Hi!
I have basically spent the last month of my life researching linen bedding. My boyfriend was moving in and I wanted to redo the room to reflect both of us, and I thought we should invest in some linen. Little did I know how difficult this would be. All the reviews are mixed... even trusted sites like SweetHome point out that most brands have quality control issues. I ended up literally buying several different brands and have the pics to prove it. We have been sleeping on our "set" for a week, so I can't yet recommend it as a buy-it-for-life item; however, I hope this will save some of you all from the painful legwork.
I heavily researched several brands including 2 Etsy retailers 1 and 2, Restoration Hardware, Matteo, West Elm, Parachute, and H&M.
I wanted to go with the Etsy retailers; however, they did not offer returns unless there was a defect. This was a problem for me because I wasn't sure of the colors I wanted and I didn't want to wait several weeks for swatches. The extremely slow turn around to order swatches, wait for swatches, order products, wait for products was a huge con. In the end we would have had to wait 6-8 weeks for our sheets, and I wasn't sure if I would be happy with the result. So goodbye, Etsy! However, if you are in need of a certain color and don't mind the wait, the two retailers above seem to be wonderful!
Restoration Hardware and Matteo were both potential luxury buys. I decided I was willing to spend the money, but I wasn't willing to take the risk. Both brands seem to be having major quality issues. Matteo is located in Los Angeles and are getting murdered on Yelp and Glassdoor. Based on the reviews and employee complaints, I decided it wasn't worth the risk. Restoration Hardware was also receiving quite a few negative complaints, and their price was too high if people are even the slightest bit unhappy. So goodbye, RH and Matteo!
I ended up purchasing items from West Elm, Parachute, and H&M, so I can provide an actual side-by-side comparison.
First up is WEST ELM - West Elm is the recommended brand on SweetHome. We live in Los Angeles, so it was easy to go to the store. I purchased a duvet, matching shams for the duvet and sheet set. I managed to get the store to give me 15% off, and the final price came to a little more than $500.
Second up, PARACHUTE - Parachute also has a store in Venice and they had a black duvet. We really wanted black and not the gray color we purchased from West Elm, so we got both for comparison with the intent to return one of them. I purchased the duvet and matching shams. With tax it came out to about $330.
Third, H&M - I couldn't sleep one night and started doing more linen research. H&M had a 30% off one item, so I decided to buy their Charcoal duvet which included matching shams for $90. Yes. $90. Just 1/3 the price of the same items at Parachute. I figured I would buy them, examine the quality and return if they were noticeably different. I also purchased five 20"x20" shams for $12.99 each. I figured the quality would be worse, but maybe I would be pleasantly surprised.
The result --- Here is each brand's linen color for West Elm, Parachute, and H&M. The difference in quality between H&M and West Elm and Parachute is VERY OBVIOUS. Much lower thread count with a looser weave. H&M has a much rougher texture and it's a bit scratchy. I also find the color difference between all three brands very interesting though I suppose that is up to your individual preference. We returned the H&M items.
We decided we didn't like the melange gray duvet from West Elm, so we return it and are CURRENTLY keeping the Coal duvet from Parachute and the Linen sheet set from West Elm. So a couple things here ---
First - Parachute doesn't sell sheet sets with top sheets... they try to get people to only used fitted sheets. This is actually great for us because we don't like top sheets; however, we ended up with the West Elm sheet set. I feel better knowing that if something goes wrong with our fitted sheet, we have a matching back up.
Two - A set of shams at West Elm are $20 more than Parachute, but it ends up being $50 less if you want a complete set (shams, top sheet, fitted sheet). Plus, it is very easy to get a discount at West Elm. Parachute will not do the same. Because of all this I have to say West Elm is a better value.
Third - Did you notice I said CURRENTLY up above? Why? Well, I'm 100% sure we are keeping our West Elm sheets. The quality seems great, and the weave is nice. I am not sold on keeping the Parachute shams and duvet. When I went to the Parachute store, I noticed the Coal colored display pillow looked a bit faded. It even looked a bit ratty. I tried to chalk this up to being a display pillow, but after a week of sleeping on this duvet, I'm just not sure. It's hard to capture in the light, but here is side-by-side of the West Elm sheet and Parachute duvet after a week of sleeping on both.. The Parachute duvet has the slightest degree of pilling. Here are two pictures of Parachute samples that I got in the store next to the duvet. The wear on the fibers is a bit hard to see in pictures but it is obvious to the naked eye. I'm sure Parachute would say this is because they use certified, organic fibers. Or maybe West Elm uses formaldehyde to smooth down their fibers? I don't know. But the obvious, visible wear on the duvet with just one week of use makes me nervous.
Overall, I am happy with West Elm, uncertain on Parachute and do not recommend H&M (you get what you pay for!)
TL;DR - Happy with West Elm. Uncertain on Parachute. Do not recommend H&M.
Submitted September 18, 2017 at 02:06PM by GeorgiaDaisy http://ift.tt/2w3MvnU
