Warm in Winter, Cool in Summer

This statement is often used when describing our comforters. The reason for this seemingly absurd statement is; our comforters hold your natural temperature (98.6) and, in combination with our hand-selected, high-thread count shells, allow excess heat to escape or "breathe".

The magic of down is the lightweight maintenance of your body's natural temperature and, of course, the feel! After you sleep under a down comforter for a week you'll be spoiled. Anything else will feel stiff and heavy.

Down is the best insulation known. Man made fibers don't even come close! They aren't as warm and they don't breathe.

How To Choose A Down Pillow

We spend a third of our lives in bed, so it is important that you choose your pillow wisely! We want to help you make the right choice. Here is how we do it:


• Start by deciding whether you would prefer an all down pillow or a feather and down blend pillow. A feather and down blend will tend to hold its shape longer than an all down pillow of the same firmness. However, you will be able to feel the spine of the feather in most blends. Feather pillows will also tend to be flatter, as feather is two dimensional. Down clusters, which are three dimensional, will give a pillow more loft than feather. A pillow filled with all down will provide more softness and yet, can still provide maximum support depending on the quality and amount of fill. All down pillows will conform easier to your body contours as well.
  
  
• Next, determine how much support you need. There are many different levels of support in pillows. Support is determined by the quality of the fill and the number of ounces. Fill Power is the measure used to determine quality of down. The higher the number, the better the quality of the down. Lower fill powers will generally be found in softer pillows, while the higher fill powers will be used in more supportive pillows. The easiest way to decide what firmness you need is to think of the position you normally sleep in. For example, a stomach sleeper would typically prefer a very soft pillow (we suggest our soft Down Pillow.) A back sleeper may need more support (try our Chamber Pillow or our Hungarian Damask Pillow.) A side sleeper generally prefers a pillow with maximum support (we recommend our 50% Goosefeather/50% Goose Down Pillow or better yet, our European Classic Pillow.)
  
  How To Choose A Down Comforter
  
  For a warm, cozy night sleep, nothing beats a down comforter! Down is the best insulation known. With the right down comforter, therer's no reason to ever be cold again. Let us help you make an educated choice:
  
  
• The first thing you need to decide is how warm of a comforter you want. We have three basic warmth levels:
  
  
  • Light Weight equals the warmth of approximately one wool blanket or two light cotton blankets. Light weight comforters are good for summer and warmer climates.
    
    
  • Medium Weight equals the warmth of approximately two wool blankets, or a blanket and a quilt. This is our most popular weight, a good year round warmth.
    
    
  • Heavy Weight equals the warmth of approximately three wool blankets, or an electric blanket, or two heavy quilts. These make excellent winter weight or very cold climate comforters.
    
    
• Next, decide what quality of comforter you are looking for. Fill power and number of ounces play a big role here. Fill power is a measurement of the loft of the down, specifically, the number of cubic inches that one ounce of down will occupy. Basically, the higher the number, the better the quality. The higher fill powers will have larger clusters of down that will be more resilient to wear and tear. It will also make the comforter fluffier. (For example, the Tamarac comforter and the Norway comforter have the same amount of down in them, but the fill power in the Norway is higher. It is therefore, fluffier than the Tamarac.) Higher fill powers have better heat retention as well. The larger clusters make larger air pockets which capture heat better and allow it to breathe easier.
  
  
• Also, consider the threadcount of the outer shell. From the sturdy, 230+ and 260+ threadcount cambric cottons to the luxurious 330+ and 360+ cotton sateens, we offer the finest fabrics as shells for our comforters. The cambric cottons are the sturdiest, most durable shells around. The sateen cottons, on the other hand, are physically lighter on the body and softer to the touch. All of our comforter shells are considered to be down proof. Down proof means that there will be no leakage of the fill. Always be sure to have a threadcount of at least 210+ or above to ensure down proofness.
  
  
• Lastly, determine how big of a comforter you need. We have traditional sizing and oversized comforters. Traditional sized queen and king comforters, when pulled up to the top of the mattress, will tend to stop at the very foot of the bed with very little overhang. This is good if you have a footboard, as you won't have to tuck much in. However, if you want to cover the end of mattress, you would want to choose an oversized comforter. The oversized queen and king comforters are longer and provide better over-all coverage. If you have a pillow top mattress and have difficulty finding comforters to fit properly, the oversized comforters are the choice for you. Oversized twin comforters are wider and provide more coverage for older children and adults who may be using them.