Duvets

A duvet is a fabric shell filled with insulation, designed to sit inside a separate, washable cover. It's the European standard for bed-top warmth.

You wash the cover often, you wash the duvet once or twice a year, and the system stays clean and comfortable for years. The fill is what does the work; the cover is what you change with the season.

A duvet is a fill-and-cover system: the duvet provides the warmth, the cover protects it. A comforter is one piece, with the fill quilted permanently into the outer fabric.

Duvets are easier to keep clean because the cover comes off and goes in the wash like a sheet. Comforters usually need dry-cleaning when they get soiled, which is why most people end up replacing them sooner.

Duvet weight is measured in tog in Europe and the UK, and in fill power in the US. A 4 to 7 tog duvet suits summer or hot sleepers; 9 to 10.5 tog is the all-season standard for centrally-heated bedrooms; 12 tog and above suits cold climates and cold sleepers.

Natural fill is warmer per gram than synthetic, so a lighter tog often feels equivalent. Check each product page for the weights we currently stock before ordering.

Match the duvet size to the bed, with some generous overhang for tuck. A European single is 140x200 cm; a double is 200x200 cm; a king is 240x220 cm.

UK sizes follow Europe; US sizes differ slightly (full/queen is 234x224 cm; king is 264x244 cm). Buy the duvet and the cover in matching dimensions; an undersized duvet leaves cold corners, an oversized one bunches.

Natural fill is warmer for its weight, drapes better, and lasts 15 to 20 years with proper care. Synthetic fill is hypoallergenic, machine-washable in a large drum, costs considerably less, and lasts 8 to 10 years before it flattens.

The right answer depends on budget, allergies, and how much washability matters. For most homes, synthetic is the practical choice; for a long-term investment with the best feel, natural wins.

A well-made synthetic duvet lasts 8 to 10 years with regular use. A well-made natural duvet lasts 15 to 20 years if it's aired weekly and cleaned correctly.

The cost-per-night maths beats the cheap alternative in both cases. Cheap duvets compress within two or three winters and stop trapping heat; quality fills hold their loft far longer.

Filled and finished in Portugal, in the same Lintexport mill we've been running since 1967. The casing is the same cotton percale that goes into our sheets. The fill is sourced and prepared so it holds loft, wash after wash, year after year.