Anyone recommend nice natural fabric duvet sets?

[MariaDingbat]

I desperately need new duvet sets for the first time in years but am finding it really hard to get ones that feel soft and don't irritate my skin. I used to get plain 100% cotton ones back in the day but I'm finding it hard to find ones that aren't either sateen, brushed cotton or scratchy Egyptian cotton. Most sets in shops are sealed so I can't tell what the material is like. Any ideas?

The linen or linen/cotton mix ones at Secret Linen Store are fantastic. They are expensive but feel great and wash really well.

Dunelm has lots of pure cotton sets, or H&M Home or Ikea.

Higher end, Joules has thick cotton bedding, but check TK Maxx for it on discount.

Also La Redoute!

I have sensitive skin and didn't get on with linen at all, I had to send it back. I buy high thread count cotton and use fabric conditioner to soften it up. After a while it softens.

TK Maxx...Yard is nice bedding

H&M - all the linen and cotton bedding sets I have from there have been great.

I really like the French Linen from Soak or Seep. It's £££ but it lasts and it's wonderfully cool in the summer and warm enough in the winter so you need fewer sets overall (we only have two n rotation at any one time, rather than having separate summer/winter)

I've had really nice quality 100% cotton bedding from IKEA in the past. They do have cheaper, not so great quality too, but they usually have samples of all the bedding hung up so you can feel them before you buy.

Egyptian cotton with a thread count of 600 or more isn’t scratchy.

Ah, I didn't know that. Mine is all 230 count and ends up irritating my skin. I'll have a look.

Great tip, thanks!

This is what I'm afraid of. I was really pleased with my Egyptian cotton then I slept in it and ended up with sore skin. I washed it 10 times with fabric softener but no change. M&S have a fired earth linen set that looks lovely but I'm so wary of buying it and the same thing happening.

I had some IKEA sets from 15 years ago that were really nice quality but not quite the right size for the bed so sat funny. Sadly most of the sets now are polycotton, sateen or another odd finish that feels weird.

John Lewis Egyptian cotton lasts years!

It’s all about the thread count.

230 means larger, and therefore coarser, threads per inch. At 600 or 800 threads per square inch they are incredibly fine and densely woven.

I’m very picky about bedding and have tried so many brands. I basically want to feel like I’m sleeping in a 5 star hotel. Like the primadonna I am. 😂

All my bedding comes from Tielle or Richard Haworth. At present I’m using Tielle 600 thread count and it just feels incredible on my skin. It’s not the cheapest though. A cheaper option that I also use is this 300 thread count set from Tielle as I love the subtle pattern and it’s great value for money:

https://tielleloveluxury.co.uk/products/classic-hotel-microcheck-300tc-bedlinen-set

Have you considered brushed cotton?

Just to add, Tielle and Richard Haworth supply the bedding to lots of 5 star hotels (for example, Richard Haworth supply the Savoy - and you can buy that very bedding direct from RH and I have some and it’s wonderful). If there’s somewhere that you’ve stayed and the bedding was great on your skin, it’s worth contacting the hotel and asking who supplies the bedding. Some hotels publish this info on their websites.

The White Company do good bed linen and I think some might currently be on sale.

They detail what the thread count is and the finish. So sateen or crisp etc.

Mine are habitat at Argos Not 100% cotton but wear and wash well and are soft
you could try cotton jersey as that would be the softest

Totally agree with this! We have pure linen from Secret Linen Store and I love them. Not cheap but lovely