Everything you Need to Know About Duvets
A couple of years ago, we posted a blog about the best way to get dream worthy hotel beds at home (read that post here). Since then we have been getting a lot of questions about duvets and duvet covers. Particularly, what brands we love and what we recommend for dreamy bedroom escapes. Thus, here we have compiled a short list of our favorites and tips on how to incorporate a duvet cover into your own bedroom oasis, so you can finally rid yourself of the traditional comforter bed set you may be used to.
What is a Duvet and Duvet Cover
A duvet or duvet insert is an ultra-plush blanket that is typically filled with down, feathers or cotton/polyester synthetic fibers. They are typically what people are referring to when they mention “down blankets” and can be found in most sizes from twin to California King to fit every bed size. For more options, duvet inserts also are rated on a scale of “light warmth” to “extra warmth” to suit any time of year or level of comfort.
A duvet cover is essentially the protective sheet that goes over your duvet insert to protect it in the same fashion a pillow case goes over a pillow. They come in a variety of colors and sizes to fit every design style and are praised for their ability to be easily swapped out if design style preference changes or a cleaning is needed. We particularly love duvets and duvet covers over traditional comforters for these two reasons as we often change our own room and our guest room decor with the change of the seasons.
When shopping for a duvet cover, it is important to purchase one that has interior “ties” in each of the four corners to help your duvet insert stay in place. Should you forego this functionally in the purchase process, the duvet insert will likely move more often and create bulky sections in your duvet cover that are hard to pull out. To keep your duvet insert inside the cover, most covers have either a zip or button closure.
How to Fill a Duvet Cover
From what we have noticed, filling a duvet cover seems to be the most intimidating part of transitioning from a comforter set to a duvet styled bed spread. However, we are here to tell you it truly is an easy process that requires just a few simple steps:
- First, you need to ensure your duvet insert is the same size as your duvet cover. For instance, if your bed is a queen size, buy a full/queen size insert and cover. If you try to use a larger insert in a smaller cover, your spread will be bulky and if you use too small an insert in a large cover, the insert will move around within the cover and create unevenness throughout the spread.
- Launder both the insert and the cover per the care instructions. Once the cover has been washed, unzip or unbutton the closure side and iron or shake it out to release any unwanted wrinkles. Note that some duvet covers will shrink if dried on high heat. We recommend drying them on the delicate setting to prevent them from shrinking.
- Once laundered and ironed, turn your duvet cover inside out by sticking your hands inside the cover and grapping the two top corners and pulling them out. Then lay your inside out cover on a flat surface and smooth out the edges. During this step, ensure the corner ties (the two pieces of string in each corner) are facing upwards.
- Lay your laundered duvet insert directly on top of the inside out cover and smooth out the blanket ensuring that the edges of the blanket line up squarely with the edges of the cover.
- Tie all four corner ties of the duvet cover to the insert either by tying them to the corner tabs on the insert (if yours has some) or by tying them directly to the blanket corner making a tiny pocket once tied.
- Stick your hands in the open side of the duvet cover and reach up to the very top corners and pinch both the cover and the insert. Once you have both corners pinched, flip the cover right side in, shaking and rolling the cover down over the insert as you go.
- Lay the filled duvet on your flat surface once more and button or zip the closure to encase the duvet insert.
- Once closed, grab the top two corners and shake the pair together to evenly distribute the insert within the cover.
- Lay the duvet cover on your bed with either the closure at the foot or head of the bed depending on your own preference.
Brands we Recommend for Duvet covers and Down or Down Alternative Fills