How to choose your bed linen: the fabric guide

Choosing bed linen almost always comes down to choosing a fabric. The dimensions follow your duvet, the cut is standard, the colour is a matter of taste. The fabric, however, decides three things: the temperature under the duvet, the feel as you slip into bed, and how the bed will look in five years. This guide reviews the fabrics we work with, how they are made, who each one suits — and the few industry figures worth reading closely.

Fibre, weave, finish: the three things that decide the feel

A bed linen label often mixes three different kinds of information. Separating them is enough to understand 90% of the subject.

The fibre is the raw material: cotton, linen, silk, or eucalyptus pulp turned into lyocell. It sets breathability, lifespan and the minimum price. A short, brittle fibre will never make a beautiful sheet, whatever else you do.

The weave is the way the threads cross. The same cotton woven as percale or sateen gives a completely different sheet: one is matt and crisp, the other silky and fluid. It is the most decisive factor for the feel, and the one most often ignored.

The finish comes last: enzyme washing or stone washing to soften, brushing for a more matt feel, sanforising to limit shrinkage at the first wash. This is why washed percale feels pleasant from the very first night, whereas raw percale stays a little stiff.

The order to remember: the fibre sets the potential, the weave sets the character, the finish sets the comfort of the first nights.

Weave	How the threads cross	Resulting feel	At Noctua
Percale	One thread over, one thread under — a tight plain weave	Matt, crisp, cool, lightly creased	Washed cotton percale
Sateen	Three or four threads pass over before one passes under	Silky, fluid, subtle sheen	400 thread count Egyptian cotton
Satin	Same principle as sateen, but on a silk filament	Smooth, glossy, cool to the touch	Silk and satin
Gauze	Two very fine veils woven, then bound together	Airy, soft, deliberately creased	Cotton gauze

Egyptian cotton, the enveloping benchmark

Egyptian cotton refers to extra-long staple cottons grown in the Nile valley. Fibre length changes everything: the longer it is, the fewer ends stick out of the yarn. The yarn is therefore finer, more even and stronger, and the fabric surface stays smooth instead of pilling. That is also why Egyptian cotton softens with every wash instead of wearing out.

We weave it as 400 thread count sateen. The result is a sheet that is silky without being slippery, with a drape that hugs the mattress and a very subtle matt sheen. It keeps you warm without overheating: it is the fabric we recommend to sleepers who tend to feel the cold, or to anyone looking for the enveloping feel of a hotel bed.

Who it suits: people who feel the cold a little, couples looking for a compromise, normal to dry skin. Who it suits less: people who sweat a lot at night — sateen holds a little more heat than percale.

See: the 400 thread count Egyptian cotton fitted sheet and the Egyptian cotton duvet cover.

Washed cotton percale, the cool matt feel

Percale is a plain weave: one thread over, one thread under, but at a high density. This regularity gives a fine, dense fabric that feels crisp and stays cool against the skin. The washing that follows weaving breaks down the original stiffness: washed percale arrives soft, with a slightly visible grain.

It is the fabric of a neat, well-made, hotel-style bed. Our washed cotton percale bedding sets close with natural wooden buttons rather than a zip: slower to fasten, but they do not break after three years.

Let's be honest about the limit: percale creases. If you want a perfectly smooth bed, you will need to straighten it in the morning, or accept the creases. For the complete hotel look, the hotel-style bed linen collection brings together the pieces that go together.

Percale or sateen is the real dilemma for most buyers. We cover it in detail in our comparison percale or cotton sateen.

Cotton gauze, the deliberate crumpled look

Cotton gauze — often called double gauze — is made of two very fine veils woven separately, then joined by regular stitches. This structure traps air: the fabric is light, extremely breathable and does not stick to the skin. The creases are not a manufacturing defect; they are the direct result of the double weave.

It becomes softer with every wash. After five washes, cotton gauze has a soft, lively drape that no other fabric gives. Our complete cotton gauze bedding set is available in 140x200, 200x200 and 240x220.

Who it suits: bedrooms that get warm, in-between seasons, bohemian interiors, people who will never iron. Who it suits less: people who feel the cold in midwinter, because it offers little cover, and those who dislike the crumpled look.

Eucalyptus lyocell, the fabric to recommend if you sleep hot

Lyocell starts from eucalyptus wood pulp. The pulp is dissolved in an organic solvent, then the solution is extruded into filaments. The process runs in a closed loop: the solvent is recovered and reused instead of being discharged. The resulting fibre is smooth, very absorbent and above all thermoregulating — it draws moisture away from the skin and releases it outwards instead of keeping it against you.

In practice, this gives a sheet that is cool to the touch, with a satiny drape close to silk and a pleasant weight. It is the fabric we always recommend to people who wake up clammy, or who sleep with someone whose internal thermostat is nothing like their own.

The eucalyptus lyocell duvet cover comes in seven colours and five sizes, from 140x200 to 260x240. The details of the fibre are in our article on eucalyptus lyocell, the anti-heat fabric.

Mulberry silk, the fabric for skin and hair

Mulberry silk comes from silkworms fed exclusively on mulberry leaves. This diet produces a long, continuous, even filament, without the irregularities of wild silks. It is measured in momme, a unit of weight: our reference pillowcase is 22 momme, the standard for high-end bedding — dense enough to last, supple enough to stay pleasant.

Two properties matter most to sleepers. The surface is so smooth that hair glides instead of catching: less frizz in the morning, less breakage for curly or coloured hair. And silk absorbs much less than cotton: your night cream stays on your face rather than in the pillowcase. What this really changes, and what it does not, is explained in our article on the silk pillowcase.

The 22 momme mulberry silk pillowcase comes in 50x70 and 65x65. The satin pillowcase offers a similar smooth feel at a gentler price — it is a satin weave, not mulberry silk. To understand the unit, read what 22 momme means.

Soft cotton, everyday comfort

Soft cotton is brushed cotton: the surface of the fabric is lightly brushed to raise the fibres. The feel becomes matt, slightly downy and immediately warm. It does not have the finesse of Egyptian cotton, but it does the job very well every day and in children's rooms.

It is our entry-level range, with the soft cotton fitted sheet in 140x190, 140x200, 160x200 and 180x200, and the matching soft cotton pillowcase. The rest is in the soft cotton collection.

Washed linen, the fabric that gets better with age

Linen is a hollow plant fibre, which explains its thermal behaviour: cool in summer because it wicks away heat, insulating in winter because it traps air. It absorbs up to 20% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp. Washed linen is linen that has been mechanically washed to break down its natural stiffness before it is even used.

One point needs to be made plainly: the first nights are rougher than you might expect. Linen softens noticeably between the fifth and tenth wash, then keeps improving for ten to twenty years. And it creases — that is its signature, not a flaw to correct.

Our linen range is now in store, gathered in the washed linen collection: the washed linen bedding set, the duvet cover, the fitted sheet and the pillowcase. The two fabrics closest in spirit remain washed cotton percale for the crisp feel and cotton gauze for the crumpled look. The subject is covered in depth in our washed linen guide, and its care in caring for washed linen.

Thread count: what it measures, what it hides

Thread count counts the warp and weft threads in one square inch of fabric, about 6.45 cm². A 400 thread count fabric therefore has twice as many threads in the same space as a 200 thread count.

The useful range is 200 to 500 threads. Below 180, the fabric is thin and lets light through. Above 600, the figure becomes suspicious: to reach these numbers, some manufacturers twist two or three fine strands together and count each strand as a thread. A "1,000 thread count" is often a 300 thread count dressed up in three strands. Our sateen is 400 thread count, an honest and verifiable figure.

The full details are in thread count: 200, 300, 400, what difference does it make.

Three marketing traps to know before you buy

• Inflated thread counts. Above 600 threads claimed, ask whether the count is based on single-ply threads. Fibre quality matters more than the number.
• "Satin" that is not silk. Satin is a weave, not a material. "Cotton satin" is cotton, "polyester satin" is polyester. At Noctua, the mulberry silk pillowcases really are silk; the satin pillowcase is a satin weave that is not silk, and this is stated on every product page.
• "Blended" linen. A fabric that is 45% linen and 55% cotton can be sold as linen bed linen. It will have neither the lifespan nor the thermal behaviour of pure linen. The exact composition is always shown on our product pages and on the our fabrics page.

I'm looking for X, I choose Y

What you are looking for	The fabric to choose	Care	Second choice
I get hot at night, I sweat	Eucalyptus lyocell	30 °C, air dry	Washed cotton percale
I feel the cold	Egyptian cotton sateen	40 °C, tumble dry warm	Washed linen in winter
My skin reacts easily	Mulberry silk pillowcase	30 °C in a laundry bag, dry flat	Egyptian cotton
My hair frizzes or breaks	22 momme mulberry silk pillowcase	30 °C in a laundry bag, dry flat	Satin pillowcase
I will never iron	Cotton gauze	30 °C, shake before hanging	Washed linen
I want a neat, hotel-style bed	Washed cotton percale	30 to 40 °C, iron while damp	Egyptian cotton sateen
Tight budget, everyday use	Soft cotton	40 °C, tumble dryer allowed	Washed cotton percale
I want it to last fifteen years	Washed linen	30 °C, air dry, no iron	Egyptian cotton
Child's bedroom	Soft cotton	40 °C, tumble dryer allowed	Cotton gauze

These notes are the minimum to remember: temperatures, spinning, drying and stain treatment are detailed fabric by fabric in our bed linen care guide, and summarised by range on the care advice page.

Should you change fabric with the seasons?

Not necessarily, but two sets of bedding used in rotation make a very clear difference to comfort. In summer, eucalyptus lyocell and percale draw heat away; cotton gauze suits mild nights when you want little weight on you. In winter, Egyptian cotton sateen is more enveloping, and washed linen insulates more than you might think.

The rest depends on the filling rather than the fabric: the Hôtel 4 Seasons duvet keeps you warm without overheating almost all year round, and a fringed cotton gauze throw at the foot of the bed rescues a cool night without changing the whole set. Fill weights are detailed in the duvets collection and in throws and blankets, and the choice is explained step by step in which duvet to choose.

Where to start

If you are starting from scratch, begin with the pillowcase: it is the cheapest piece, the one that touches your face all night, and the best test of a fabric. A mulberry silk or Egyptian cotton sateen pillowcase will tell you within three nights whether the feel suits you.

Next, the fitted sheet, then the duvet cover. For dimensions, the rule is simple and often misunderstood: the cover follows the size of the duvet, never the mattress. Our duvet cover size guide gives the correspondences bed by bed.

All fabrics are gathered in the bed linen collection. Take the time to compare two or three feels before dressing the whole bed — delivery is free from €80 and returns are accepted for fourteen days.