Duvet vs. Comforter

What you need to know...

There are a lot of different terms to describe bedding, and frankly it's all quite confusing and a little frustrating.  But after tons of research and product testing, we have all the answers! 

What is the difference between a Comforter and a Duvet Cover?  

A Comforter is decorated with a design or pattern right on the fabric, and is almost always stuffed with washable filling like cotton or polyester, so nothing else is needed, they are ready for use.  Our Signature comforters feature a lightweight Down Alternative fill and are double lined inside with a seamless exterior for comfort and durability, allowing our designs to be completely unobstructed by unsightly stitching and quilting.  Our Value Line is filled with less expensive but similar weight batting style filling.  To keep the batting in place the comforters are stitched with a stacked box style quilting.

A Duvet Cover is a protective cover for your Duvet or French Comforter, sewn on three sides, with a snap, button, or zip closure at the bottom which opens up to put your Duvet inside.  Duvet Covers are intended to keep your Duvet clean and prevent you from having to wash or dry clean your Duvet often which can be expensive.  Duvet Covers are not normally sold with the Duvet Insert, Duvets are typically sold separately. 

What is a Duvet?  

A Duvet is a French Comforter, traditionally plain white and filled with feather, down or wool.  Today Duvets can also be found in down alternative, cotton and polyester.  Duvet's are intended to be used with Duvet Covers which protect your duvet from getting dirty, and make your bed look nice. 

How do I choose?  

Bedding is a very personal choice, and how you sleep and live should play a very important role in what kind of bedding you choose.  Following are a few things to consider when choosing between a duvet & cover or comforter.

I have pets and or kids:

A duvet and duvet cover is a good choice for you. Since duvet covers are removable and machine washable, they are much easier to keep clean.  With a comforter you might find yourself running to the laundry mat all the time, or just dealing with a dirty-messy bed, but with a duvet cover you simply slip your cover off the duvet and wash it in the machine as often as you do your sheets or as often as you need to.  So you can have clean fresh bedding all the time!

I'm constantly hot in the summer and cold in the winter: 

If this is the case, you can invest in two different duvet inserts to use with one of our Duvet Cover. A light fill for summer, and a heavy fill for winter.  Then you can simply switch them out as the weather changes so you're comfortable all year long.  Or you can choose one of our Lightweight Decorative Comforters, and add an insulation layer during the colder months.

I change my room decor all the time:  

Then a duvet is the best choice, hands down. Invest in a good quality duvet insert and collect an unlimited number or duvet covers to switch out all the time, you could effectively have a duvet cover for each season of the year!  

I am an active sleeper:  

Even though our duvet covers have ties in the corners to hold your duvet in place, they can still slip and shift if you don't have loops on your duvet or you're an extra active sleeper.  If that's the case a comforter might be a better choice for you.

I need a low maintenance bed set: 

Comforters are no muss no fuss, they are easier to make up the bed with and require less maintenance than a duvet/duvet cover.  If you make your bed with a toss and go kind of philosophy, a comforter looks neat and takes less time to make.  A duvet and cover set can take a little extra care to make look nice and may not be ideal for those who don't like to make the bed.

Cal King vs. Eastern King:  

Most people who own California King Mattresses use Either a California King Comforter or Standard King Duvet.  A California King Duvet is not a standard item and is very difficult to find in stores.  

Pillow Case vs. Pillow Sham:  

A pillow case is sewn on three sides and has and opening on one end to insert your pillow for sleeping.  We manufacture our pillow cases with the openings on the same end.  A pillow sham is intended for decorative purposes and generally has the opening in the back instead of on the end, we can substitute Pillow Shams on your order by Special Request with either Cream or White Backside fabric, Black Backside fabric is not available on Pillow Shams at this time. 

I'm still Confused:

View our Glossary of Bedding Terms here:  Glossary

I hope you find this information helpful, but if you have any additional questions, feel free to contact me any time.

Saralyn, Owner/Designer

info@inkandrags.com