Best Sheets 2024 - And how to choose the right one for you.
Luxury Sheet Guide. How to choose the best bed sheets for your needs.
J Brulee offers a very wide range of designer luxury sheets in many colors and styles, but we often find that many people want to know the basics about the different types of sheets available to help them in deciding what is best for them. We make recommendations for certain sheet fabrics or styles based on personal experience and preferences (and we do have some favorite sheets), however the recommendations by no means cover all of the exceptional luxury sheet offerings that are available to you. J Brulee encourages you to explore all the sheet options available to you, click on the link to see all of our luxury sheet offerings.
Important information on Sheet Durability:
We get asked this often, so we put together some basic ideas to consider when choosing sheets. It's best to alternate sets of sheets at least weekly, the rule of thumb for how many sheet sets to own for a bed that is used regularly is 3 sets - One sheet set on the bed, one in the linen closet, and one in the laundry, this will help your sheets last longer and you will always have a fresh sheet set to put on the bed. Pillowcases will get the most wear (followed by fitted sheets) and we recommend getting extra sets of both. Cosmetics, perfume, body oils, body hair, rough skin and sharp nails will also cause wear and tear and will affect the longevity of your sheets.
You sleep on your sheets approximately 8 hours a night. If you only have one sheet set and wash them weekly, in two years you would have washed your sheets 104 times, and spent a total of 5840 hours in them. Now imagine if you wore your favorite dress or shirt that much, and washed it that often, it probably would be worn out regardless of how much you paid for it, and the same may apply to your sheets.
What we would expect is that a more expensive sheet would retain it's qualities (softness, color, luster, etc) significantly longer than an inexpensive sheet, and that seams and the elastic on the fitted sheets would be more durable. Usually, high quality luxury sheets get softer and more luxurious with use, and are made from Egyptian, some Supima, or other long-staple cotton fibers, while inexpensive or inferior quality sheet sets will tend to pill much quicker and breakdown faster due to the inferior quality cotton, such as Pima short staple, used to create the threads, so what may have felt reasonably nice at first will quickly become rough. This is part of the reason not to get too hung up on thread count as it really has more to do with the manufacturing expertise as well as the cotton fiber used.
A large factor in the durability of sheets is the material used, as well as the weave of the fabric. In general you could expect a pure Linen sheet set to be the most durable (but they are generally the roughest when starting out), a Cotton Percale sheet to be more durable than a Cotton Sateen sheet (this is one reason many hotels use Cotton Percale as they are laundered frequently, at least we hope), and long staple Cotton sheets in general to be more durable than a Modal, Bamboo viscose or Silk sheets, however Modal, Bamboo viscose & Silk sheets have properties that for many customers greatly outweigh any durability concerns such as wicking properties, incredible softness, and excellent colorfastness that other fibers can't match. It really comes down to what is most important to you when choosing your new luxury sheets.
Cotton Sheets
Sateen Cotton Sheets:
Sateen refers to the method of weaving the fibers, not what makes up the fibers as often is believed (people often confuse Sateen with Satin). Because of the method of weaving, Sateen weave cotton fabric typically has a lustrous, smooth surface and a softer feel (aka hand). Sateen sheets also tend to have more color options available and are usually easier care (wrinkle resistant) than Percale sheets, however they may not be as durable as Percale woven cotton. Some recommended Sateen Cotton Sheets: Sateen Sheets
Percale Cotton Sheets:
Percale sheets are for those that love crisp, ironed sheets like those found in many quality hotels. Percale refers to the method of weaving the fabric, and this method is what gives the finished sheets that crisp feeling. In many cases, because of this weaving method, Percale weave cotton sheets tend to be more durable than Sateen cottons, however they also tend to need more ironing if you are a perfectionist and have to have that perfect look. Percale sheets also tend to not have as many color options available as Sateen sheets. Some recommended Percale Cotton Sheets: Percale Sheets
Jacquard Cotton Sheets:
Jacquard is any fabric woven on a jacquard loom, which creates intricate and complex designs. Damasks, brocades and tapestries are all created this way. It is also the name of a specific weave. Jacquard sheeting generally has a quiet shimmer, rich texture and silken touch because its pattern is woven directly into the fabric. Many people prefer to use Jacquard fabrics as top sheets, duvet covers and shams as there can be a texture to them, and then using a coordinating solid sateen sheet for fitted sheets and pillowcases. Some recommended Jacquard Cotton Sheets: Pattern & Jacquard Sheets
Flannel Sheets:
Flannel sheets are wonderfully cozy, however the bargain bin ones tend to pill very quickly and usually aren't up to par for long. We have two suggestions for some really comfortable flannel sheets that come recommended by our resident flannel snob. Flannel Sheet Recommendations: Flannel Sheets
Knit Sheets:
Like your favorite T-shirt, Knit sheets are typically a very comfortable, soft and cozy way to go. Like Flannel, inferior Knit sheets tend to pill quickly and quickly lose that super soft quality. One recommendation we have for luxury knit sheets are Schlossberg's Knit Sheets.
Beechwood, Modal, Lyocell Sheets:
Sheets and bedding derived from wood pulp will often be found with these names. We won't go into great detail on the differences here, as they are covered in more detail in our other tutorials, however sheets from quality luxury lines such as SDH's Legna, St. Geneve, Schlossberg are wonderful sheets and great for use year round as they typically have a very soft feel and temperature regulating properties as well as being wrinkle resistant.
Modal, Lyocell Sheet Recommendations: Modal Sheets
Bamboo Viscose Sheets:
Bamboo fabrics are typically made from pure bamboo fiber yarns which have excellent wet permeability, moisture vapor transmission property, strength and durability over time, soft and comfortable hand, nice drape, easy dyeing, and splendid colors. We have noticed that bamboo pillowcases tend to wrinkle more than cotton ones, but they also press out really easily so not a major concern in our view. Bamboo Sheet Recommendations: Bamboo Sheets
Linen sheets:
Woven from flax, linen is considered to be the finest material for table linens, and to many people for sheets as well. Linen sheets are a long-held secret of many world class hotels as linen is extremely durable, yet soft and lustrous, and it only gets better with age and washing. Linen's ability to "breathe" and absorb moisture, and its cool, smooth finish makes it particularly appealing in summer. Linen is also non-allergenic and non-static. Sure, it wrinkles, but we think that is part of the charm. Linen Sheet Recommendations: Linen Sheets
Cotton/Poly Blend - Easy Care or Wrinkle Free Sheets:
We get asked about wrinkle free sheets fairly often. Usually wrinkle free sheets have a coating, a process, or a mixture of materials that 1) makes them feel not so wonderful to sleep in, and 2) wears out, and what is left is, well, not pleasant. In our experience, anything that is worth sleeping on is going to wrinkle to some extent as all natural fibers do wrinkle, but you can minimize wrinkles with proper laundering techniques.
If you just have to have easy care sheets & bedding, we will make an exception in Matouk's case, as their easy-care sheets are actually quite nice, and if you just have to have easy care sheets you would do well to look at their offerings.
Cotton/Poly Blend Easy Care Sheet Recommendations: Malouf Poly / Cotton Blend Sheets
Silk Sheets:
Good silk sheets are wonderfully luxurious with a very soft feel. Silk is also amazingly strong and light. That's why they make parachutes and printer ribbons out of it, apart from many other things. However, it does need particular care to maintain its beauty and strength. Silk Sheets and silk blend recommendations: Silk Sheets