Interiors: Duvet cover choice can make or break a bedroom look

Getting into a freshly laundered bed invites good sleep, especially when you have good quality linens 

Can exotic styling ever be subtle? The Lounging Leopards duvet cover set gets it right in this sophisticated grey and white scheme (duvet set from €50 at www.fatface.com).

No doubt about it, the duvet has transformed traditional housekeeping.

Making beds back in the day with a combination of flat sheets and multiple blankets, a quilt and even a bedspread, must have been a chore exceeding the rigours of trying to drag a cover on a duvet.

Go completely neutral with gleaming white Lexington duvet cover, warmed with creams and pale grey for a relaxing atmosphere (from €37.25 at www.thefinecottoncompany.com).

As for the amount of laundry involved, well, the thought of that makes me want to slip under my own duvet for a snooze.

Very.co.uk's Appletree Cassia duvet cover is set against a grey and blond wood scheme accented with greenery for a fresh but cosy look (from €50).

Arlene Dufferin, director of Bottom Drawer, home to luxury bed linens and accessories at Brown Thomas in Cork, Dublin and Limerick, offers advice for buying and maintaining your duvet experience.

“The main advantage of the duvet is the versatility,” says Arlene.

“The filling can be made from a huge range of products, from finest Hungarian goose down to silk fibres, wool or Tencel, or cheap and cheerful polyester, all offering varying levels of comfort and warmth depending.

“Good bed linen is a pleasure to use and a great investment,” she says. “Although you may pay a little more, fine quality fabrics will remain smooth and comfortable, are easy to care for and last for years. We recommend keeping everything you sleep in natural, so choose pure cotton, silk or linen.”

White cotton duvet covers work with all bedroom looks. The Bianca Malmo double duvet cover has a tufted finish offering texture and interest (€64 at www.littlewoods.ie).

We hear a great deal about the importance of thread count but, according to Arlene, a higher count doesn’t necessarily mean better.

“More important is the quality of the yarns used and how the fabric has been finished,” she says. “A simple guide is to ask where the product is made. Bedlinen made in Europe, especially those from Italy, Portugal, France or Switzerland, will always be of the best quality. We recommend choosing a thread count between 300 and 600. The fine quality yarns and finishing processes of top quality European brands will ensure that your cotton bedlinen is smooth, supple and fabulous to sleep under.

But there are other natural options like silk and linen, the latter she describes as nature’s wonder fabric; cool, comfortable and yet incredibly strong and resilient.

“Linen ages beautifully, becoming softer over time, and can be laundered at high temperatures,” she says. “The shabby chic style of relaxed, slightly crumpled linen is very attractive and means ironing is unnecessary. For those who love a more tailored, formal style, pure linen can be washed and pressed for the classic five-star bedroom style.”

For utter indulgence, Arlene suggests silk. “It’s a luxurious and sexy fabric,” she says. “Sleeping in pure silk has definitely been having a moment for over a year now.

“This wonderful natural fabric helps prevent fine lines from forming on delicate facial skin, as well as preventing hair from flattening or becoming tangled.”

Once the technicalities are out of the way, Arlene, says, choosing bed linen should be fun. “Choose something gorgeous, comfortable and great quality. If you are visiting us in-store, take a photo of your bedroom in advance so we can help you with your choices.

“When choosing which colours to use we would recommend staying fairly neutral with your duvet cover and using colourful accessories to create accents of colour rather than overpowering your room with big bold prints. There’s always an opportunity to let your creativity flow and reflect your personality with splashes of colour if that’s what you love.”

Harvey Norman's Bianca Kyoto double duvet is finished in a gentle monochrome pattern with faux fur and warm metallics providing a layered and textured finish (double duvet set €40).

Getting back to practicalities, especially if you’ve invested in linens you want to keep in good nick, Arlene says, “We recommend it’s washed at 40 degrees or less at least once every two weeks.

“Putting them in a hot wash to remove stubborn stains occasionally is fine but lower temperatures will help to preserve the fabrics. Non-biological capsules are always best for coloured bed linen to prevent bleaching out the colours. For whiter than white duvet covers you can use biological liquids and powders. Try to keep your laundry sorted before washing and keep similar coloured bedlinen together and away from your jeans and socks. Try to avoid using fabric conditioners unless you just like the scent.”

And, as we love a top tip, Arlene has a trick for getting an older white duvet that may be yellowing back to its original brilliance.

“Pre-soak it in warm water with half a cup of white vinegar for about an hour. Then machine wash them as normal, but add half a cup of baking soda to the machine along with your washing detergent.”