I was browsing Cuddledown, of of my favorite sources for nice bedding, and ran across this really cool Asian print... this really makes me wish I had a big house with lots of bedrooms... I would love to put this in one of them...

It reminds me of kimino print patterns.  It features cranes and chrysanthemums on a mercerized 350 thread count percale.  Beautiful!  It's called Reika.

There's an insane deal to be had right now at Restoration Hardware on their Wentworth Crest Linen Bedding. It's 100% linen and features a large crest on the duvet cover and smaller ones on the shams. The euro shams are plain (no crest).

It comes in 2 colors: ivory (shown above) and linen. A full/queen duvet cover's regular price is $249, sale $144.99!  Standard shams regular $79 each, sale $44.99!  Incredible prices for 100% linen, wow!  Hurry, I suspect these are going to go fast!

Faux fur throw blankets hit the market several years ago (early 2000s I think) and have remained a surprisingly resilient item in the marketplace. I say surprising because there is a certain kitsch factor...

I have to confess however, that I have always liked faux fur throws.  Not the scary leopard or zebra ones but the classic ones that look like a mink coat made into a blanket...

Pottery Barn has a nice one this season and it's on sale now for $119 (regularly $149). They're also offering free shipping on this item.  The ivory one is already sold out.

I like the idea of draping the dark mink throw across the end of your bed... and making the bed up with some dramatic sheets like some old ones I have in my sheet collection, Ralph Lauren Galahad.

Frette is having a pre-holiday sale with up to 60% off select items.  You can get an extra 10% off online orders with the code PH09 at checkout (valid through 12/24).

For example the Triplo Bourdon Queen Sheet Set below is on sale for $507, down from $845.  With the extra 10% off it would be $456.30.  They have a bunch of different bedding styles on sale!

I guess I've been a little out of it with Ralph Lauren bedding - I didn't even realize they had started Lauren Spa. It's a collection of 100% organic bedding and bath items including the Desert Retreat collection below. They use certified organic cotton, it is both GOTS (global organic textile standard) and Oeko-tex certified.

Ralph Lauren Spa Desert Retreat Leopard Duvet Cover

I love the way it's leopard, but subtle. It doesn't scream leopard at you, which is a good thing!  The full/queen duvet cover is on sale for $209.99. It doesn't mention the thread count, but it is long staple, organic cotton.

More sad news from the magazine world...Metropolitan Home is being shut down by Hachette Filipacchi.

The December issue will be its last. First Domino, Gourmet, now this... a real bummer!

I've always liked traditional damask prints... here's one with a large scale print on crisp white, from brocade home.  The queen is $149.

The larger scale print in a nice cocoa color on white gives it a more modern look... damask is usually quite traditional but somehow this look works.

I remember loving flannel sheets when I was little... especially new one (before the flannel gets all matted down).  Now I can't say I'm much of a fan.  Flannels are usually some of the cheapest sheets in the marketplace and often feature silly/seasonal prints.

If you did want to get flannel for the winter season perhaps, I'd suggest a high quality German flannel like Cuddledown's. It's 6 ounce weight and certified eco-friendly... of course it's also more expensive than the typical flannel.  But it's worth it unless you plan on throwing it away after a season (which is pretty wasteful).  It's sold open stock, a queen set (flat, fitted, cases) adds up to $147.

Bedding Chic hasn't checked in with Frette for a while... so I thought I'd write about them today.  Among their new collections, in the Frette Essentials category they have a wonderful new style called Bicolore.  It's available in sheet sets and duvet covers/shams.  It features cotton sateen with contrst color insets.  It's quite striking especially with the gorgeous shade of blue they've used below.  It's also available in chocolate brown, sand and ivory.

A queen sheet set is $1,045 and a queen duvet cover is $945.

I do find it rather hysterical that they give next to no information about the style.  They just say 100% cotton and made in Italy (and the item sizes).  Why kind of cotton?  Does the fitted sheet have elastic all the way around? What thread count? We all know that thread count is over-rated, but still, when spending over $1000 for a sheet set, shouldn't you get to know what it is?

I'm sure it's amazing and their core customers know that, but it seems a bit smug perhaps?

Linenplace.com has the cutest feature up on their site right now with a panda that explains thread count along with a "Truth About Thread Count" article.  He explains how thread count is really not that important and people shouldn't be so focused on it.  It's SO CUTE.

He's the same panda that's on their home page now too.

Linenplace has some good deals right now in the bedding department.  One of the best deals is 100% organic cotton bedding on sale... a queen sheet set is only $74.  Organics can be so expensive, so that's a really good deal.  Also, 600 thread count Egyptian cotton in either a solid sateen or a stripe are $89 for a queen sheet set.  That's their everyday price too, also a very good deal.