy.
Sheet construction
Thread counts measure the number of threads per square inch or per ten square centimetres of fabric, including vertical threads (warp) and horizontal threads (weft) woven together. To achieve higher thread counts, two-ply yarns are sometimes used and multiple yarns (picks) are sometimes inserted into the weft.
In terms of weave-quality alone, the best fabric will be made with single-ply yarns and have a single pick. The highest thread count you can get with this type of construction is 360. Above that, two-ply yarns and/or multi-picks must be used.
Linens & More’s Kirsten Crase says that the comfort value of increasing a thread count over 300 is very small. “A 300 thread count can feel far superior to a 1000 thread count. Thread count has become a simple measure used by marketing people to capture interest and impress with high numbers.” With mass-produced high-thread-count sheets, important elements of quality must be sacrificed to keep the price down.
Bedroom furniture
Just as there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to bedding, contemporary bedroom furniture is an expression of fashion and personality.
Debbie Cavit of Cavit & Co has identified a small but growing demand for colours such as shocking pink and black, reminiscent of the innovative style of surrealist-inspired fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Cavit & Co have recently sold ‘Geka’ bedside tables, made by Grange of France, in these bold hues as well as in bright fire engine red. Grange makes all its solid timber furniture to order and customers can choose from forty-two colours, exclusively at Cavit & Co. Though adventurous customers occasionally opt for the “statement” hues mentioned above, Debbie says favourites remain classic blacks, creams and soft greys.
Campbell Yule, design manager at Design Mobel, says that as the pace of life gets faster the bedroom is becoming more of a personal sanctuary. “From integrated lighting to adjustable headboards that allow the perfect reclined reading position, bedroom design is about the user. Flexibility in options and choice are allowing for increased bedroom living.”
Throws, blankets and duvets
Good-quality woollen blankets continue to be an indispensable part of the bedding package.
The trend towards mohair blankets has expanded over the years and they’re now available in every colour of the rainbow and in plain, checked, striped and tartan designs. For a more masculine look, grey pinstripe mohair blankets are perfect for the man in your life who likes to look more business than boudoir.
Again, textures are of prime importance. The appeal of lush, tactile velvet and skilful handiwork is seen in beautiful hand-stitched quilts from India imported by Linens & More. With rich velvet on one side and silk on the other, the quilts can be flipped over to suit either a winter or a summer look.
For a more pared-down look, suede is becoming increasingly popular this season.
The ‘Havana’ microsuede feather and down blanket in chocolate and burgundy is new this winter. Available at department and speciality stores nationwide, the blanket is light enough to be used on its own or as an extra layer of warmth for those really cold nights.
New Zealand company DreamMaker has also just released three new designer ranges called Dawn, Dusk and Twilight. Twilight is the first Australasian collection to use TENCEL technology, which is particularly good for absorbing moisture while also regulating body temperature. For those who prefer to go natural, the Dusk collection features premium New Zealand wool pillows, duvets and underlays. The Dawn Collection of “hi-loft” polyester pillows and duvet inners is perfect for buyers on a budget. All are available at Smith & Caughey’s.
Silk has always been great for regulating body temperature and pillows and mattress underlays made in this beautiful natural fibre can keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. Silk Sensation duvets, made from mulberry silk, come in both winter and summer weights.
Some people feel the cold more than the loved one they share their bed with so they will welcome Fairydown’s new ‘Venus & Mars’ goosedown duvet. Each half of the duvet has a different blend of goosedown and feather fill, creating a warmer Venus side and a cooler Mars side. Fairydown national sales manager Claire Gray jokes, “We’re saving relationships all over the place.”
Stockists
Cavit & Co (09) 358 3771
Chambers (09) 376 6479
Corso De’ Fiori (09) 307 9397
Country Road (09) 529 1987
DeDeCe Design (09) 376 3732
Design Denmark (09) 377 7831
Design Mobel (07) 543 3660
Eon Design (09) 368 4860
Eunice Taylor (09) 828 0775
Fairydown 0800 936 223
Habitat (09) 846 6082
Household Linens (09) 523 3630
Indice (09) 376 9167
Linens & More (09) 481 0707
Lord of the Isles (04) 801 7251
Margaret Muir Design (09) 525 3000
Matisse (09) 302 2284
Nest (09) 522 1448
Republic Home (09) 361 1137
Rose & Heather (09) 525 4442
Silk Sensation 0800 822 827
Sleepyhead (09) 276 9300
Smith & Caughey’s (09) 377 4770
Stola Design (09) 633 0423
The Rug Studio (09) 360 7278
Wade House (04) 499 8885
Zeitgeist (09) 360 8819
For more styling inspirations see the Photo Gallery attached to this story.
Story: Penny Lewis
Photographs: Desmond Williams
Stylist: Anna Church
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