Duvet

Last updated
A bed with a duvet La cama deshecha (2724466831).jpg
A bed with a duvet

Name

The word duvet is of French origin, meaning "down". Its first known mention in English came in 1759, when Samuel Johnson used it in one of The Idler series of essays. [8] Duvets are often more commonly known by other names outside of Europe.

Contents

Australia and Europe

1974 Kimptons doona advertisement in the Canberra Times KimptonsDoonaAd.jpg
1974 Kimptons doona advertisement in the Canberra Times

Originally called a continental quilt, duvets are commonly referred to in Australia by the generic trademark doona. The Doona brand of duvets were originally manufactured by the Melbourne-based textile company Kimptons and became popular in the 1970s, [9] with the brandname eventually becoming a generic term in Australian English. [10] After a series of mergers and acquisitions, Tontine Group has held the Doona trademark since 1991. [11] [12] Kimptons' adoption of the term "doona" is generally held to be from the Danish "dyne" (pronounced du-neh), meaning eiderdown, originally from the Norse "dýna". [13] The word occurs in similar form also in Swedish and Norwegian; elsewhere other variants are also found such as "dunyha" in Hungarian [14] and also, with the same meaning, in Romani or Romany, the language of the travelling Romani people of Europe. [15]

Asia

In Asian countries like India and Pakistan, duvets are known as "ralli quilts" or razai.

Americas

In American English, a duvet may be called a comforter; however, comforter is generally used to refer to a slightly different type of bedding that is not as thick, does not have a cover, and is often used over a top sheet.

History

Records show the earliest duvets were made in China, around 3000 B.C. From Viking times[ timeframe? ], duvets of eider (duck) down were ussed by people on the northern coast of Norway.[ citation needed ] In the 15th century, featherbeds (mattresses) were used by rich monarchs in continental Europe and in England, though not by their courtiers. [16] From the 16th century, wealthy people all over continental Europe began buying and using feather duvets.[ citation needed ]

Feather duvets came late to England. Samuel Pepys slept under one on 9th September 1665 while visiting his friend Captain George Cocke, [17] whose wife was from Danzig. [18] Paul Rycaut was among the first to try to promote the duvet in England. Around 1700, he sent six-pound bags of down to his friends with instructions, warning that "the coverlet must be quilted high and in large panes, or otherwise it will not be warme". [19] [8] He also tried to sell them without success. [8]

In the mid-18th century, Thomas Nugent, a Briton on a grand tour then passing through Westphalia, observed with surprise:

There is one thing very particular to them, that they do not cover themselves with bed-clothes, but lay one feather-bed over, and another under. This is comfortable enough in winter, but how they can bear their feather-beds over them in summer, as is generally practised, I cannot conceive. [20]

Feather coverings came to be used in the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century, [19] just as feather mattresses became common, [16] and were unsurprisingly known as "continental quilts". [19] They were not, however, universal. Of a British traveller in Germany in the 1930s, it was said that "She even learned to like feather quilts ('they don't seem to know about blankets – perhaps they didn't have them in the middle ages')". [21] Duvets remained uncommon in Britain until the 1960s. [8]

Duvets are the most common form of bed covering, especially in northern Europe. They became popular throughout the world in the late 20th century. [22] They are reported as being introduced to Britain by Sir Terence Conran who sold them in via his London Habitat store commencing in 1964; Conran had encountered them in Sweden in the previous decade and believed that they offered an alternative to the traditional, cumbersome British method of bed-making that involved a top sheet, blankets, with sometimes also a thinner (British style) "eiderdown" on the top for extra warmth. [23] British users gradually came to prefer the style of sleeping under a duvet for the freedom of movement it offered and the reduced feel of weight on the body, in addition to the simplification of the bed making process. [5]

Description

A duvet without a cover, "quilted high and in large panes" White-duvet.jpg
A duvet without a cover, "quilted high and in large panes"

A modern duvet, like a sleeping bag, may be filled with down or feathers of various quality and cost, or silk, wool, cotton, or artificial fibers such as polyester batting. Duvets can be made warmer than blankets without becoming heavy, and thereby can reduce the complexity of making a bed, [8] as they can be used without additional blankets, quilts or other bed covers. Although bed making is indeed simpler using a duvet than its traditional "sheet plus blankets" equivalent, this may come at a cost: since a duvet is, by its nature, a fixed thermal efficiency or "tog rating", multiple duvets, of different tog ratings, may be required to be purchased per individual bed to suit the variation in warmth as required for the different seasons if adamant on not tossing a blanket on top for added warmth.

Hygiene

The duvet itself, just like an eiderdown, may be cleaned much more rarely, and depending on its contents, may require specialist dry cleaning. Thus something easily washable is usually placed between the sleeper and the duvet, that can be removed and laundered as often as the bottom sheet and pillow cases. While it is perfectly possible to use top sheets, the common practice is specially made bag-covers, usually of cotton or a cotton-polyester blend. While a comforter is fundamentally the same as a duvet in terms of construction, it is used somewhat differently. In the United States, comforters are used on top of the flat sheet, often without a cover.

Thermal performance (tog rating)

Manufacturers rate the performance of their duvets in togs (10°C difference between the outsides at 1 Watt), as a measurement of thermal insulation. This enables the purchaser to select a duvet appropriate to the season: the higher the tog rating, the warmer the duvet.

A few manufacturers have marketed combined duvet sets consisting of one 4.5 tog and one 9.0 tog. The light-weight one is for summer and the medium one for spring and autumn; snapped together, 13.5 togs is designed for winter. Manufacturers may also offer up to 15 tog duvets.

In some countries, such as France, the warmth of a duvet is rated in grams per square metre (g/m2) instead of togs. The two systems are incompatible because, for example, a 250 g/m2 polyester filling and a 250 g/m2 feather filling have the same weight but offer different levels of thermal insulation and therefore different tog ratings. [24] [25] However, typical all-season sets are sold as a pair of 200 g/m2 and 300 g/m2 duvets, creating a combined 500 g/m2 winter duvet, which would therefore be expected to match 13.5 togs. [26] [27]

Disadvantages

Duvets/continental quilts/doonas are generally marketed as providing a more comfortable, wrap-around sleep experience, better freedom of movement for the sleeper, and easier/quicker bed making compared with the traditional "sheet and blankets" approach commonly found in the U.K. prior to their adoption. They do, however, come with some disadvantages, namely:

This site [28] details the particular pros and cons of many types of duvets.

Standards and sizes

Modern manufacturing conventions have resulted in a large number of sizes and standards.

In the story The Princess and the Pea , published in 1835, H.C. Andersen wrote about a princess lying on ten eiderdown duvets.

An eiderdown is mentioned in the Pink Floyd songs Julia Dream, Flaming and A Pillow of Winds.

The term "duvet day" is used in some countries to describe an allowance of one or more days a year when employees can simply phone in and say that they are not coming in to work, even though they have no leave booked and are not ill. The provision of this benefit became fashionable in the late 1990s with many larger employers in the UK. [29]

In the 1999 American film Fight Club , Tyler Durden gives a speech in which he describes duvets as pretentious blankets:

Do you know what a duvet is? [...] It’s a blanket. It’s just a blanket. Then why do guys like you and I know what a duvet is? Is this essential to our survival in the hunter-gatherer sense of the word? No.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Futon</i> Traditional Japanese bedding

A futon is a traditional Japanese style of bedding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pillow</span> Cushion for the head

A pillow is a support of the body at rest for comfort, therapy, or decoration. Pillows are used in different variations by many species, including humans. Some types of pillows include throw pillows, body pillows, decorative pillows, and many more. Pillows that aid sleeping are a form of bedding that supports the head and neck. Other types of pillows are designed to support the body when lying down or sitting. There are also pillows that consider human body shape for increased comfort during sleep. Decorative pillows used on beds, couches or chairs are sometimes referred to as cushions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedding</span> Bed covering fabrics

Bedding, also called bedclothes or bed linen, is the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for hygiene, warmth, protection of the mattress, and decorative effect. Bedding is the removable and washable portion of a human sleeping environment. Multiple sets of bedding for each bed are often washed in rotation and/or changed seasonally to improve sleep comfort at varying room temperatures. Most standardized measurements for bedding are rectangular, but there are also some square-shaped sizes, which allows the user to put on bedding without having to consider its lengthwise orientation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bed</span> Piece of furniture used as a place to sleep or relax

A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax.

A silk comforter (絲綿被) is a bed covering, most often used as a duvet, and also commonly referred to as a silk duvet, silk quilt, or silk blanket. Originally used and made in China, since the late 20th century, silk comforters have become more common in Western market areas. Their increasing popularity stems from a combination of factors, including their thermal properties, their light weight, and their natural hypoallergenic properties. The opening of the Chinese market to the world since the 1990s has also played a significant role in the spread of silk comforters, as China is both the world's biggest silk producer and silk comforter manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down feather</span> Soft, fine feather, sometimes under larger feathers

The down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. Very young birds are clad only in down. Powder down is a specialized type of down found only in a few groups of birds. Down is a fine thermal insulator and padding, used in goods such as jackets, bedding, pillows and sleeping bags. The discovery of feathers trapped in ancient amber suggests that some species of non-avian dinosaur likely possessed down-like feathers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bed sheet</span> Rectangular piece of cloth or linen cotton used to cover a mattress

A bed sheet is a rectangular piece of cloth used either singly or in a pair as bedding, which is larger in length and width than a mattress, and which is placed immediately above a mattress or bed, but below blankets and other bedding. A bottom sheet is laid above the mattress, and may be either a flat sheet or a fitted sheet. A top sheet, in the many countries where they are used, is a flat sheet, which is placed above a bottom sheet and below other bedding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comforter</span> Type of bedcover

A comforter, also known as a doona in Australian English, or a continental quilt or duvet in British English, is a type of bedding made of two lengths of fabric or covering sewn together and filled with insulative materials for warmth, traditionally down or feathers, wool or cotton batting, silk, or polyester and other down alternative fibers. Like quilts, comforters are generally laid over a top bed sheet and used to cover the body during sleep. Duvets are another form of quilt, traditionally filled with feathers, though since the late 20th century often made of synthetic fibres or down alternatives.

Linens are fabric household goods intended for daily use, such as bedding, tablecloths, and towels. "Linens" may also refer to church linens, meaning the altar cloths used in church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ticking</span>

Ticking is a type of cloth, traditionally a tightly-woven cotton or linen textile. It is traditionally used to cover tick mattresses and bed pillows. The tight weave makes it more durable and hinders the stuffing from poking through the fabric. To make it even tighter, ticking could be waxed, soaped, or starched. Tick materials designed to hold foam may be knit, or more porous. In English-speaking countries ticking commonly has a striped design, in muted colors such as brown, grey or blue, and occasionally red or yellow, against a plain, neutral background.

A law label is a legally required tag or label on new items describing the fabric and filling regulating the United States mattress, upholstery, and stuffed article industry. Typically these tags begin with a phrase such as This tag may not be removed under penalty of law except by the consumer. Some states require tags on used bedding as well.

Eiderdown can refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tontine Group</span>

Tontine is an Australian manufacturer of pillows and quilts. The company can trace its origins back to 1870 when the Galt family commenced manufacturing in Melbourne. From 1984–2001 it was owned by Pacific Dunlop. The Tontine group was part of Pacific Brands until early 2017. Tontine is now owned by John Cotton Group. Until 2007 the company's manufacturing base was at East Brunswick, Victoria. Tontine Fibres is a division of United Bonded Fabrics a separate company manufacturing polyester insulation, air filtration, carpet underlays, geotextiles and a range of mattress and furniture comfort products and using the Tontine trademark under license.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattress protector</span> Bedding product

A mattress protector is an item of removable bedding that sits on top of, or encases, a mattress to protect it. Some mattress protectors also provide protection to the person sleeping on the mattress from allergens and irritants such as dust mites, bed bugs, mold, and dead skin.

Fill power is a measure of the loft or "fluffiness" of a down product that is loosely related to the insulating value of the down. The higher the fill power, the more air a certain weight of the down can trap, and thus the more insulating ability the down will have. Fill power is commonly given as a specific volume, expressed in cubic inches per ounce. Common fill power values range from about 300 cubic inches per ounce (170 cm3/g) for feathers to around 900 in3/oz (520 cm3/g) for the highest quality goose down. The rare and relatively expensive down of certain wild waterfowl species such as the Muscovy duck or Common eider can have higher fill powers than goose down. Higher fill powers are associated with a larger percentage of down clusters and a larger average down cluster size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Coast Feather Company</span>

Pacific Coast Feather Company is a Boca Raton, Florida-based manufacturer of basic bedding including pillows, comforters, sheets, and featherbeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattress pad</span>

A mattress pad, mattress topper, or underpad is designed to lie atop a mattress. Made from a variety of materials including wool, cotton, memory foam, feather and latex, its function is to provide an extra layer of comfort, especially when the existing mattress is worn or uncomfortable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bed base</span> Component of a bed that supports the mattress

A bed base, sometimes called a foundation, is the part of a bed that supports the mattress. The bed base can itself be held in place and framed by the bedstead. In the United States, box-spring bed bases are very common. In Europe, sprung slats are much more common.

Arzaai or Razai is a bedding (quilt) very similar to, if not a type of, duvet or comforter, used in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Razais usually have a cotton, silk or velvet cover which is stuffed with cotton wool. They can provide a great deal of warmth even in the very cold weather that can occur in these regions, primarily due to the insulating effects of the large amount of air trapped in the cotton wool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tick mattress</span>

A tick mattress, bed tick or tick is a large bag made of strong, stiff, tightly-woven material (ticking). This is then filled to make a mattress, with material such as straw, chaff, horsehair, coarse wool or down feathers, and less commonly, leaves, grass, reeds, bracken, or seaweed. The whole stuffed mattress may also, more loosely, be called a tick. The tick mattress may then be sewn through to hold the filling in place, or the unsecured filling could be shaken and smoothed as the beds were aired each morning. A straw-filled bed tick is called a paillasse, palliasse, or pallet, and these terms may also be used for bed ticks with other fillings. A tick filled with flock is called a flockbed. A feather-filled tick is called a featherbed, and a down-filled one a downbed; these can also be used above the sleeper, as a duvet.

References

  1. ↑ Jones, Daniel (2011). Roach, Peter; Setter, Jane; Esling, John (eds.). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-15255-6.
  2. ↑ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN   978-1-4058-8118-0.
  3. ↑ "duvet". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary . Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  4. ↑ "duvet: Meaning and Definition of". Infoplease. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  5. 1 2 "Duvets v eiderdowns – the royal household takes it to the mattresses". The Guardian . 5 January 2016. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  6. ↑ "Doona, n." . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press . Retrieved 2022-04-29.(Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  7. ↑ "duvet". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. n.d. Retrieved 2022-02-15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Almost 300 years without a duvet". BBC News. 2015-12-25. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Tony. "'MR DOONA' WAKES TO ELECTRONICS". Australian Financial Review . Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Meaning of Doona in English". Cambridge Dictionary. Archived from the original (web page) on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "History of Pacific Dunlop Ltd" (PDF). Ansell. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-08-10. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  12. ↑ "THE TONTINE STORY". Tontine Group. Archived from the original (web page) on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "dyne" (web page). ordnet.dk. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  14. ↑ Kiséry, István (2006). Hungarian-English dictionary. Akadémiai Kiadó. p. 103. ISBN   9789630583589.
  15. ↑ Jan Yoors, who travelled with the European Romani as a boy before the Second World War, writes in his 1967 memoir "The Gypsies": "[as a 12-year old, in 1934] I gratefully accepted Nanosh's invitation to share his sleeping stead, together with his many brothers, between two enormous eiderdowns ... Suddenly a little Gypsy boy at the other end of our dunha (eiderdown) turned around with a pull ... [when] I awoke late in the morning ... most dunhas had been removed and stacked away inside the wagons." (Yoors, "The Gypsies", pp. 17-19).
  16. 1 2 "Straw mattresses, chaff beds, palliasses, ticks stuffed with leaves". Oldandinteresting.com. 9 January 2008.
  17. ↑ "...to bed; where, though I lay the softest I ever did in my life, with a downe bed, after the Danish manner, upon me...". Diary of Samuel Pepys, 9 September 1665
  18. ↑ "...Captain Cocke and his lady, a German lady, but a very great beauty...". Diary of Samuel Pepys 22nd November 1661.
  19. 1 2 3 "Featherbeds, duvets, eiderdowns, feather ticks - history". Oldandinteresting.com. 2006.
  20. ↑ Nugent, Thomas (1749). The grand tour. Vol. 2 (first ed.). London: S. Birt. p. 109.
  21. ↑ Julia Boyd, Travellers in the Third Reich, Elliot and Thompson Limited, London, 2017, ISBN   978-1-78396-381-2, p. 67
  22. ↑ "History of Featherbeds & Duvets" . Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  23. ↑ "The Secret History Of: The duvet". The Independent. 2010-08-27. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  24. ↑ "Which weight should I choose?". Devon Duvets. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  25. ↑ Galloway, Zoe (27 May 2021). "How to choose a duvet: Find out what tog, filling and size is best for you". The Independent. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  26. ↑ "Couette Protection Active Anti-Acariens Végétal 4 Saisons". Dodo SAS. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  27. ↑ "What does GSM stand for?". Easyrest Pillows. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  28. ↑ "Duvet Advisor". Duvet Advisor. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  29. ↑ "Duvet". Wordspy.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.