Duvet Cover Sets: What Is in One, Which Size and Which Fabric

A duvet cover set is a duvet cover and its matching pillowcases, sold together. It does not include the duvet itself. To choose one you need three answers: the size of your duvet, the fabric you like to sleep under, and what comes in the set.

In the UAE the duvet stays on the bed all year, because the AC does. So the cover is the fabric you touch every night, in every month. It is worth ten minutes to get it right.

If you would rather look than read, all of ours are here: duvet cover sets.

What is in a duvet cover set

Ours come with one duvet cover and two pillowcases. On our solid colour sets, the Single size comes with one pillowcase, since a single bed has one pillow.

Three things are not in the set.

• The duvet. The filled part that goes inside is sold on its own.
• A fitted or flat sheet. Those come in a bed sheet set.
• The pillows. Pillowcases only.

Some designs are sold as a cover only, with no pillowcases. The product page says so under "Includes". Read that line before you order.

A duvet cover, a quilt cover and a comforter cover are the same thing. The names change from country to country. The job does not.

Duvet cover sizes in cm

A duvet cover is sized to the duvet, not to the bed. Check the label on your duvet and match the numbers.

• Single: 150 x 220 cm
• Queen: 200 x 200 cm
• Double: 220 x 220 cm
• King: 240 x 220 cm
• Super King: 260 x 220 cm

Some of our Super King covers are 260 x 240 cm. Where a design comes in both, the longer one is listed as Super King 2. Not every design comes in every size, so open the size chart on the page.

If your duvet has no label, lay it flat on the floor and measure it. A cover a few centimetres bigger than the duvet is fine. A cover that is smaller will bunch the filling into the middle.

For fitted and flat sheets, we wrote the sizes out here: bed sheet sizes in the UAE.

Which fabric: sateen, jacquard or waffle

Most covers look alike in a photo. They do not feel alike. The difference is the weave, and weaving is what our family has done since 1990.

Sateen. Nearly all of our duvet cover sets are 100% cotton in a sateen weave. In sateen, each thread passes over several threads before it goes under one. More of the yarn sits on the surface, so the cloth is smooth, with a soft sheen. It also drapes. A sateen cover follows the shape of the duvet and does not stand stiff on top of it.

Jacquard. In a jacquard, the pattern is woven into the cloth. It is not printed on afterwards. You can feel it with your hand. Our Jacquard Duvet Set is 100% cotton at a 400 thread count, with a hemstitch on all sides.

Waffle. A waffle cover has a small raised grid across it. It gives a plain white bed some texture without a print. Ours is the White Waffle Duvet Set.

Does thread count matter on a duvet cover

Less than the label suggests. Thread count is the number of threads in a square inch. A higher number makes a denser, heavier cloth.

Ours run from 200 to 800. The lower counts are lighter and airier. The higher counts are denser and smoother, with more weight to them. Neither is wrong. The cover lies on top of you all night, so choose the weight you like to feel. Look at the cotton and the weave first. Look at the number last.

Solid or printed

This one is taste, with two practical notes.

• Solid. A solid cover is the calm choice. White and ivory make a room look larger and go with any wall. See solid duvet covers.
• Printed. A print is kinder to daily life. It hides the creases of a bed made in a hurry. See printed duvet covers.

If you cannot decide, buy one of each. Change them with the season and the room feels new.

How to put a duvet cover on

This is the part people dread. It takes two minutes once you know the trick.

1. Turn the cover inside out and lay it flat on the bed, with the opening at the foot.
2. Lay the duvet on top of it and line up the corners.
3. Start at the head of the bed. Roll the duvet and the cover together, down towards the foot.
4. At the foot, fold the opening of the cover around each end of the roll, and close it.
5. Unroll back towards the head. Shake once.

How to wash a duvet cover

Wash the cover as often as you wash your sheets. The duvet inside needs it far less often. That is the point of a cover.

Close the cover before it goes in the machine, so nothing else climbs inside. Wash in cold water. Tumble dry on low heat. Do not bleach. Take it out while it is still a little warm and put it straight back on the bed. Most of the creases drop out on their own.

Three mistakes that are easy to avoid

• Ordering by the name of the bed. King and Super King mean different sizes in different countries. Order by centimetres.
• Expecting the duvet inside. A duvet cover set is the cover and the pillowcases.
• Owning only one. With two sets, one is on the bed while the other is in the wash.

Where to start

If you want one set that goes with everything, start with a solid cover in cotton sateen, in white or ivory. For the rest, see all our duvet cover sets.

The Linen Company New York. Three generations, one family, since 1990. From our family, to yours.