A duvet is easily one of the most important items we sleep with, yet it is often the most overlooked or under-invested product in our bedrooms. Your duvet helps balance temperature and wick away moisture. Your duvet shouldn't limit your movement under the covers, and it must be sized appropriately so it doesn't tug or pull when two people share the covers. So, without further ado, here is how to buy a duvet.
Canada uses four common blanket configurations because our climate varies widely from summer to winter.
Option 1: Seasonal Comforters
This is where we rotate between two different duvets for summer and winter. Popular configurations include silk in the summer and down in the winter.
Option 2: Cooler Duvet + Seasonal Blanket or Coverlet
Many people prefer a cooler duvet, such as silk, ultra-light filled down, summer alpaca, or summer wool. Some will keep a Coverlet/Matelasse either folded up at the end of the bed or stored in the linen closet. Others will invest in a high-quality blanket (Brun de Vian-Tiran offers an amazing selection). When you need it, you can pull the second layer up for extra warmth.
Option 3: High-Quality Goose Down
High-quality down has a unique beauty. The better the down, the wider temperature range it will operate in. This means high-quality down is not only warmer in winter, but also cooler in summer. Although down is traditionally thought of as a winter duvet, this is simply not the case with high-quality down. You can use nearly any St Genève goose down duvet year-round if you choose an ultra-light fill weight.
Option 4: Animal Fibres (Alpaca, Sheep's Wool)
Alpaca fibres and sheep's wool both regulate temperature and humidity exceptionally well. This means that even with Canada's widely varying climate, these filling materials are often suitable for year-round use, without having to cycle through two or three different types of duvets and blankets as the weather changes.
If you like a light, lofty duvet, choose the highest-quality goose or eider down your budget allows. If you prefer a thinner, slightly heavier duvet that drapes more closely to the body, choose alpaca or wool.
Natural Duvets Are Best
Regardless of your preference, a duvet or blanket crafted from entirely natural materials is more breathable, comfortable, luxurious, durable, and above all else, a joy to own for many years. The right duvet is just as important as the right mattress. A high-quality duvet will outlast a high-quality mattress, making your duvet a sound investment in your sleeping comfort.
Down & Eiderdown
Down is desirable for those seeking the lightest possible duvet. Nothing quite compares to sleeping under a high-quality down duvet. A lightweight down duvet is typically 3-4 times lighter than a comparably warm duvet filled with silk, or half the weight of a wool duvet of comparable warmth. The exception is fine woollen blankets such as those produced by Brun de Vian-Tiran; blankets have a weight advantage because they have 4 fewer layers of fabric to weigh down the duvet and breathe through.
The higher the quality of down, the better it clings, and the more even the warmth becomes. This means you need less down to do the same job, resulting in an even lighter, fluffier luxury experience.
Allergy Concerns? Rest assured, our complete range of St Genève down duvets is guaranteed hypoallergenic!
Not sure where to start? Our best-selling down duvet is our exclusive St Genève Maple Creek duvet. Made from the best farm-raised down in Canada.
Sheep's Wool & Alpaca
Our wool duvets are filled with pure sheep's wool, though the varieties vary greatly when comparing Brun de Vian-Tiran Camargue, St Genève Piatra, and t•masc by Obasan. These comforters feel more like a "blanket"—perfect for those who prefer a heavier duvet while sleeping. Mattress & Sleep Company offers wool duvets in standard summer, all-season, and winter varieties.
Choose wool for a slightly heavier, stiffer feel. Wool will drape around the body, although not as precisely as silk. A winter-weight wool duvet offers warmth similar to a regular-weight down duvet. The washable wool duvet is a popular choice for children, and those seeking organic options will find wool offers the largest selection.
Read More About Wool | Shop Wool Duvets & Comforters
Silk Duvets
Silk duvets offer an ultra-luxurious feel and comfort unique to this wonderful material. Silk contains natural proteins that provide hypoallergenic properties, and the silk fibre allows excellent temperature regulation, breathability, and moisture-wicking. Silk duvets offer a luxurious feel and are often described as slightly heavier than down; they also tend to drape over the body more than down, which tends to stay "lofted" above the body.
Choose silk if you want a duvet that wraps around the human form more closely than other natural fills. Silk is a popular choice as a summer duvet as it is typically cooler for sleeping than other natural fills.
