"Beddings" covers everything between you and the mattress, and the pieces are bought separately far more often than they are bought together. It is worth knowing what each layer is actually for, because the one most people skip is the one that protects the most expensive thing in the room.
The layers, bottom to top
- A mattress protector. It is a consumable and the mattress is not. Quilted for everyday damp, waterproof under a child or anyone unwell, an encasement if you want the mattress sealed.
- A fitted sheet, cut for the depth of your mattress plus any topper.
- A flat sheet, if you use one. Many UK households no longer do; it is an extra washable layer between you and the duvet cover, which is why hotels keep it.
- A duvet, in a tog for the season.
- A duvet cover, sized to the duvet.
- Pillows, chosen for how you sleep, in cases that match.
The sizing mistake
A duvet cover is cut for the duvet, not for the bed — and UK duvets are deliberately wider than the mattress so they hang over the sides. A king bed takes a 225 x 220 cm duvet; a double takes 200 x 200 cm. Buying a cover by the bed name alone is fine as long as the duvet inside it was bought the same way. Mixing the two is what produces a duvet that will not sit flat however it is shaken.
| Bed | Duvet and cover |
|---|---|
| Single | 135 x 200 cm |
| Small Double and Double | 200 x 200 cm |
| King | 225 x 220 cm |
| Super King | 260 x 220 cm |
Tog is warmth, not weight
Tog measures thermal resistance. 4.5 is summer, 9 to 10.5 covers spring and autumn, 13.5 is winter. An all-seasons duvet is two duvets that clip together so you can run one, the other or both.
Adjust for the room rather than the calendar: a warm bedroom, an electric blanket or a partner who runs hot all move you a step lower than the season suggests.
Buying a set or buying the layers
A matched set is the simple route and usually the cheaper one. Buying layer by layer is how you get a bed that actually suits you — a cool percale sheet under a light duvet for one person, something warmer for another.
Our duvet cover sets and complete bed sets are the quick way in; what makes quality beddings is the slower, better answer. If you are furnishing more than one room, buying for a business is a different exercise again.
