Duvets and duvet cover sets

Everything you do (and don't) need to know about duvets, duvet covers and duvet sets!
It’s Monday morning. The sun is shining, brightly and yours truly is indoors, trying hard to write something inspirational or even slightly educational about quilts and quilt covers ….

After only a few moments of researching the word ‘duvet’, it is becoming painfully apparent that this is not going to be as simple as first thought. Who would have suspected that a simple quilt is in fact, known by several other names and some of these names even have double meanings, depending on where you are in the world? What a controversial topic to research! At this point, maybe even the most dedicated blogger should go outside, worship the sun and thoroughly, digest the information presented to them, before writing the article?

What is a Duvet?

‘Duvet’ is the French word for ‘down’ (as in soft feathers). It is a type of bedding or bed covering, which provides fantastic levels of insulation and is surprisingly, lightweight. Duvets originated from rural Northern Europe and were traditionally, filled with the down of eider ducks or in some cases, geese. Modern quilts most often contain a polyester filling.

A quilt is a convenient way to dress a bed as it reduces the layers needed to keep warm. Instead of using a top sheet, blankets, an eiderdown and a bedspread, you can just use a duvet on its own. Adding a bedspread or a throw will provide an extra layer of warmth in the winter months. Alternatively, you can consider buying a it with a higher tog level for the colder part of the year. The tog level of a quilt relates to its thermal ability. The warmest duvets have the highest tog levels. They are available in many sizes: single, double, king size and super king size, (in the USA, known as queen size).

A Duvet is Also Known As:
Quilt or Continental Quilt
Comforter (America)
Doona (Australia)
Eiderdown
Dyne (Scandinavia)

OK, here’s where it gets tricky. The words ‘comforter’ and ‘eiderdown’ both have double meanings. A comforter and an eiderdown can either be a duvet - as we know it, here in sunny England (that is, the type, which, you place inside a washable duvet/quilt cover) or they can be the type of quilt, which, is placed over sheets and under a bedspread but not inside a cover. To complicate things further, in America, a quilt is called a comforter and a duvet cover is called - yes, you’ve guessed it…