Everything You Need to Know About the Types of Bed Coverings
When designing your bed, it’s important to know what each piece is for and how they are typically arranged. With over 100 years selling high quality duvets, quilts, bed sheets, comforters, and more, our team at Pioneer Linens is more than qualified to help you get started on setting up your dream bed spread.
Before deciding on any style or selecting what brands to look for, you should know what you will be using to decorate your bed. Not every item listed in this blog will be needed to ‘complete’ your bed spread but are all good options to consider for the final design. First, let us start with the essentials before diving into the more decorative pieces.
Bed Covering Necessities
Starting with one of the most basic necessities, we have two types of bed sheets, the flat sheet and fitted sheet.
The fitted sheet has an elastic band, allowing it to be placed securely over the mattress (or mattress pad should you choose to have one added on top). They offer you a hygienic, easily-washable and removable layer between you and your bed.
The flat sheet is placed over the fitted sheet and serves as the first of multiple potential bed coverings you may be using to provide you with warmth, as well as to provide your bed with an aesthetic should the flat sheet be visible.
Next we have the duvet cover along with its duvet insert.
A duvet insert, sometimes just called a duvet, is a blanket made for keeping you warm, offering an additional layer of comfort. This blanket can come in a variety of comfort levels depending on your preferences, like goose-down or down-alternative. In order to prevent the duvet from getting dirty, it is often paired with a duvet cover as well. The duvet cover is often decorative too, allowing your bed to still stand out without needing to replace the duvet itself.
If you need an extra bed covering for comfort, try a comforter! These thick, sometimes weighted sheets are made to help insulate heat. They come in a variety of thread counts, and like pillows they contain fillings varying in goose down or down alternative.
Decorative Bed Coverings
Now that we’ve gone over the necessities, let’s go over some additional bed coverings to help you decorate your bed even more!
A coverlet is meant to serve as a sheet decorating the very top layer of the bed. Because of their light weight (often lighter than a duvet cover) they aren’t meant to be used in any way, instead their purpose is to greatly enhance the bed’s aesthetic. Pioneer Linens offers several different options, from quilted coverlets to simple blanket covers.
Another type of decorative covering that we offer and recommend here at Pioneer Linens are quilts. Unlike a coverlet, quilts are made up of multiple layers, making them much thicker and usable for sleeping. The top layer consists of the aesthetic design, the middle layer contains padding, and a thin bottom layer to seal the middle layer.
Pillowcases or Shams?
While there are still more bed coverings to discuss, one of the last necessary additions to your bed’s design are the pillowcases and shams. While most pillowcases and shams should match the size of the bed (depending on whether the size is queen or king), you may also choose to style your bed with a Euro pillow too.
When using both, it’s important to know what their purposes are. Shams are typically more decorative than pillowcases, as they usually have embroidery that stands out more. Shams are not meant to be used for sleeping, so they are often better being placed in front of traditional pillowcases while the bed is made.
Ask if You Have Any Questions!
While these are our guidelines for each bed covering’s purpose and how they are typically used, don’t let that stop you from putting together your dream bed. If you are looking for ideas, check out our many bed collections for inspiration. If you are a local resident or visiting West Palm Beach, feel free to stop by and ask any of our friendly staff for some advice!
Call us at 1-800-207-5463 if you have any questions.