The bed is the beginning and end of every day. This guide walks through the fabrics, weaves and fills behind our bed linen collections, so you can choose the sheets, duvets and pillowcases that suit how you actually sleep.
It Starts With the Feel
A well-made bed is one of the quiet luxuries of everyday life – that first moment of sliding between cool, smooth sheets at the end of the day. Getting there isn't about chasing the highest thread count or the most exotic fibre. It comes down to three things: the fabric, the weave, and the fill. Once you understand those, choosing the right bed linen becomes simple.
Every Carpe Diem Beds collection is built around this idea – considered materials,
Scandinavian restraint, and a feel that holds up night after night, wash afterwash.
Fabric: Cotton or Silk?
We work with two fibres, chosen for how they perform over years of use rather than how they read on a label.
Egyptian cotton
Prized for its long-staple fibres, Egyptian cotton spins into finer, stronger threads than shorter-staple cottons. The result is a fabric that feels smooth from the first night and only softens with wear. You'll find it in our Storm and Stiltje collections, both woven to a thread count of over 300 threads per inch.
Pima cotton
An extra-long-staple cotton grown for exceptional fineness, Pima cotton allows a denser, more luxurious weave without adding weight. Our Havsbris collection uses Pima cotton at over 500 threads per inch, giving it a noticeably silkier, cooler hand than a standard cotton sateen.
Mulberry silk
For a fabric that feels closer to skin than anything else, our Vindstilla duvet covers and pillowcases are woven from 100% 19-momme Mulberry silk. Naturally breathable
and temperature-regulating, it draws moisture away from the skin and stays cool to the touch – a good option for warmer sleepers or sensitive skin.
All of our cotton bed linen is woven in a satin (or sateen) weave, rather than the tighter, more textured percale weave used elsewhere. Where percale interlaces threads one-over, one-under for a crisp, matte finish, a satin weave floats more thread across the surface – over three or four threads before dipping under one. That's what gives our sheets their characteristic smoothness and soft, low sheen, rather than the crisper feel of a hotel-style percale sheet.
It's a deliberate choice: a satin weave drapes beautifully, resists creasing, and only grows softer with washing – exactly what you want from bed linen you'll use for years, not seasons.
Thread count is the number of threads woven into one square inch of fabric, and it's the figure most often quoted when comparing bed linen. It's a useful signpost, but not the whole story.
• Below 200: light and breathable, but can feel thin over time.
• 300–500: the sweet spot for most sleepers – smooth, substantial, and durable. This is where our Storm and Stiltje collections sit.
• 500+: exceptionally dense and silky, as in our Havsbris collection, with a noticeably heavier drape.
Beyond a certain point, thread count matters less than the quality of the cotton itself. A high thread count made from short, poor quality fibres won't out-perform a lower count woven from genuine long-staple cotton – which is why we anchor every collection in Egyptian or Pima cotton first, and let the thread count follow.
| Collection | Fabric | Feel | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm | 100% Egyptian cotton satin, 300+ thread count | Smooth, soft, with a gentle sheen | Oxford-edge pillowcases; Pearl, Driftwood, Pebble, Shell |
| Havsbris | 100% Pima cotton satin, 500+ thread count | Exceptionally silky, dense and cool to the touch | Oxford edges; split fitted sheet option; White, Dark Grey, Dark Blue |
| Stiltje | 100% Egyptian cotton satin, 300+ thread count | Smooth and crisp, with subtle structure | White with decorative grey pinstripe; flat, fitted, deep-fitted and split-fitted options |
| Vindstilla | 100% 19-momme Mulberry silk | Exceptionally soft, breathable and temperature-regulating | Naturally moisture-wicking and cool to the touch; Warm White |
Colour and finish
Our palette is intentionally restrained – tones that sit quietly in a Scandinavian bedroom rather than compete with it.
Storm comes in Pearl, Driftwood, Pebble and Shell; Havsbris in White, Dark Grey and Dark Blue; Stiltje in White with a fine decorative grey pinstripe; and Vindstilla silk in a single Warm White.
Each is designed to be layered – mix a duvet cover from one tone with a pillowcase from another for a considered, unmatched-matching look.
Caring for your bed linen
Cotton satin bed linen from the Storm, Havsbris and Stiltje collections is machine washable and will only grow softer with time. Silk and down pieces need a little more care: we recommend our own Silk Detergent and Down Detergent, both eco-friendly
and 100% vegan, formulated specifically to protect the fibres and retain their natural feel.
For full washing instructions and general bed care, see our Bed Care Guide.
The right bed linen is the one that feels like yours the moment you climb in. Explore the full range online, or visit one of our retailers, where a sleep advisor can talk you through fabric and fit in person.
