The 9 Best Duvet Covers for People Who Want to Sleep in a Cloud (aka Everyone)
Take your pick, from classic white to playful gingham.
Updated Jun 27, 2023 2:54 PM
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If you’re going to splurge on one element of your bedding, it should be the duvet. Yes, having super-comfortable sheets matters, too, but those should really be chosen based on your sleeping habits. A duvet, on the other hand, can be purely decorative—especially if you use a top sheet. “It’s one more opportunity to add texture and pattern to your bedroom,” explains textile designer Heather Taylor of Heather Taylor Home, who shared her gingham-filled Laurel Canyon, California, house in Domino’s Renovation issue.
So whether you invest in a classic crisp white option, add texture with a honeycomb waffle-weave set, or go all out with a playful cream gingham design, there’s something for every aesthetic and personality. Shop our guide to the best duvet covers to create the bedscape of your dreams.
Our Favorites
- Best overall: Parachute Brushed Cotton Duvet Cover Set
- Best value: Jellymoni Washed Cotton Duvet Cover Set
- Best linen: Cultiver Linen Duvet Cover
- Best print: Heather Taylor Home Mini Gingham Cream Duvet Cover
- Best linen splurge: Matteo Vintage Linen Duvet Cover
- Best splurge: Sferra Tesoro Duvet Cover
- Best organic: Coyuchi Cloud Soft Organic Sateen Duvet Cover
- Best percale: Riley Percale Duvet
- Best sateen: Boll & Branch Signature Hemmed Duvet Set
Best Overall: Parachute Brushed Cotton Duvet Cover Set
Available in six classic hues and one seasonal color, this offering from fan-favorite Parachute features 100% cotton that’s been brushed to optimal softness and twill ties that keep your insert in place. The brand says it sits right in between percale and sateen in terms of warmth and is ideal for sleepers who prefer the former but want a cozier feel. As with all of Parachute’s offerings, the quality of the materials presents an incredibly good value for the price point.
You can add on a sheet set or fitted sheet to complete the set, and the whole shebang is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified. Reviewers call it “lightweight and comfortable,” “soft and breathable,” and “cozy quality.”
Best Value: Jellymoni Washed Cotton Duvet Cover Set
Who says cozy bedding has to be expensive? Jellymoni’s duvet set is prewashed for a supersoft and inviting feel that’s also very breathable. Made from premium cotton with a slightly wrinkled look and featuring oversize, exposed buttons (on two pillowcases, too), this duvet cover is as easy on the eyes as it is on the budget. It also has all the trappings of a more expensive option, like ties to keep your duvet insert in place, and comes packaged in a reusable cloth bag.
We recommend getting two sets (there are 20 colorways to choose from) so you can mix and match to your heart’s desire. We’re eying the cream and ginger duo for a subtle hint of color.
Best Linen: Cultiver Linen Duvet Cover
Cultiver counts among our top picks for linen sheets—indeed, it takes the top spot. Available in nearly 20 colors, the prewashed 100% linen duvet covers are as soft as the rest of the brand’s bedding and breathable without being too light (thanks to its 165 grams per square meter, or GSM). Available in a generously sized queen or king, as well as in sets that include pillowcases, these covers use a button closure and have internal ties to secure your insert. Just like most linen, a Cultiver cover will lend a textural and inviting quality to a bed, even if you choose the neutral colorways. With close to 500 reviews, nearly all positive, and our hands-on testing, we can confidently say this is an investment worth making—care is easy, the medium weight is universally pleasing, and the brand’s production partners are Oeko-Tex certified.
Best Print: Heather Taylor Home Mini Gingham Cream Duvet Cover
Featuring oversize and mini gingham prints in a range of colors—from hunter green and sage to sunflower and cream—Heather Taylor Home’s duvet covers add a dose of personality to any bedroom.
Made from 100% cotton and handwoven in Chiapas, Mexico, the mini gingham cream print that we tested instantly brightened up an otherwise neutral bedroom. Our reviewer called out the thick material, which felt luxurious but was still breathable. The duvet features two design seams running down the front and ties at the end. (“An opportunity for a cute bow,” Taylor tells us.)
Best Linen Splurge: Matteo Vintage Linen Duvet Cover
If you like the way your linen sheets look and feel and are on the hunt for a matching duvet, Matteo’s line should be your first pick. The designer-favorite brand takes a lot of time and care to create its “vintage” linen collection by subjecting the fabric to several washes, some with pumice stones, to re-create that lived-in feel right out of the box. Matteo also uses high-quality flax and is committed to hand-cutting and hand-sewing all of its bedding in its Los Angeles factory. Just be prepared to wait a bit for your items: All are made to order and batch-dyed, so there are no variations in color.
Yes, you should wash any bedding before you use it, but with this collection, there’s almost no need. Our duvet cover arrived supple and nearly crease-free—a rarity for linen—and when we laid it on the bed, we noticed the “quality you can literally feel” that interior designer Colin King had described when we asked why he was such a fan. As Matteo founder Matthew Lenoci tells us, many people in Europe don’t use air-conditioning in the summer, but when they awake after sleeping in linen (a popular choice), the bed is still cool and bone dry.
The duvet also features a zipper closure, a departure from the buttons that most top brands use to fasten their duvets. But as King notes, “The zippers make my job easier when I’m styling and working on the fly.” Ditto for us regular folks who are just making up the bed.
Best Splurge: Sferra Tesoro Duvet Cover
A duvet cover is a worthy place to splurge, and Sferra’s Tesoro is the perfect candidate for such an indulgence. With a subtle, finely detailed herringbone pattern that adds texture and oomph, it’s incredibly soft and smooth for a percale weave thanks to the brand’s use of 100% extra-long-staple cotton.
The duvet is hand-cut and -sewn in Italy and sports a plain hem with double-needle stitching and clear, hidden buttons (of which the brand provides extra!). The attention to detail was evident when our tester opened the packaging. The herringbone pattern, for example, is achieved through a twill weave, Sferra CEO Michelle Klein explains. This creates smooth, diagonal lines and an incredibly strong product that looks and feels more substantial than any other percale we tested and somehow prevented our duvet insert from deflating.
Best Organic: Coyuchi Cloud Soft Organic Sateen Duvet Cover
Inspired by the brand’s Northern California roots, Coyuchi’s Cloud Soft organic duvet provides just the right amount of weight without the sateen shine. Available in five muted colors and designed to have a lived-in feel right out of the box, it’s finished with miDori bioSoft, a USDA certified bio-based softener for added comfort and dryness. The duvet comes with coconut-shell button fasteners and interior ties, so it’s sure to keep your insert in place all night long.
But the best part of this cover might be the brand’s commitment to sustainability: All Coyuchi bedding is GOTS certified (meaning all steps in its manufacturing process are verified for environmental and social safety), Made Safe (so it’s free from toxins), and Fair Trade certified (ensuring fair treatment and pay).
Best Percale: Riley Percale Duvet
Known for its crispness and literal cooling effect, cotton percale is the ideal choice for hot sleepers and those who live in warm climates. Similar to the brand’s matching percale sheet set, Riley’s duvet is light and airy thanks to the weave’s one-over stitch that mimics the feel of a dress shirt. The duvet cover is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, and, with ties and a button closure, our duvet insert stayed in place throughout the night. Bonus: It’s crafted from long-staple cotton, ensuring minimal pilling, color fading, and lint buildup over years of use.
Best Sateen: Boll & Branch Signature Hemmed Duvet Set
If it’s the feeling of a fine hotel bed you’re after, you’re going to want to check out Boll & Branch’s duvet set. This cotton-sateen weave feels like silk without any of the fuss and hugs the body perfectly without causing overheating.
Sateen typically has a three- or four-over-one weave that produces a slight sheen but creates a very soft experience. (It’s what high-end hotels use because it wrinkles less than percale.) This duvet has tonal buttons that are cleverly hidden behind a flap for a seamless look, plus ties and deep end pockets to keep everything perfectly aligned. The matching shams have a zipper for easy bed making, and the full set is fabricated from GOTS-certified cotton.
One of our favorite aspects of the duvet, however, is how airy it feels for sateen. Our tester’s duvet and pillow inserts never deflated or got weighed down by what can sometimes be a heavy weave.
More of Our Favorite Patterned Duvet Covers
When neutrals just won’t cut it, we like to mix things up with stripes, gingham, block prints, and more. Here are a few of our go-tos to add a pop to the bedroom.
How We Chose These Products
Good bedding is to great sleep like good cookware is to great food—you need quality stuff to really get it right. Writer Sade Strehlke as well as Domino editors have thoughtfully tested top duvet covers on the market to give you an honest opinion on the best sets. We took into account material quality, reviews, brand reputation, price point, and style—not to mention care. We’re always on the lookout for new or noteworthy products, and promise to update our list when something stands out.
Our Shopping Checklist
Material
“What’s most important when selecting a fabric [or material] for a duvet is to think about how you sleep,” explains Ariel Kaye, founder of bedding and housewares brand Parachute. “If you’re a warm sleeper, crisp percale is very breathable and cool to the touch. If you prefer to bundle up, sateen has a tighter weave that not only gives it a matte shine but also traps heat.”
Other materials to consider if you sleep hot include linen and bamboo, both of which are highly breathable and wick away moisture (aka sweat). If you’re a cool sleeper, you might also want to try something textured, like a flannel knit or even brushed cotton, as these picks tend to be heavier and offer more warmth.
Closure
Duvet covers have an opening at the bottom so that you can easily slip in your insert. There are four main options: buttons, zippers, ties, or snaps. The type of closure comes down to a personal choice. You might appreciate how quickly and securely a zipper zips up or you might prefer ties, which add a decorative detail but take a bit more time to fasten. Emily Henderson, a top interior stylist and New York Times best-selling author, doesn’t have a strong preference, “as long as they’re hidden or intentionally designed to be a part of the look,” she says.
Care
First, always check the care instructions on any duvet cover. It’s an investment, and laundering it properly will help prolong its life span. Use a cold or warm cycle and either line- or tumble dry on low; excessive heat can cause the fibers to break down more easily. Likewise, fabric softeners can also damage fabric over time, so opt for dryer balls, which speed up drying time and naturally soften bedding.
Pro Tips for Styling Your Bedding
There are many ways to arrange a duvet to match your personality and design style. “It all depends on who you are and how you like to live,” says King. So we tapped some bedding and interior experts to share how they style their rooms.
- Henderson likes to fold the duvet and top sheet just under the pillows and then add a throw or quilt at the bottom. “That way your bed looks layered, clean, and supercozy,” she explains. She’s also a fan of mixing prints and finishes between your duvet cover and sheets. “You could go for a tonal look and have the duvet and the sheets be different shades of the same color. Or if you want the same color, change up the textures and get a linen duvet and percale sheets,” she adds.
- Dennis Chan, director of retail product at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, likes to fold a duvet back halfway down the bed to leave extra room to stack pillows and create a lofty and inviting space. We’re fans of this technique, too, and love pillows with a little character to really dress up a room (think: Heather Taylor Home’s ruffled cushions and Eskayel’s watercolor-inspired designs).
- Whitney Thornburg, Coyuchi’s design director, notes that with a colorful or textured duvet, “the pattern does the styling for you.” She recommends choosing coordinating sheets for a complete look. For solid duvets, she echoes Henderson and Chan and suggests adding visual interest with throw pillows and blankets.
Ask Domino
What duvet covers do hotels use?
There’s no denying that sleeping in a hotel bed is often a luxurious experience—and this isn’t an accident. Hotels know that most people come to them to relax and therefore pay close attention to the bedding. You’ll likely find cotton sheets and duvet covers rather than linen or silk due to cotton’s longevity and ease of care. “Compared to other fabrics, cotton is more durable,” explains Bipin Sivapragasam, assistant director of housekeeping at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco. As for the weave, you’ll likely find percale, beloved for its crispness, or sateen, which “adds to the smooth feel” you’re accustomed to in hotels, says Chan.
How often should you replace your duvet cover?
Most experts suggest switching out your duvet cover every two to three years if you use it continually and wash it every week (just like you would with your sheets). But if you have several versions—say, percale for warmer months and sateen for cooler ones—you’ll prolong the longevity of your investment, says Kaye. “It also allows you to mix up your room design throughout the year,” she adds.