Linen bedding - is it worth the outlay?

[hattie43]

I’ve been keen to try it for a while but it’s pretty expensive . I usually have a high thread count cotton but love the lazy relaxed vibe of linen . Any thoughts please

I got some when on offer from piglet in bed. I love it, much nicer than cotton imo which was my previous love. But yes very expensive only you can judge if its worth it.

Yes, I love mine.

I love mine from La Redoute. Soft and no ironing necessary

I had some from the white company and it wore through. I've had some of their cotton for 20+ years

I love mine, very soft and comfortable and I got it in a deal at TK Maxx!

I love linen bedding and have two sets but couldn't justify the cost for any more. I bought a 50% cotton 50% linen duvet cover from Dusk a few years ago which I'm very pleased with. They don't seem to do that particular one any more but I've ordered one in their sale to try which is a cotton / ramie / linen blend - ramie is a natural fibre, quite similar to linen. I will report back once it arrives if you are interested!

I absolutely love mine. Had it a good few years now and it's never been off my bed. I just wash it and put it straight back on.

I’ve got a couple of sets from H&M Home. I think they are about 5 years old now, looks like new. I love linen sheets, it’s the only thing I use these days. Great in the summer too, they breathe better than cotton.

Have you tried bamboo? I think it’s softer, but it’s pretty hard wearing

I bought some in the M&S sale. Love it in the winter, warmer than cotton. Quick to dry too.

Yes! I did mine gradually - bought a fitted sheet first, then duvet cover and then a set of pillow cases. Totally worth it in my opinion, I see them as an investment because linen gets softer as you wash it! I remember reading a post on here years ago where somebody was talking about a French hotel with 50 year old linen sheets that were incredibly soft. No idea if any of the linen sheets on the market these days will last 50 years! But I love the rumpled look of them and the feel, especially how much they soften. My set is bedfolk which was ££££ but gorgeous, I prefer their linen to piglet in bed it feels thicker to me and softer. (Haven’t had piglet in bed sheets though I am going of their pyjamas so may be mistaken). I did have an Ikea linen sheet once that was horrible, very scratchy and felt weirdly oily. If you are happy to go for a colour or pattern I would check the sales on piglet in bed and bedfolk for a start, as they retire colours or patterns you can pick them up more cheaply. Obviously would avoid doing that if you want to buy them piece by piece. My partner wasn’t sure about linen at first but since we’ve had the full set he’s been converted. They feel lovely and cool but not cold to the touch in the way cotton sheets can which I personally prefer. We also have a bamboo set - previously had panda London ones which ripped and frayed with button holes too small for the buttons so you really had to wrestle them in! Wouldn’t have those again but have just bought a set of sloth ones which so far seem nice. Very different to linen though - no texture to them, very soft and almost silky feeling.

I have bought my linen bedding in white and gone for an extra deep fitted sheet to allow for shrinkage over time - I hate having to wrestle sheets on when they start to shrink down. White on the basis it’s classic, reminds me of hotels and much easier to stain treat than patterned or coloured. Can always jazz it up with throws and pillows!

So worth it!

I didn't find linen that different from cotton.

Silk sheets, though... I love my silk sheets.

I bought linen sheets after staying in a holiday cottage that had them. Expensive, so I saved up vouchers for them, I just have two fitted sheets. Mine are John Lewis, and the sort that look deliberately crumpled and don’t need ironing. I think they feel great to sleep on but they are very heavy when wet and take much longer to dry than my old poly cotton sheets.

I’m never going to iron a duvet cover so they’ll go on being cotton/mix.

Feels thin compared to good cotton. Even the expensive stuff IMHO

I love the feel and look of it. The whole point is that it does not need to be ironed.

mine is not the most expensive but also not the cheapest. I am curious how long it will last.

Thanks everyone , I’ve got a secret linen set ordered to give it a try .

I like it, but I don’t find it lasts as long. Maybe I’ve just been unlucky, but the a duvet cover from secret linen and a fitted sheet from lazy linen have both got holes in (big enough to become unusable). I also find they stretch too much and there’s a lot of overhang on the duvet cover. I’ve just reverted to cotton again, but I do love the feel of the linen. I might try Piglet in a Bed, but due to the size of our bed the total cost was coming in at £350, which is a lot! La Redoute looked very reasonable, but the superking duvet cover is 10cm longer than a UK superking duvet and as the sheets tend to stretch a lot, I think it would be annoying.

When it comes to the costs - obviously it depends on what you can afford, and some people can't splash out. But, we aim to spend around 8 hours, a third of every day, in bed. Good sleep is important for mental and physical health. It is worth investing in, be it good mattress, pillows, bedding, black-out curtains or whatever. And if you break it down per use, it works out much more cost effective than some clothes and shoes I've bought over the years.

I have a set from Secret Linen. I do really like it - though only the duvet/pillowcases, I prefer a nice cotton sheet.

One note of caution - I find it takes forever to dry. As a result I only really use it in the summer when I can hang it outside.