Shopping for new bedding is not as easy as going to a big department store and choosing off the rack for a 20% discount.
First do your homework, check the different websites of the manufactures, get familiar with the fabrics, learn the difference between a sateen and a percale. And just before you start making measurements, find out if the mattresses will be replaced, otherwise the customizations will be wrong from the start.
These are just a few of the points you need to be aware and knowledgeable, when choosing new bedding for your yacht.
Budgeting
When designing your bedding, budgeting is crucial. Start a list with all the bedding items to consider and the quantity needed according to how often you wash your sheets and how many sets per bed you will need to store.
Make sure you have enough storage room first, but one thing I can tell you from experience, you do not want to be short on linens; especially when the laundry machine breaks down in the middle of nowhere in Greece. So that is why we also at Aqualuxe call this the “Wish List”. We can always come down on quantity needed, especially if all the rooms share the same color linens, but if you will create a different design per room, you need to have the minimum sets on hand.
Here is a bedding list to keep in mind for your next project:
Mattress
Mattress Protector
Flat Sheet
Fitted Sheet
Pillowcase (do you normally set the bed with 2 or 4 pillows?)
Duvet Cover
Duvet Insert
Blanket
Bed Cover or Quilted Coverlet
Shams (Baby, Std, Q, K, Euro)
Throw Pillows (neckroll, body, lumbar, with a flange, with a welt, knife edge)
Pillow inserts all sizes
Throw Blanket
Luggage Mat
Bed Scarves
Taking measurements Width x Length x Height
I will quickly touch on the point of the pillows, as there are 3 main sizes:
Standard 20”x26”, Queen 20”x30” and King 20”x36”.
This table has the measurements for standard mattresses, which we know are not common onboard yachts but you can compare pricing to the closest standard size match and have a point of comparison. Measuring the height of the mattress is very important, as it can change your price point.
Any bed smaller than 36” wide, is considered a Single bed.
When shopping in the US, please refer to your measurements in inches, as this will speed up the process. If we have to convert every measurement you send in, it will only slow the process down.
Fabric Selection
Percale sheets are plain in weave, which means it's woven with one thread over, one thread under. It has a thread count of at least 180 and it is characterized by a matte finish and crisp hand. Just like your favorite crisp white shirt, high-end cotton percale linens are light and invigorating yet incredibly soft. Percale fabric is lighter in weight and more breathable making it perfect for summertime or warmer climates.
Sateen fabric is woven to create a silky smooth surface with a luminous sheen and is known for its luster and drape. Cotton normally woven with four threads over, one under. The four yarns line-up on the surface, giving sateen its characteristic silky shine, drape, and feel. Sateen is usually a little thicker and more tightly woven. It has a soft, inviting touch, perfect to snuggle into bed.
Percale and sateen fabrics have the same function with different qualities. Your sheeting choice depends on personal preference for a honeyed touch and a luminous shine or a crisp hand on a matte surface.
That said, as a stewardess I worked on various yachts with different style beddings. So from a maintenance stand point, Sateen tends to wrinkle less and has a softer hand and drape, a sateen is more “silky”. A percale is crisp, fresh, perfect for those summer nights. It really is a matter of preference. Our 600TC Percale and our 300TC Sateen are both guest preferred options.
We must touch base on Thread Count (TC).
Thread count
Better known as TC, it is a measure of the fineness of fabric as the total number of vertical and horizontal threads in one square inch.
Generally, the higher the thread count, the softer the sheet, and the more likely it will wear well-or even soften-over time. Good sheets range anywhere from 300 to 600, although you'll occasionally see numbers over 800.
That said, the higher the thread count doesn’t necessarily mean better. Make sure you purchase your cotton from a reliable source, as these days the market is saturated with low quality high TC sheets; but the hand doesn't lie, the feel and softness of a good cotton like ours, makes you feel like you are sleeping on clouds.
Custom Design
Go bold! These days is all about creating simple yet elegant clean designs.
Do you want your duvet with a contrast border? Is the decorative design (embroidery or banding) in a U shape?
When you purchase a duvet, check what are the measurements of the top-bed design, because from experience I can say that not all Matouk Lowell or Nocturne design will fit the beds by customizing the ends. What happens is the banding will not be scaled to the bed, as a custom duvet would be. And that is where Aqualuxe excels at, since we take into consideration the size of the mattress when we create our designs.
Banding, choose a single, double, triple or a combination 2” and 1”.
From a simple drawing to a digital mock up to luxury sheets!
If embroidered sheets is your style, choose from simple line, double or triple line embroidery, Aqualuxe offers a great selection of intricate and modern designs to choose from.
Covers and Blankets
Blankets have been switched for duvets and day covers for quilted coverlets.
Matouk has a wonderful Dream Modal blanket that is washable and feels soft, Sferra’s St. Moritz is also washable, more of a wooly long staple cotton feel. Both great sellers.
Yves Delorme has a light weight quilt, Triomphe, Sferra has the Favo, Sesto & Bari Collection. At Aqualuxe we create them in a summer weight in 22 colors and infinite quilting patterns.
Throw blankets vary, I was just on a boat that had purchased cashmere throws with a leather edge for $1000.00 each. I am all about the luxe factor, but comm'on. As an ex-stew, I like outfitting the vessels with easy care linens, they will get damaged at some point, it shouldn’t sink your interior budget to replace them if needed every couple of seasons.
Down and Down Alternative
Every boat is different. If you charter, we recommend a hypoallergenic down alternative duvet insert. Also very important to take into account, is the dampness/humidity onboard. You do not want smelly damp down inserts.
We have various brand names we can recommend which mimic the feel of down filling with a warmth level equivalent of those of goose down. Best of all, they are machine washable. Available for bed pillows, comforters, mattress pads, and all size pillow forms.
Be sure to check back with us for tips on washable duvet inserts and shopping for Down options.
Luggage Mats and bed Scarves
The Luggage mats are a nice touch to your welcome set up. You do not want the deck crew dragging the luggage into the room and place it on your brand new bedding when there is dirt on the wheels.
Made from suede in 25 different colors.
Standard sizes : 108”x28”, 90”x28”, 72”x28”, 36”x28”.
There are various styles to choose from. Our most popular is the Quilted Band Style,a quilted suede (face & back) with a 3” suede band with either your logo or the word Luggage embroidered. We can do a tone on tone border or a contrast color border.
The bed scarves are made with our 300TC sateen luxe sheeting in a quilted pattern. For more information about Luggage mats, please visit:
Luxe Bedding Brands
Last and not least, at Aqualuxe we tag all bedding per room, so you do not have to guess which room the fitted sheet goes to!
These are some of the brands we carry:
• Sferra
• Yves Delorme
• Matouk
• Nancy Koltes
• Anichini
• Cottimaryanne
• Christian Fischbacher
• Eastern Accents
And our brand, Aqualuxe, has a workroom available to design exactly what the customer is looking for. From banding, appliques embroidery or quilting, we supply the finest easy-care Italian linens.
Take into account that using a local shop that specializes in custom yacht bedding is more beneficial, not only because of the fabric selection and design possibilities, but because they have the expert advice that you are looking for.
Department stores are known to gauche the retail price and extra 20% and then give you that 20% off, so there is not necessarily any gain by doing that. Let us be your next quote. We’ll be happy to guide you and your team thru this process.
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