Bedding Buying Guide

Handmade Duvets and Pillows

Goodness, what a minefield it is out there, togs and feathers galore!

Unlike picking your bed linen where all you really need to think about is the colour, pattern and whether it goes with your Aunt Sally's patchwork quilt, buying duvets and pillows can be utterly mystifying. That's why we've made sure we're experts on the subject (so you don't have to be!), curating a small but perfectly formed collection that won't overwhelm.

Plus, a browse of this Bedding Buying Guide will provide you with all the know-how needed for making an informed decision on which duvet and pillow will give you the soundest sleep.

How to Choose a Duvet

Hotel quality duvets for your home

As with our bed linen, the quality and provenance of our duvets and pillows is really important to us. We want you to have the best products, made by people and businesses that care, which is why we chose to work with two lovely British bedding manufacturers who’ve been delivering sweet dreams for over 20 years. These guys and girls seriously know their baffle-box from their channel stitching, crafting duvets, pillows and mattress toppers from high-quality materials and first-class fillings to create long-lasting, much sought-after sleep companions.

As you know, good things come to those who wait, which is why our bedding can take up to two weeks to arrive at your door. Our factories manufacture all products by hand, as ordered. This means, instead of storing items for months on end or having them shipped halfway around the world, they're made ‘fresh’ and especially for you. Don't you think that's worth a few extra days under your old duvet?

Of course, we’ll keep you updated on the progress of your order, and if you have a deadline, let us know and we’ll do all we can to help. If you order bed linen at the same time, we’ll normally send everything together once your filled bedding is ready so you can enjoy dressing your bed up in all its new gear.

Which duvet filling is best?

When shopping for a new duvet the first thing to consider is the filling. There are two main types, natural and synthetic, but the one you choose largely comes down to personal preference. Here’s a little more info on both options to help you pick:

Natural Fillings:

• Our natural duvets are filled with either duck or goose feather, down (or a blend of both) or wool. No matter which one you go for, they all create super soft, long-lasting duvets that allow your skin to breathe more easily than those filled with synthetic materials.
• Unlike feathers, down's main purpose is to provide insulation. One of nature’s little miracles, these fluffy plumules are made up of thousands of soft fibres radiating in all directions from a central quill point, similar to the head of a dandelion. These contain countless tiny air pockets that trap heat between the individual hairs and absorb moisture, keeping the bird's body warm and dry at high altitudes and in chilly water, and it works exactly the same on your bed. It's these properties that make down such a coveted choice, especially that sourced from the coldest corners of Europe like our 100% Hungarian Goose Down Duvet, as the snuggly stuffing boasts extra loft and keeps you extra toasty.
• Although feathers have similar insulation properties to down, they’re larger, stronger and more robust, creating a heavier feel ideal for those who like a closely hugging duvet. A mixture of the two fillings is a great compromise for sleepers who want the weight of feathers with the warmth of down.
• All of our products that contain feathers/down are Downafresh certified, ethically sourced in Europe and fully traceable. The feather and down we use is actually a by-product of the food industry (so if it wasn't making your bedding nice and cosy it would end up in a landfill) and is collected and processed to strict European standards (and actually significantly exceeds them) in terms of cleanliness and animal welfare.
• Also, the fabric used for casing our feather-filled products has been tested to check it complies with industry standards and has earned a NOMITE classification from the European Down and Feather Association (EDFA). This means the case is so tightly woven dust mites are unable to penetrate the surface, making our feather and down bedding safe for allergy sufferers too. Winner, winner!
• Our wool fills have temperature regulating superpowers; wool is cool when you need it to be and warm when the temperature isn't. It also wicks moisture away from the body by absorbing up to 30% of its weight in moisture, before feeling damp.
• We don’t use any nasty chemicals when washing or processing our wool. This helps us to make a duvet that is super hypoallergenic. There is nothing in here to cause any reaction, so this is a great choice for any allergy sufferers. You can also sleep soundly knowing that wool is naturally fire retardant.

Synthetic Fillings:

• Synthetic duvets tend to wick away sweat better than natural bedding, can be washed more regularly and have a lighter feel, ideal for those who tend to wriggle around a lot when snoozing!
• Manufactured by Dacron, world leaders in artificial fibres, our two synthetic filling options are hollowfibre and microfibre. As their name suggests, hollowfibres have a hollow centre, giving duvets greater loft and springiness. These thick, wire-like fibres are hardwearing, yet still warm and snuggly. Microfibres are much finer (six times as fine as hollowfibres to be exact!) and don't have hollow centres, instead, this super supple stuffing is intended to imitate the luxury of natural down, therefore, delivering outstanding softness.
• All of the fabrics, synthetic and natural fillings, and 100% cotton cases used to make our bedding are certified Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Compliant, meaning they’re free of harmful chemicals, as well as being down-proof and flame retardant.

Which tog duvet to buy?

Tog ratings act as a guide to the insulation property of a duvet, measuring the thermal resistance of its construction. In English, this means the higher the tog the toastier you’ll be. Our togs range from a 2.5 (ideal for the summer months and sweaty sleepers) to a 15 (perfect for keeping warm in winter). If you don’t have the space to keep a second duvet on hand for when the weather changes, we also offer an All Seasons option that will see you comfortably through the year.

As well as having a tog, feather and down duvets are rated by their fill power. This is because natural fillings have better thermal properties than those stuffed with synthetics, meaning you don’t need as much filling to achieve the same tog rating (remember, tog means warmth not weight!). The higher the fill power, the larger each individual piece of down will be, resulting in a loftier, fluffier duvet, that provides better insulation.

Rather than sewing through the casing with a box stitch that's easy to rip, we go one step further by fitting our duvets with baffle box pockets. These are created by sewing extra strips of material between the top and bottom layers of the casing to ensure each square has an equal amount of filling that’s distributed evenly across the duvet, preventing cold spots.

Which pillow is perfect for me?

We offer a range of different pillow choices - something for everyone - but it can be a bit daunting choosing the right one for you.  The main points to consider are how you sleep and how you like your pillow to feel.

Medium or firm?  If you sleep on your front or back you will probably be more comfortable with a pillow with a medium fill, whereas if you're a side sleeper you might prefer a firmer pillow.  Or why not go with one of each so you can mix and match to create your perfect pillow partners?

Feather, down or... something else?  If you like your pillow as soft as a cloud then we would recommend going with a pillow with a high down content such as one of our Grand Goose or Dreamy Duck pillows.  A good synthetic option would be our Good as Goose - the hollowfibre fill mimics down so feels very much the same.  If you like a pillow with some good support, then feathers would be your best option with our Great Goose pillows being a lovely choice.  Big Softie microfibre pillows are also very lofty and supportive and are a great option for those needing a bit of 'oomph' to a pillow.

For more information about choosing a pillow, head on over to this page or do feel free to give our Customer Smile Makers a call on 01243 822599 and they'd be delighted to chat your options through with you.

The bedding small print

Although we're confident nothing will go wrong, all our duvets and pillows are guaranteed against defective workmanship for 30 days.  If you find a bedding item faulty in any way we will do our best to resolve this for you and get a freshly-made, perfect item back on your bed before you can say “Is it bedtime yet?”.

The measurements for all our filled bedding items are for the outer cotton casing. The final product size may be ever so slightly different from the listed size depending on the tog and fill chosen. The more we pop inside, the plumper it gets; this is all very normal.  Please don't worry if your topper seems a little smaller than your mattress when it arrives; this is intentional to ensure a perfect fit once it settles under your sheet.

Your filled bedding is made to order especially for you, however if there is any reason it is not right for you, please return the bedding unused, unwashed and in its original packaging.

We are unable to accept any returns of filled bedding which has been used or washed.