Adulting challenge: Picking a duvet cover

January 19, 2016 6:08 PM

My wife and I have been putting off buying a new duvet cover for over a year because reasons. Our current one is just getting gross and is well over a decade old. This is to cover a mid weight queen size down comforter. Willing to pay for quality, as this one is probably going to be on daily duty for a decade or more. No fleece, and needs to be machine wash and dry friendly.
posted by rockindata to Home & Garden (30 answers total)

IKEA ikea ikea ikea is your answer. They have ones with zippers that run along the entire bottom that make washing/drying/restuffing the duvet a cinch. I got one for $40 and it is awesome.
posted by Maarika at 6:11 PM on January 19, 2016 [11 favorites]

IKEA has good deals and fun styles. Home Goods or Marshall can also have fun stuff sometimes. There is no reason to use the same one for 10 years!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:13 PM on January 19, 2016

We just got one on clearance from Dwell Studio for $60. It was nice quality (but we prefer using it with a top sheet that is softer) and very clean/pretty looking. However, if it's not on sale--and I don't see any right now--then it's usually about $200-$250, which is not what I'm willing to pay for. If you're willing to wait, I'd keep an eye on Dwell Studio.
posted by ethidda at 6:19 PM on January 19, 2016

I have a really great one that's machine washable from Macy's that I got on clearance... similar to this, I believe.
posted by DoubleLune at 6:29 PM on January 19, 2016

For amazing quality (but a higher price point), you can't beat Garnet Hill
posted by Mchelly at 6:34 PM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

Ikea! I got a beautiful reversible (one side of my duvet is yellow with white accents, the other side is white with yellow, in the same pattern) for a song. It's cotton, feels plenty nice, and is easy to slip on and off for washing.
posted by kalimac at 6:35 PM on January 19, 2016

I've had nice flannel duvet covers from Lands End and LL Bean.
posted by belladonna at 6:37 PM on January 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

A linen duvet cover by Eileen Fisher from Garnet Hill. Should last significantly longer than cotton. But hang to dry. Linen dries quickly,and it will last longer.
posted by nanook at 6:40 PM on January 19, 2016

I bought a duvet cover from Pottery Barn that lasted over tens years; the replacement cover is from the same place, natch. (Looks like it's on sale and there's a 15% off popup offer when you go to the website.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 6:40 PM on January 19, 2016

I don't have a specific option to offer, just a caution: There is no consistency of dimensions across brands so be sure to consider how your current duvet will fit inside any cover you're considering. While YMMV, I find it annoying when the duvet shifts around in the excess space.
posted by DrGail at 6:56 PM on January 19, 2016

Nthing Ikea. Great quality, great design, reasonable cost, last forever. Get two so you can easily swap them out for cleaning.
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:05 PM on January 19, 2016 [2 favorites]

I have an Ikea duvet cover and one from pottery barn - pottery barn has higher quality, softer fabric and I love the print but the $30 Ikea one is fine and I've had it for 5+ years. Pottery barn also seems to have regular sales if there's something you like but it's too expensive.
posted by momus_window at 7:59 PM on January 19, 2016

Definitely agree with DrGail - measure measure measure! Some companies make "Full/Queen" and some make separate "Full" and "Queen" which is so damn confusing! Also, not all duvet covers come with the little ties in the corner, which I think is key.

If you want solid color or subtle stripe, I am very happy with my Charter Club Damask Solid duvet cover & shams (I have the sheets in a different color as well, and the Damask Stripe is nice too). Well-made, washes nicely.
posted by radioamy at 8:02 PM on January 19, 2016

My Ikea duvet cover is close to 10 yrs old (not used continuously, but heavily). It's held up great and has just gotten softer over time. Even more so than one I got from West Elm for, ahem, more money.
posted by DrGirlfriend at 8:06 PM on January 19, 2016

I've been happy with duvets and duvet covers from The Company Store. Their covers all have the little ties in the corner.
posted by yarntheory at 8:07 PM on January 19, 2016 [5 favorites]

Nthing Ikea; I've had two duvet covers + pillow covers for over 5 years now, good as new. And such great patterns and colors!
posted by Ender's Friend at 8:14 PM on January 19, 2016

Another vote for IKEA.
posted by infinitewindow at 8:22 PM on January 19, 2016

I just bought some new duvet covers and they really don't compare with the ikea ones. They are so great.
posted by k8t at 8:36 PM on January 19, 2016

Do you or your wife sew (or do you know anyone who does)? Because a duvet cover is a fairly easy project and once you settle on the fabric, you'll be able to get exactly what you want. You can even make a few in different patterns and weights (i.e. heavier weight for winter, easy wash and pet friendly for spring, etc) to change out through the year. Hire someone to make one for you if you're not inclined to do it yourself. It'll be money well spent.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 2:58 AM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

You might want to check out the sale section at West Elm. They have lots of modern/simple designs and their quality is pretty good. I got a twin duvet cover on sale online for $12 with free shipping recently. Good luck!
posted by shortyJBot at 3:41 AM on January 20, 2016

Duvet covers don't have to last 10 years. Heavens! Don't you want to redecorate your room more often than that?

Ikea duvets are soft and inexpensive, certainly inexpensive enough to get a new one as often as you like. Department stores like Macys have nice patterns too.

You just pick out the pattern you like the best and that's the duvet cover you buy.

This is one of those things that's fool proof. You buy one you enjoy and use it until you want a new one.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:35 AM on January 20, 2016

When I hear quality and long lasting, I hear 'linen'. I would recommend investing in some and accepting the inconvenience of drying it without a lot of heat. The linen will last you for a really long time and gets better and better with age.
posted by deadwater at 7:16 AM on January 20, 2016

I've been happy with all-cotton bedding from The Company Store, LL Bean, and Garnet Hill. I wash duvet covers and pretty often and use bleach in the wash (all 3 are white) and they hold up well.
posted by wryly at 9:42 AM on January 20, 2016

I posted briefly yesterday about getting a linen duvet cover, but wanted to come back to say exactly why when I had more time. You specifically asked for a cover that would last at least a decade. Linens are called that because historically they were made out of linen. Linens were passed down for generations (!), because they would actually last that long. Linen is an extremely strong fiber, much stronger than cotton, and can endure lots of wear and tear. Back when linens were a thing, they were white (not dyed), and therefore they could be washed at extremely high temperatures, even boiled and scrubbed, and do just fine. (Today's linens mostly are dyed, and therefore can't stand that kind of laundering, but still they will last a long time). Linen also, amazingly, resists soiling, resists pet hair, unwrinkles itself if laid flat, and dries super quickly. (It is a big shame that a lot of clothing made of linen is labelled dry clean, this is because it was not pre-shrunk prior to sewing and linen will shrink a lot. Good quality linen bedding is pre-shrunk). Linen just also feels a lot better than cotton.

Previous to my current linen obsession, I had a lovely West Elm cotton duvet cover. It was my attempt for a more long-lasting, designerly bedding. But it bit the dust after, hmm, three-four years. it literally just wore out, the cotton become thinner and thinner until it just started ripping apart. Duvet covers take a lot of wear and tear, more so than sheets, because it is essentially a bag, with the quilt sloshing around inside.
posted by nanook at 9:43 AM on January 20, 2016 [5 favorites]

I always get ours at Marshall's, TJMaxx or the like. They have pretty good quality linens at a decent price point.
posted by vignettist at 11:23 AM on January 20, 2016

Another vote for The Company Store. Their stuff is a bit pricy, but lasts forever. Their annual sale is going on right now too!
posted by pixiecrinkle at 11:53 AM on January 20, 2016

A vote against Ikea (they skimp on details), a vote for LL Bean (specifically the 280-Thread-Count Pima Cotton Percale Comforter Cover, which I sleep under every night).
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:57 AM on January 20, 2016

I used to love The Company Store, but the quality of their sheeting (including duvets) has gone way down. Their comforters are still great, but I tried ordering several sets of sheets and was appalled at the low quality.
posted by radioamy at 12:20 PM on January 20, 2016

Also, it is nice to have one that has a tie to secure the corners. Otherwise....
posted by SLC Mom at 4:45 PM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

We had LL Bean duvet covers as kids, and I hate to say it because they are BORING but one of them is still kicking around my house (not the same house! But the same duvet cover!) *at least* 25 years later. It's holding up just fine, although the closures are velcro and they get full of fuzz, as velcro does. These days, I suspect you can easily avoid velcro.
posted by obliquicity at 9:16 PM on January 21, 2016