what are the best luxury bed linens and sheets?

To sleep, perchance to dream . . . But how? Getting a sufficient amount of sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle that can benefit our hearts, weight, minds and more. But according to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three adults don’t get sufficient shut eye. Our sleep series is exploring all the ways in which you can maximize your chances for a sound, refreshing night’s zzz’s. We’ve looked at mattresses, and pajamas. But what about sheets? Do they matter in this quest?

Believe it or not, the sheets on your bed matter just as much in creating the conditions for a good night’s sleep as the mattress itself. Quality sheets help regulate and control your body’s temperature, keeping you cool instead of tossing and turning. And seriously, since we spend about one third of our lives between the sheets trying to sleep, why shouldn’t they look and feel fabulous?

Whether you want linens from the most revered names in the business (endorsed by hotels around the world); an over-the-top romantic look; or minimalist modern bedding, there’s a luxurious sheet set out there for you.

If you’re looking for an old-school traditional style, consider:

1. For nearly 100 years Matouk has handcrafted luxury linens from some of the finest materials from around the world at their factory in Fall River, Massachusetts. Because the majority of their pieces are made in the US, Matouk is able to deliver on quick customization of your bedding to special sizes and specific colors.  The brand’s best selling and most iconic style is the Lowell, with standard fitted sheets starting at $178.

2. Old world tradition and classic details are given subtle modern updates at Sferra. Here, luxurious Egyptian cotton is meticulously woven and sewn into bedding by skilled Italian artisans who create elegant sheets, duvet covers, shams and coverlets.  The brand is best known for its Celeste sheeting ($205 and up), with its weave considered to be one of the best-kept secrets in the industry.

3. Beautifully designed mattelasse coverlets, use of neutral colors, affordability and amazing quality are just a few of the things we love about Peacock Alley.  Named after a marble corridor in the famed Waldorf Astoria hotel, where well-to-do visitors would gather at the turn of the century, this line is meant to exude the sophisticated energy of New York’s Upper East Side. The brand is best-known for its Lyric sheet set ($405 and up), made of  crisp Egyptian cotton weave that is a percale sheet lover’s dream. Peacock Alley’s mattelasse blanket covers offer a wide range of styles and patterns, from comfortable and lived-in, to opulent and plush.

4. Hill House Home is a relative newcomer to the linen business, having launched in 2015.  After having spent years travelling with her parents growing up, founder Nell Diamond wanted to create a line of linens embodying the luxury and glamour of 5-star hotel beds. Hill House Home features exquisitely detailed bedding sets crafted and woven in Italy, then finished in France. In addition to offering great quality, the brand is keen on customers confidence that they can create a luxurious home environment for themselves, without having to employ someone to do it for them. Currently, the brand has 5 collections, and features a rotation of limited-edition patterns and artist collaborations. Our favorite is the Savile Row ($385 and up) collection, inspired by men’s shirting.

5. Few brands are more synonymous with luxurious bedding than Frette.  Founded in 1860, this storied brand is the way to go if you want to be able to name-drop your luxurious bedding to all your friends and guests. Joking aside, Frette has the design heritage and chops to back up its reputation. You’ll find their sheets on the beds throughout the Ritz Carlton collection, at The Carlyle in New York City, and at the prestigious Hotel Splendido in Portofino, Italy. Frette has a variety of collections to suit whatever high-end aesthetic you’re dreaming of—from their crisp, clean Hotel Collection ($370 and up) to the smooth and lustrous Ultimate Collection ($2,800 and up).

If you love a romantic and bohemian look for your linens, have a look at:

1. Bella Notte Linens, the world’s first easy-care luxury bedding linens. The brand prides itself on designing, cutting, sewing and dying its products in the US, creating pieces that are easy to care for and family friendly (so there’s no need to worry if your little ones start to jump on your bed). Each color is dyed to order from a custom color palette mixed from low impact dyes, and the brand also custom-designs duvets, coverlets, bed skirts, decorative pillows and and even crib bedding. We love the exquisitely soft Isabella set ($383 and up), softly adorned in floral blossoms.

2. “The Chanel of bed linens” is the storied brand Pratesi; it has always been associated with luxury, celebrity and high society, with Elizabeth Taylor famously checking out of a hotel because the beds were not outfitted with Pratesi linens. While unavailable for purchase online, you can shop for their linens from retailers like Bloomingdale’s and The Linen Tree.  From their Classic collection to the now iconic Paradise cotton collection, these are considered to be some of the finest linens on the planet.

3. Founded in 1925 and inspired by impressionist art and the gardens at Giverny, D. Porthault linens are synonymous with the artful mixing of prints and embroideries, a love of both the classic and the fanciful and a dedication to quality and craftsmanship.  The brand is best known for its printed linens, having been the first brand to craft printed sheets. D. Porthault’s custom linens have graced the homes of style icons such as Coco Chanel, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Audrey Hepburn, the Duchess of Windsor, Grace Kelly and Tory Burch. A king-sized set of bedding will range in price from $3,650 to over $6,500, depending on the print you choose.

4. Julia B. Linens masterfully combines Asian simplicity with a European tradition of extraordinary craftsmanship, creating couture linens with beautiful monograms and embroidery all done by hand.  The brand’s cotton percale and cotton pique fabrics come from purveyors in Italy, while their linen fabrics are woven in Eastern Europe and Belgium. We love how this relative newcomer to the linen world (the brand was founded in 2002) utilizes old-world hemstitching for their Martinique collection ($425 and up).

5. With its global sensibility and collections full of vibrant colors and patterns, you might be surprised to learn that Anichini is actually an American linen company. Based in Vermont, the brand sources textiles from around the world, then turns them into luxe linens thanks to skilled local craftswomen who work in a farmhouse that dates back to 1860. Along with deliciously comfortable sheet sets, they also offer luxurious cashmere throws, quilts, coverlets and down duvets and pillows. The brand’s Casablanca silk sheet sets ($3,075) are made from 100% silk sateen woven in a Moroccan-inspired medallion design. They’re smooth and soft, making them the perfect pampering cushion for face, skin and hair.

If a contemporary or clean minimalist look is most appealing to you, check out:

1. Missoni Home linens, which interweave nature, fantasy, passion and geometry, celebrating a fusion of inspiration and technique. From their Jo Sheet Set ($398) to their duvet, shams, throws and pillows, you’ll always find the linear forms of the brand’s iconic zig zag patterns and colorways.

2. Focused on quality and design, Hugo Boss Home features modern and crisp bedding that’s as tailored and sophisticated the brand’s suits.  We love that the casual designs like the Filigree collection evoke the feeling of easy everyday luxury. King size sheets start at $425.

3. Ranging in design from ultra-feminine to high couture, Yves Delorme is best known for its fashion prints, based on original artwork and haute couture. You might find the brand reversing a floral sheet with a complementary geometric pattern, with color-contrast piping just along the hem. Yves Delorme’s sheets, duvet covers, shams, coverlets, throws and decorative pillows are all made in France, and single king sized sheets start at $345.

4. SDH is an industry leader in creating environmentally-conscious luxury linens. The brand’s all natural line is brushed with richly hued colors that come from combining colored and natural shade jacquards. The dyed yarns are processed using low-impact, fiber-reactive dyes and methods, and the completely biodegradable Legna line is made from wood pulp that is harvested from managed forests.  The brand’s Purist collection is an all-natural line made without chemical ingredients, bleaches, dyes, finishes or formaldehyde. Is there anything more modern than old world craftsmanship coupled with sustainability? Single sheets start around $340.

5. Bringing an indulgent touch to everyday life is the L.A. based brand Tenfold – the proprietary housewares line of The Line. The brand’s bed linens are inspired by a simple t-shirt, and are made in Italy from washed linen and percale in shades of grey, cream and black. Each piece is  individually sold to suit the mix-and-match attitude that many design savvy customers take. The breathable fabrics easily double as beach or picnic blankets. In addition to sheet sets, the line includes down-filled comforters and pillows, clad in chic white sheaths, so they retain their allure even with no pillow case. Queen sets start at $138.

Whichever style or brand of sheets you choose, just know that having luxury bed linens does involve a little bit of extra care for complete comfort and joy. Some  owners swear that luxury sheets should be ironed after being laundered for maximum comfort. Many of the brands on our list have precise directions for caring for their exclusive fabrics – be it special detergents or even the use of top-notch cleaning services. We shall leave those care decisions up to you.

And who knows? If you invest in luxurious bedding, it might make it easier for you to quickly make your bed before you leave for work – which is apparently just one of the many early indicators of a successful day ahead. Sweet dreams.

Jillian Tangen is the Head of Research at Dandelion Chandelier and a former Senior Research Analyst at McKinsey & Co and Analyst at Shearman & Sterling. She is an avid fan of Nordic design, having owned an independent lifestyle store and sales agency focused on emerging Scandinavian design. Jillian lives in NYC and is married with three young children and loves cross country skiing, the New York Rangers, reading, travel and discovering new brands.

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