Layer it with linen

5 April 2012

There is nothing quite so luxurious as fresh linen sheets. Make a big new statement in your bedroom with the latest designs coming into the shops this month.

But don't buy the pair you like and then just double up: change the look every time you change the sheets.

Options include silky satins and taffeta, exquisite raised and intricate embroidery, and layers of contrasting textures. These are just a few possibilities.

White, of course, is a favourite that never goes away. Queen of London's classic sheets is Christian Rucker, founder (nearly 10 years ago) of The White Company, with shops in SW3 and W1 as well as an extensive mail-order business.

'A bed clad in fine white cotton or linen sheets can look fantastic,' says Rucker.

She loves layers - 'a bed looks naked if you just plonk down a duvet and leave it at that.'

Suggestions for 'finishing off' include a quilted, white satin bedcover, silky mohair throw, soft and fleecy blanket, or a spread in gorgeous cotton waffle weave.

All, and more, are available from The White Company. Call 0870 900 9555, or visit www.thewhiteco.com.

Ever practical (she is the mother of three children aged seven, five and three), Rucker recommends using a top sheet under a duvet, as duvet covers are so much more cumbersome to wash.

Bed-and-breakfast landladies, faced with continual sheet-changing, always use a top sheet.

The best investment Rucker ever made, she says, was a Miele tumble drier that automatically stops when sheets are ready for ironing.

Recently, the trend has been for larger beds - Rucker can now provide linens in 'emperor' sizes up to seven foot wide.

She herself has an extrawide bed 'because by morning there are often five in it'.

Dorma is a well-known high-street brand, and it too promotes a layered look for the new year, with a concept called DormaTouch.

New fabrics are at the heart of the collection - a luxurious 100 per cent silk in lavender, cream or gold ('cool in summer, warm in winter'), a crisp linen/cotton in damson white or antique cream, complemented by pure Egyptian cotton in white and cream.

Now the fun starts. To these basic elements add 'accents', such as throwovers, cushions or 'bed runners' - a new idea for dressing the bed with a strip of contrasting fabric.

Options include seductive black velvet, hand-stitched denim, flirty red sequinned pleats or delicate beaded silver embroidery. For details, visit www.dorma.co.uk.

Interior designer Kelly Hoppen has been working with another long established British brand, Peter Reed.

The result is five designs in three colourways - white, natural unbleached cotton and beige (which Hoppen calls 'taupe').

Simple patterns, such as stripes, leaves or crosses, are in self-coloured embroidery.

An impressive new mail-order catalogue from Nono Design sets out glamorous bed options, adding wallpaper and paint ideas for good measure.

Styles on parade range from lustrous silks, satins and taffetas in baby-blue, pink and lilac and dramatic black and white, with faux fur and velvet.

Make sure you get a copy from 0845 230 9602, or visit www.nonoliving.co.uk.

For that luscious satin look on a budget, go no further than household textiles chain Rosebys, which has fab satin taffeta and exciting embroidered, quilted throws. Call 0800 052 0493 for details of your nearest store, or visit www.rosebys.com.

French sophistication is de rigueur at the Yves Delorme boutique (020 7730 3435) in the attractive new Duke of York shopping complex next to Sloane Square.

Here Louis-style beds are decked with the prettiest of flower prints and embroideries.

Marks & Spencer claims to have 'one of the largest bed-linen ranges on the high street'.

This includes hand-embroideries and prints in 100 per cent cotton with a non-iron finish and a high 'thread count' of 180.

(The thread count describes the number of threads in a square inch. The higher the thread count, the better the quality).

For sheer cheek you can't beat Kate Storer, with saucy (but just decent) images of men and women snuggling up in all permutations for a good kip (from Purves & Purves, 020 7580 8223).

They create the effect of a giant mural, with huge figures stretching from duvets onto pillows.

This highly original bed linen has to be seen to be appreciated, so log on to www.katestorer.co.uk.

Buying tips

Basic polycotton is easy to look after and ideal for children. 'Percale' describes a finer finish.

Cotton feels nicer - Egyptian combed percale is high quality. Sateen has a slight sheen.

Linen is luxurious and comfortable, but may need professional laundering.

Open bed-linen packaging, feel the contents and look at the hems - the more stitches per inch, the better. Look for at least 12 stitches to the inch.

Follow wash labels exactly - over-enthusiastic tumble drying makes ironing almost impossible.

Pile on the pillows for added style. Use Oxford mitred pillowslips on standardsized pillows, then add Continental squares, little 'boudoir' shapes, plus bolsters. Peter Jones has a custom service for pillows, sheets and duvets (020 7730 3434).

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