Hi Everyone,
I believe this is the last installment in this series of cheap home furnishings—at least for the time being—but I’m not sure.
It’s about cheap bed linens.
Above are cheap sheets from BB&B purchased in July 2020. They will be in the widget at the bottom of the page.
Now, please understand. If I had endless amounts of disposable income and a housekeeper several hours a week, sure. I’d love to have the most luxurious sheets washed with rose petals, ironed, professionally folded, and changed every two or three days.
Hell, changed every day.
However, I’m doing well if my bed is made every day.
Ironing?
I know some of you do that, and I’m sure it’s glorious—but the problem is doing it.
So, I went hunting for cheap sheets—cheap bed linens that don’t look cheap—and with excellent to superb reviews.
And what I found shocked me.
There are knock-offs out there that mimic the stuff that could pay for a couple of college educations.
Seriously.
The Three Legendary Luxury Brands
The three best-known luxury bed linen brands are Frette, Pratesi, and Sferra.
I chose Frette because it’s part of my affiliate network. ;] However, if you’re into one-stop shopping (and who isn’t?), you can get all three brands—and at least 100 more—at Bloomie’s (Bloomingdale’s).
But golly. FIVE LARGE for SHEETS?
I mean, for that kind of loot, I hope the sheets come with a hot butler who loves ironing and making beds. Oh, and a fine Swiss chocolate laid out on the pillow each night. lol
Of course, some people have more money than they know what to do with. If you’re one of them, please make my day and use my affiliate link to get yourself some Frette/Pratesi/Sferra linens.
However, for the 99.9% rest of us, $5,000 is my lifetime budget for sheets.
Much has been said about thread counts.
But it’s gotten ridiculous. I think it used to be 200 threads, then 300, then 400—and now Bed Bath & Beyond has sheets with 1,500 thread counts. I’m having trouble wrapping my mind around that.
I got some sheets there and actually liked them. They’re made of tencel, I believe. I also got a percale set, which I’ve reserved for Cale. They’re quite crisp. He’s never complained, but then again, his only requirement is that they were laundered sometime in the last five years.
Recently, I did get some Serena & Lily sheets on sale.
They’re very nice—but they do wrinkle a bit. Of course, they wrinkle. Anything that’s 100% cotton wrinkles. This is why God invented the iron. And I know that ironing also smooths out the fibers and enhances the sweet smell of freshly laundered sheets.
BTW, does anyone know how hotels get that distinctive smell to their bed linens?
I’ve heard they use a crapload of bleach and maybe two or three washes in the hottest water imaginable. Maybe they use borax? I tried that, but it didn’t work.
The best sleeping experience in terms of luxury linens was the three nights we stayed at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. We went there for my wasband’s 50th. It was right after 9/11, and I was so nervous to fly. But anyway, those sheets were like the smoothest cotton I’ve ever felt.
Incidentally, you can get the Bellagio line of products—online!
My Hunt for Affordable Luxury
Originally, I was just going to stick to Wayfair for cheap bedding. I love that they have reviews, and they do have some great deals.
So, at the end of this post you’ll find a widget that uses the following codes:
C = Cheap Bed Linens Brands
M = Moderately Expensive
W = Wildly Expensive
Can you tell which of these are expensive and which are cheap?
Some of these vendors have a range of prices, but it usually straddles Cheap to Moderately Expensive, or Moderately to Wildly Expensive.
Although, vendors such as Wayfair/Perigold and Bloomingdale’s carry a wide range of price points.
Nordy’s carries mostly mid-priced brands, and they have a large collection from the medium-priced Sferra line. It’s a bit confusing, as they also sell sheets that are nearly ten times that price. I guess those are the ones that come with a private butler. ;]
Some of My Mid-Priced Favorites for Bed Linens
Of course, one of our favorite mid-priced brands is Serena & Lily. This is the company that got its start more than 20 years ago when two women began a business manufacturing designer baby linens.
And then it grew.
BTW, they’re having a terrific sale right now—25% off if you spend over $2,500; otherwise, everything is 20% off.
Boll & Branch has its own website and is also found at many of the online department stores.
Other favorite vendors and brands for beautiful mid-priced bed linens are One King’s Lane, The Well Appointed House, Cuddledown, and The Company Store. Perigold has a huge line of gorgeous bed linens.
In the expensive to wildly expensive category are the three aforementioned bed linen brands:
- Frette
- Pratesi
- Sferra
And then we can add Matouk, which also has some mid-priced lines.
Another beautiful brand I’ve long admired is Eastern Accents. They range from moderate to very expensive but have wonderful designs.
I’ve also adored the John Robshaw line with his gorgeous collection of Indian block prints. His taste is magnificent.
Okay, as usual, I’ve bitten off more than I can chew and spit out. haha
Plus, I’m sure I’ve missed a mountain of sources. After-all. Everyone sleeps. Nearly everyone sleeps in a bed with sheets.
Think about it. It’s a massive industry.
Please let us know your favorites—and specifically, the best sheets you’ve ever slept on.
Or, if you know how to get that fantastic hotel smell without going to a hotel.
And now, please enjoy a widget filled with some of my favorite bed lines at every price point, from dirt cheap to wildly expensive. However, there are only a handful of the latter.
I hope you enjoyed all of the cheap bed linens.
Speaking of cheap.
Guys, this is the last day of the Laurel Home Flash Sale.
All of my invaluable interior design guides are 20% off! And that includes 20% off the already discounted bundles. Come midnight, the prices are going back up. In the new year, there will be another price increase.
You will get lifetime updates and will get the new versions as they come out. Please remember that your download links never change. I wrote a post about the flash sale if you’d like to learn more.
And for the introductory page to the Laurel Home Interior Design Guides, please go here.
If you missed it, the sale ends TONIGHT at midnight!
xo,
***Please check out the recently updated HOT SALES! The early Columbus Day weekend sales are upon us, and there was a big update if you missed the notification on Saturday.
There is now an Amazon link on my home page and below. Thank you for the suggestion!
Please note that I have decided not to create a membership site. However, this website is very expensive to run. To provide this content, I rely on you, the kind readers of my blog, to use my affiliate links whenever possible for items you need and want. There is no extra charge to you. The vendor you’re purchasing from pays me a small commission.
To facilitate this, some readers have asked me to put
A link to Amazon.com is on my home page.
Please click the link before items go into your shopping cart. Some people save their purchases in their “save for later folder.” Then, if you remember, please come back and click my Amazon link, and then you’re free to place your orders. While most vendor links have a cookie that lasts a while, Amazon’s cookies only last up to 24 hours.
Thank you so much!
I very much appreciate your help and support!
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33 Responses
Agree with the others who said Costco sheets! Costco for the win! They actually fit the mattress, don’t pull off, haven’t shrunk, come out of the dryer wrinkle free and are super comfortable to sleep on. They have some nice patterns/colors. They come with FOUR pillow case covers and I don’t think I paid more than $20 for the King size. Have had them for years, they still look brand new.
I’m also perfectly happy with my sheets from Costco. I care more that they are large enough to actually fit a king mattress. My Brooklinen ones don’t fit well and so I hardly use them because they come off the mattress while we are sleeping. I did try a set of the bamboo sheets that had rave reviews on Amazon and I wasn’t a fan of those. I use them on a spare room bed now. I like that Westport Duvet Cover. I don’t have time to iron sheets or duvets so I like duvets/coverlets/quilts with some texture that don’t require ironing. My mother in law got me a silk pillow case from Fishers Finery for Christmas and I really like it. It comes out pretty smooth from the drier. I wash it alone on the gentile cycle.
The most comfortable bedding I’ve slept on is at Wynne Hotel in Las Vegas. They can be purchased on-line. Pricey but often have 20% discounts.
Having said that, I still have Gloria Vanderbilt sheets (Atelier Martex) from the 70s.
They just don’t make ’em like they used to.
Sheets always feel better when they’re ironed. Iron the pillowcases at a minimum.
Most comfortable down pillow ever is from Boll&Branch. And a silk pillowcase is a must!
Loved this post!
I was hoping someone had an answer about the hotel sheet smell.
From a textile major, first decide if you want percale or sateen. Percale is an over/under every thread weave and is cooler, crisper, and more durable. Most important is that the cotton is long-staple or Egyptian. Sateen is several threads over giving the fabric a smoother, slicker, shinier luster and feel. It’s warmer and less durable. If the cotton fiber is quality, thread count is mostly irrelevant.
I have been buying brushed cotton and flannel sheets at Quince.com.The brushed cotton sheets are made in India and flannel sheets are made in Portugal. Quality is excellent and prices even better. They also have silk, linen, and jersey sheets.
Laurel,
Thank you for all the work you’ve done to put this together! Good grief. Buying new sheets for my new bed this summer felt like being pulled out to sea by a rip current. I was fed up with the “thread count” issue and did a bit of research (only a bit). Turns out that the key to excellent wearing sheets that are primarily cotton is “long staple cotton fiber” or “extra long” which is branded “Supima” cotton.” Turns out “the longer the cotton fiber, the stronger, softer, and more durable the resulting fabric.” This explained a lot about my experience with splurging on high-fiber-count sheets. On another note, I don’t know if anyone else has stopped buying sets of sheets, but I have. My bottom sheets wear out sooner than top sheets and pillow cases (because husband). Most sheets are still sold in sets, but I’ve found excellent bottom sheets for medium prices at Wildly Expensive Matouk. I can also get them at Nordstrom’s. Then I can splurge, for example, on pillow cases. Finally, the current hot online retailer, Quince, apparently has great basic sheets. I bought goose down pillows recently. So far, so good. You’re the best, Laurel, take care.
Highly recommend the Kirkland brand sheets from Costco!
Does anyone else have a problem with the 100% cotton fitted sheets shrinking in the laundry and no longer fitting the mattress? I’ve had this happen several times with several different (cheaper) brands. Any solutions?
In the 1990’s I travelled frequently to France where I purchased vintage pure linen sheets, top sheets beautifully embroidered plus bottom sheets. I launder them with pure soap and hang them outside in the sun and wind. I then iron them. They give a perfect night’s sleep. Lovely in winter and cool in summer. I grew up sleeping on ironed linen sheets which my mother had bought for her Hope Chest or Glory Box as it was known in Australia.
I second 100% linen. Found a great set at Target that has really lasted. They do get softer with every wash. Thank you Laurel for this!
I am old school. I love 100% cotton sheets that are hung on the line to dry. I like older ones where thread count wasn’t a thing. I don’t leave them overnight as did another poster. I put them out in the morning and take them in as soon as they are dry. I tried Martha Stewart and Garnet Hill not too long ago and they are nice for newer brands. Ralph Lauren had nice prints. Thanks Laurel for this interesting post.
I only buy linens from Matteo (matteola.com). They have a great story and I’m a fan. Yes, expensive and you get what you pay for. Once or twice a year they do a 50% “White” sale which makes things reasonable. If white isn’t your thing, they have an extensive color palette and rotate sales by product line, but not at 50% off. If patterns are your thing, this isn’t a source for you. A great thing about solids is they permit the relaxed look of never ironing. Matteo only sells high quality natural materials and they are all about an elegantly casual lifestyle.
Cozy Earth bamboo sheets are both luxuriously soft, well priced and wrinkle free. They offer several colors and sizes at reasonable prices. Get ready to be spoiled as you will never want to go back to cotton. Bamboo is naturally thermal regulating and anti microbial. I love these super comfortable sheets so have them on every bed. They also sell towels and clothing. See CozyEarth.com
Cozy Earth bamboo sheets are both luxuriously soft and well priced. They offer split king sheet sets, so don’t have to purchase two twins. Get ready to be spoiled as you will never want to go back to cotton. Bamboo is naturally thermal regulating and anti microbial. See CozyEarth.com
This is a timely post for me. I’ve been thinking about getting some new sheets for awhile, and you can bet that I’ll check out all of the “cheap” options in particular :] I do appreciate all the options you have provided and that you labeled them with the C, M, and W! Thank you, Laurel!
If you are outside of a city and have access to an outdoor clothesline, hang your preferred sheets on the clothesline and leave them overnight to catch the dew and then collect the next day’s morning sun. My neighbors may think it funny , but my mother was right : Crisp, great smelling and slightly pressed. 😊
Years ago, Macy’s Hotel Collection had wonderful sheets and towels. The last I bought, however, were very poor quality. I’ve been happy with Boll and Branch (both sheets and towels) and Redland Cotton. Yes, they wrinkle, but they are good quality and WIDE enough, so that each person has enough sheet!! The sheets from Peacock Alley were cut surprisingly short and narrow.
Scandia Down has wonderful quality sheets, and usually a sale with a discount on ONE item in October.
Would you explain the difference between percale and sateen sheets?
Try 100% linen! I love them. Yes they wrinkle like crazy, but feel so good when it is hot. And get softer with every wash.
My husband bought some from a random Amazon brand but they’ve been terrific.
For years my favorite sheets were Wamsutta. They were soft and never pulled. That is most important to me. Last year I purchased a pima cotton set, deep sheets with good elastic on corners,with 4 pillowcases, from Costco. They still feel wonderful and no pilling!
My BFF is one of those people that has several sets of $5,000 SDH sheets. She and I share a love of textiles and collect bedding, but she has the bigger budget of course. She now swears by the JCPenney wrinkle resistant sheets.
I have tried and loved several of the sheets you have mentioned. They are all gorgeous…but not cheap , especially when two dogs, a cat and a male partner create chaos in and around the bed every day . And yes I have my special sheets but i find those never come out of the closet any more. BUT I have happily filled my closet with Threshold sheets. I know we have been mad at Target but with a new CEO I am sure they will come around. He target btand Threshold sheets has two elastic bands on each corner of the fitted sheets. I have a very thick mattress. I have not found any ANY fitted sheets that will stay on my mattress except Threshold. . They have a wide range of fabric qualities including white linen , all with the double elastic. These have a wide assortment of patterns for children too. Granted these are not the same as the sheets mentioned here but I have a closet full of threshold sheets and I am thrilled. The price is low enough I can do that. .. .but it is the double elastic!!! my life has gone on and I never think of sheets anymore … check.
Love theTarget sheets. The Queen 400 Thread Count Performance Sheet Set- Threshold™ is only $55. They will fit ANY thickness mattress. They have two elastic locations to fit skinner mattresses and thicker ones they also are marked at top/bottom so you don’t have to figure out which end you have to start and the top sheet, if you use one, is wide enough to cover with plenty to go down both sides. Lots of colors and patterns. They come out of the dryer pretty good too. Best sheets I have ever bought and the least expensive.
The problem with sets, which can be less expensive, is that we have a split king so the king fitted does not work for me. I then have to buy two twin extra long fitted sheets.
Any thoughts.
My style has changed in the last couple of years. I came to realize that white sheets with my white coverlet didn’t work for me anymore. Now I buy sheets with patterns. I have several sets that I like to mix. I’ve found some good patterns at Garnet Hill. I think they’re moderately priced.
Gosh I thought Serena & Lily were expensive
I so miss the Wamsutta Dream Zone sheets that BB&B sold. Have not been able to find any as soft (extremely sensitive skin). Even found the Boll and Branch sateen scratchy.
Loving these posts, Lauren!
Oh, and Linen Wash is a wonderful detergent for sheets. I get it on Amazon.
I only buy percale sheets–not a fan of the more shiny sateen ones, but that’s a personal preference. I love Sferra sheets, the Celeste line is sumptuous and pricey, and the Grand Hotel line very nice and less expensive. Lots of embroidery colors to choose from. For more moderate but very good quality are the Emilia sheets from Pottery Barn–I have 3 sets of them and they last a good long time. Also I have a couple of sets from RH that were purchased at least 10 years ago, and have gotten better with age.
My problem with lots of sheets are the fitted ones that fit the mattress until you wash them. Then they shrink up (like a frightened turtle, if you remember that Seinfeld episode), and you have to fight with them to get them on the bed. Or you use them on full mattresses. All of the fitted sheets I have from Sferra, Pottery Barn and RH keep their shape and size.
If you want really nice sheets and you can afford them, it’s worth it to spend the money and cry once, as they say. They’ll last for years instead of buying multiple sets of cheap ones that you are constantly replacing.
Brooklinen has been good. Gotta get them right out of the dryer but they are soft and reasonably durable.
I’m perfectly happy with my Target sheets! 😊