Percale Vs. Sateen: How To Find The Perfect Sheet
How do you choose what sheets are best for your home? Is it better to sleep on percale, sateen or linen? I’ve recently received a handful of questions from customers and friends on how to shop for the right sheets.
Whether you are looking to replace an old set of sheets or are new to the bedding world (special shout out to the newly engaged couples) you want to be sure to invest in the right products. The bedding world can feel a bit overwhelming at first which is why you’ve come to the right place. Below are a few pointers on how to shop for basic sheets which will hopefully guide you in the right direction.
The first question I like to ask customers is “How do you like to sleep? Are you drawn towards a cool and crisp feel or do you prefer a warm, silky touch? “ Although percale and sateen are both made from cotton, they are woven differently, and therefore, make for different sleeping preferences.
Image from Peacock Alley
Percale:
If you lean towards cool and crisp, then percale is the right sheet for you. Cotton threads are woven over and under one another to create the plain, flat weave in percale. The tighter weave is what gives percale its crisp and cool feel. This breathable and light fabric will help keep you temperate at night, but still feel soft. Percale is perfect if you are a hot sleeper or for live in a warmer temp.
Bedside Manor Ltd makes a lovely private label cotton percale which I always recommend to customers. Available in white or Avorio (Ivory), this luxurious collection is woven in Italy from Egyptian Cotton and finished with an elegant hemstitch.
Sateen:
Instead of the over and under weave seen in the percale, sateen sheets are woven differently. Several threads lay over the bottom threads creating a diagonal pattern. The fabric has a soft had and shinier appearance because of the threads that lay on the surface. If you like to be warm when you sleep and enjoy a silky smooth touch, then sateen is the direction to go.
The Giotto Collection is Sferra’s classic and most popular sateen collection. Made from luxurious extra long staple cotton and finished with a luminous sheen and rich drape. Available in multiple colors, too!
Linen
Do you want something other than cotton? If you are looking for a little more of a relaxed look, linen is a lovely option for sheeting. Just like wine, linen gets better and softer with time and washing. It will also keep you warm in the winter and cooler in the summer. Many customers characterize linen with a dry feel.
Bella Notte’s classic linen collection gives a comfortable, organic and boho vibe. Don’t you want to jump right into that bed? Available in multiple colors, Bella note is known for using low-impact dyes and high quality products.
If you are looking to test out fabrics you can always purchase a sateen and percale and use them for different times of the year. In the winter pull out the sateen for extra warmth and switch to the percale or linen when the weather is getting a little warmer! Additionally, we offer many different options for sheets that will fit your taste and price point.
We always recommend washing your sheets with proper linen wash to keep them well maintained. The Bedside Manor Linen Wash is gentle and made to treat your fine linens with care. Finally, to maintain a longer life-cycle for your sheets purchase at least two to three sets of sheets. That way you are not always washing and sleeping on the same set. We recommend one to sleep, one to wash, and one in the linen closet.
Sleep Tight!
-Bedside Manor Team
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[…] With all the different shades of gray on this bed it’s nice that the store broke it up with crisp white sheets. We always recommend our lovely Private Label percale sheets. On the hunt for a different sheet other than percale? Find your perfect sheet here. […]
[…] Yves Delorme is best known for using seasonal colors in their fashion-forward print collections. Delicate orchids in shades of purple and green are printed on white sateen in the whimsical Clematis collection. Try adding a basic like the Triomphe or Athena if you don’t want to dress your entire bed with flowers. Not sure what type of sheets to buy? Read about the difference between percale and sateen here. […]
[…] touched base on this question a bit on our post about percale vs sateen. Since linen can have a more relaxed look, many people associate it only to being used for the […]
[…] The Giza bedding by Sferra is grown in Egypt from some of the finest cotton in the world. The cotton is then sent to Sferra’s weavers in Italy to create this luxurious bedding collection. The Giza sateen is a luxury bed linen of the utmost distinction. Not sure if you like sateen or percale? The Giza is available in both and you can read more about the difference here. […]