There’s no better feeling than sinking into your bed at the end of the day—especially if you have plush bedding to snuggle up in. A key piece in most dream-sleep scenarios? A big, fluffy duvet.
But the best duvets are a hefty investment—and there’s no one-size-fits-all option. Chances are, you’ve already got something on top of your bed, but if you’re in the market for an upgrade, we’ve found a bunch of dreamy duvets that’ll keep you at the perfect temperature for better sleep, add just enough weight if you prefer an extra dose of comfort, and look beautiful in your room.
First, what’s the difference between a duvet and a comforter?
A lot of people use “comforter” and “duvet” interchangeably, which makes sense since they’re both filled with fluff (like down, microfiber, or lyocell), but there are a few differences between them. The biggest one to note: A comforter is a filled, stand-alone topper for your bed, and a duvet consists of two pieces—an insert and a cover. Comforters are usually paired with a top sheet for hygienic purposes, while duvets don’t need one since they have an easily washable cover (of course, you can still use a top sheet if you want to). The duvet cover also means you probably don’t need to pop the insert into the washing machine as often, since it doesn’t directly touch your body or bed.
What should you look for in a duvet?
A key factor you’ll need to decide on is what kind of duvet filling you want: down or down alternative.
Down: Fluffy and supremely warm, this fill is made with goose and duck down and often blended with feathers. (Down is the soft inner layer of feathers closest to a bird’s skin.) We recommend looking for a down duvet that’s made using the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), which means the goose farms where the down is harvested are held to a more humane standard than non-RDS farms. Down often comes with a longer list of care instructions, like spot cleaning and dry-cleaning, but you can machine wash some options with a gentle detergent (if your washer is large enough).
Down Alternative: This fill is typically made with synthetic materials like microfiber polyester or fibers like lyocell, wool, or luxe silk. If you’re a sweaty sleeper, lyocell and wool might be your ideal fill, since they have moisture-wicking properties. Duvets with down alternative fills are generally easier to care for (nearly all are machine washable), and they tend to be more lightweight and affordable than pure down duvets too.
Once you have a sense of the type of fill you’d prefer, think about how warm you like to be in your bed. People who often wake up cold should look for a comforter or duvet insert that has higher grams per square meter (GSM), which is equated to its fill power or how stuffed it is with fluff. The higher the GSM, the heavier the duvet and the warmer it will be. Duvets start around 200, which might be nice if you’re living in a warm climate, and go as high as 750 (300 to 400 GSM is a happy medium).
You might also want to look for baffle box or diamond stitching, which sections off the duvet insert to keep the fill from clumping together. You should also check to see if the insert has corner ties, clips, or loops, so you can attach it to a cover to prevent the inner piece from bunching up while you sleep. Once you’ve found your dream duvet insert, you can put it in whatever kind of cover you prefer, from breathable linen to crispy percale, as long as the sizes match.
