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Our favourite places to buy colourful, relaxed bed linen
For that easy, laid back aesthetic, there is no bedding material quite like linen. It looks lovely on any bed and, best of all, it is much more low maintenance than hotel-style white sheets made in cotton percale or poplin.
The history of linen is long, with evidence of European Neolithic peoples making textiles out of linen as far back as 36,000 years ago. There is evidence that it was used as a homeware in ancient Swiss dwellings, that it was first used for clothing in Mesopotamia, even that it was traded as a type of currency in Egypt.
Linen has a myriad of wonderful qualities. Made from flax, it has cellulose fibers which are slightly longer and more tightly wrapped than their cotton counterparts, meaning your sheets will last much longer: about 25 years longer. Where cotton sheets can pill, ruining their appearance and ageing them significantly, linen tends not to. Instead, it wrinkles post wash. (Don't worry about ironing, as after one or two nights sleep it relaxes and decreases naturally.)
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Of course, durability is an important consideration, but shouldn’t be traded for comfort. Luckily, linen sheets are the perfect fabric for those who tend to overheat at night. The fibres of linen flax are hollow where cotton ones are not. This allows air, water and therefore heat to escape and keeps things cool. It also has a water-wicking quality to it, so it has the power to draw sweat out of the skin. All you need now is a duvet and set of pillows to dress!
Keep reading for our edit of colourful linen sheets at a range of prices.
1/25Moustier Flat Sheet, duck egg blue, starting at £100 from The Linen Works.
As the name suggests, The Linen Works specialise in linen, so you know you're purchasing something of great quality. Their duck egg blue flat sheet would be a great addition to your bedding collection as we lead up to summer.
2/25Luna Linen Duvet Cover Mustard, super king, £210 from Soho Home.
Soho Home is our go to for hotel quality bedding.
3/25Rose Linen Plain Pillowcase, £26 from Sorbet Living.
Pale pink is a pretty choice that looks great year round.
4/25Sangria Stripe Pillowcase Sets, £31.13 from from Society of Wanderers.
This pale striped duvet cover is wonderfully rustic and charming without being too attention grabbing.
5/25Tencel Linen Blend Pillowcases, set of two, £68 from Anthropologie.
Anthropologie is a fail safe furniture shop to buy lovely bedding from.
6/25Organic Linen Pillowcases with Envelope Closure, £20.64 from CoolLinen on Etsy.
This shop has a charming range of colourful pillowcases, so you can kit out your whole household from just one place.
7/25Sky Blue Stonewashed Pure Linen Pillowcase with Ties, £39.24 from House of Baltic Linen on Etsy.
The ties on these pillowcases add a feminine touch to these colourful sheets.
8/25Linen Fitted Sheet, bluestone, starting at £120 from Cultiver Linen.
Cultiver are fast becoming one of our favourite places to buy bedding. We'd opt for these pretty colour linen sheets for a fresh summer bedroom.
9/25Linen Bedding, £41 from The Prancing Hare on Etsy.
Dark blue bedding is often associated with teenage boys, but these sheets are here to clear the record. Pair them with pale blue elsewhere on the bed to break up the block of colour.
10/25Lisbon Sea Green Linen Bed Linen, £196 from Also Home on Trouva.
Trouva is a great place to discover new brands and we stumbled across these lovely sheets doing just that. The company sell a range of lovely coloured linen bedding so you can mix and match toning or contrasting colours to create a space that's unique to you.
11/25Mabel Linen, blush pink, starting at £17.60 from Secret Linen Store.
It is a little more unusual to see patterned, colourful bedding, so we were excited to come across this sweet gingham set.
12/25Elina Linen Duvet, mustard, £130 from La Redoute.
La Redoute's bedding range is sworn by interior designer Joanna Plant as some of the best in the business. She says, "I’m mad about La Redoute... I have recently bought properly heavy linen and hemstitch sheets for very little money,"
13/25Bedtime Bundle, burnt orange, £392 from Piglet in Bed.
Piglet in Bed's Instagram is a treasure trove of lovely imagery. We think their burnt orange hue is particularly attractive.
14/25Lazy Bed Linen, cornflower blue and duck egg, starting at £45 from Loaf.
Loaf are known for their squishy sofas and comfy beds, but their 'lazy linen' bedding sets are just as worthy of praise. We have our hearts set on this cornflower blue set.
15/25Linen Top Sheet with Macramé, sequoia, €330 from Once Milano.
Once Milano does a whole host of good linen bedding and this macramé edged set is available in a huge eighteen different colours.
16/25Softened Linen Duvet Cover, dark green, starting at £190 from SoundSleepStore on Etsy.
This jewel toned dark green is beautifully rich and would create a lovely cosy atmosphere in any bedroom.
17/25Linen Duvet Cover, russet, starting at £304 from Larusi.
This russet set is so charming and looks lovely styled with toning colours.
18/25Marine Blue Washed Linen, starting at £25 from Cologne & Cotton.
These deep blue sheets are lovely but, if you are unsure of the colour, Cologne & Cotton offer a free sample service, so you can test out the shade before committing.
19/25Linen Duvet Cover, moss, starting at £99 from Bedfolk.
Bedfolk pride themselves on ethical sourcing and transparent pricing, so you can sleep happily in these lovely green sheets.
20/25Washed Linen Duvet Cover Set, sage green, £59.99 from H&M Home.
H&M Home's bedding is very popular and its washed linen sets are particularly fantastic. They even have the seal of approval from our Decoration Editor, Ruth Sleightholme.
21/25Linen Bedding, french blue, starting at £15 from John Lewis & Partners.
John Lewis' linen bedding is available in nine shades of blues and greens, so you could really pad out your beds' colour palette.
22/25Bed Linen, ochre, starting at £35 from The Conran Shop.
There's something so deliciously sunny about this set of bedding from The Conran Shop.
23/25Linen Duvet Cover Set, burnt orange, starting at £171 from SoundSleepStore on Etsy.
Etsy is a fantastic treasure trove, especially for things like bedding, and it was on there that we discovered 'SoundSleepStore'. They sell an enormous range of linens but it was these oxford pillowcases that quickly caught our eye.
24/25Linen Bedding, dawn purple, starting at £35 from Tekla Fabrics.
Tekla started out life heavily focussed on the quality of fabric they were using. They have designed clothing as well as homeware, but it is their sheets we particularly like.
25/25Purderviva Linen Duvet Cover and Two Pillowcases, light yellow, £65 from Ikea.
Although it may not be the first place on your radar when looking for bedding, Ikea have a great range of linen sheets that are worthy of your attention. At £65 for a set of pillowcases and duvet cover it is really affordable too.
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