My Tried and True Bedding and Pillows: Everything We Use In Our Home

As a former textile designer, I like to think I know a thing or two about what makes for the best bedding. There are so many factors like thread count, the type of fill, fabric content, etc. But there is one thing I know for certain: I am extremely picky when it comes to choosing bed linens for our home! I’m often asked what I think about a specific brand of sheets or what type of pillow I use. So this post is a full recap of everything we use to make our bed in our cabin that I swear by!

All of the Bedding and Pillows I Use to Make Our Bed Obscenely Comfortable

Mattress and Mattress Pad

Before we dig into the exact bed linens I use, let’s start with the foundation: our mattress! We’ve been sleeping on a king size Avocado mattress for two years now and I absolutely love it still. For us, it is the perfect amount of firmness. Plus, we added the alpaca topper. This helps keep us a bit warmer in the winter and also adds some loft to the mattress.

Also, because we have so many animals, we’ve taken some measures to protect our investment. For example, we use this waterproof and breathable mattress cover. It’s a small change that helps us feel confident that nothing can soak in and damage our bed!

Pillows

Next up, let’s talk about pillows! I don’t mean decorative pillows, but the ones we lay our heads on every single night… and now you’re going to know how high maintenance I am! Because I sleep with 3 king size pillows. Yup, three! Here’s why:

First, I go back and forth between using the Avocado pillow and my new pillow from Marlow as my main pillow. Sometimes I am in the mood for a firmer pillow and that’s when I use my Avocado one. But it can also be a bit heavy because it’s filled with kapok tree fibers. I’m not always in the mood to wrestle with a heavy pillow.

The Marlow pillow is super cool because it has zippers on either size that allow you to adjust the firmness. So if you want a less firm pillow, you can unzip one or both. Pretty genius!

Then I use the Casper down pillow for between my knees. I’m a side sleeper, so I also sort of hug the pillow to my body since it’s a king size. I love how big king pillows are!

Sheets

I am the pickiest when it comes to selecting sheets for our king size bed. I want bedding that breathes nicely, washes well, and feels luxurious but not too fussy. Also, we don’t use a flat sheet! I used to, but Sean and I couldn’t agree on whether to tuck it in at the end of the bed or not… so we decided to just not use one entirely!

Percale sheets

My favorite fabric construction for sheets is cotton percale. I don’t really pay attention to the thread count because I primarily sleep on percale from Brooklinen. I’ve been a fan of theirs ever since they had a Kickstarter, which I backed. To me, nothing beats their quality and consistency for the price.

I love percale because it is crisp and cool to the touch. It’s perfect for hot summer nights or if you’re a hot sleeper (which I am). If you want that cooling feeling as you slip into bed… go for percale!

Linen sheets

I also like linen sheets, but they are second best in my book. I wish the fitted sheets didn’t sag and get so baggy. But I still love the way they feel — yes, even when they are crispy and a bit scratchy! I have sets of linen sheets that are so old and have gotten even better with age. I also recommend Brooklinen for affordable linen bed sheets.

Flannel sheets

And lastly, we use flannel sheets during the winter months to stay warmer and cozier. I’m a fan of this plaid set from Eddie Bauer and this floral set from Laura Ashley. Both are brushed for softness, so they feel really lovely against the skin. Keep in mind that brushing flannel can pull some of the fibers loose and over time those will start to pill. That’s why flannel usually pills! But it’s an easy solve if you have this fabric shaver tool (it also comes in handy for making your home more pet-friendly).

Duvet Insert and Duvet Covers

Despite what you might think, I didn’t really put a ton of thought into our duvet insert. We use this basic down alternative comforter and it’s fine. Nothing to write home about. At our previous home, we had a queen size bed and used a silk comforter from Kailu. It’s on our guest room bed now, but I swear… I really miss it! One day I hope to upgrade our king size comforter, too.

Percale duvet cover

There is nothing better than slipping in between two layers of crisp and cool percale in my book! Even though I sound like a broken record at this point, the Brooklinen percale duvet cover is my favorite. It washes very well, has ties in the 4 corners and has a button closure.

If you’re on a budget, I can also highly recommend this duvet cover set from IKEA. It also has a nice and cool feel, plus I happen to love the floral print! My only complaint is that there are no ties on the corners, so the duvet insert can move around which I find annoying.

The most recent addition to our linen closet is this striped duvet cover. Admittedly, I bought it because I love the stripes and color combination, but it’s surprisingly good! The fabric is smooth and cool to the touch, plus it just makes me happy.

Linen duvet cover

We also make our bed with this European linen duvet cover set. It’s very soft and also washes well, but my main motivation in buying it was because I wanted the terracotta color! I wouldn’t say it’s my absolute favorite, but when I am in the mood for linen bedding it does just fine. This duvet cover also has 4 ties and a button closure, but I feel like the sizing of the duvet isn’t quite right… it’s always a bit too loosey-goosey and parachute-like.

Flannel duvet cover

When it’s really cold, we also use a flannel duvet cover from L.L.Bean. I absolutely love their flannel quality! The next time they have a sale, I plan on scooping up a set of flannel sheets from them as well. It’s just so buttery soft.

Photography & styling by Jojotastic.