Last updated Jul 22, 2021 | Bedding, Bedroom, Mattresses
Getting a restful sleep is vital to your overall health. Not getting enough shut eye has been linked to decreased brain function, weight gain, and even an increase in cancer risk according to the National Sleep Foundation.
But how many of us toss and turn, even a few nights a week, unable to get a full night’s sleep in our own beds? If you’re struggling to achieve that elusive 8 hour sleep, your mattress just might be the culprit.
What is a polyfoam mattress?
Polyurethane foam was first developed in 1937, prized for its softness and flexibility. It was initially used in everything from couch cushions to footwear, providing a supple support. It was incorporated into innerspring mattresses in the 1950s to add a comfortable layer. NASA further developed polyfoam, and in 1966 sent memory foam mattresses into space.
Polyfoam is now the most common (and least expensive!) type of mattress on the market. These mattresses form-fit the body’s shape, and relieve pressure points while providing an overall level of support.
What are the benefits to polyfoam mattresses?
A polyfoam mattress can be extremely beneficial for those who are having trouble getting a full night’s sleep.
Unlike a traditional innerspring mattress, polyfoam mattresses do not squeak when someone shifts their weight as they sleep. This means that light sleepers wont’ be awoken by their partner throughout the night. They also provide much better motion transfer, reducing any jostling that may result from a partner’s movements. These mattresses are hypoallergenic, comfortable, and extremely affordable.
Preventing back pain
Over 65 million people in the United States report suffering from acute or chronic back pain, according to the Health Policy Institute. People with back pain are more likely to be depressed or frustrated, to the point where it interferes with their lives.
Where a polyfoam mattress really shines is its ability to relieve pressure points, and promote a healthy spinal alignment. It alleviates pressure on the spine, giving your body the support it needs without putting undue stress on painful points.
What type of mattress should I buy?
If you’re having a hard time sleeping, or are just looking for an affordable mattress option, a polyfoam mattress will be the best solution. These mattresses offer a variety of thickness options, can be custom cut outside of standard mattress sizes, and can even be used as a mattress topper over an existing coil mattress.
Overall if you’re searching for a comfortable and supportive solution, without the squeak and shift of a coil mattress, that won’t break the bank – a polyurethane foam mattress is right for you.
Last updated Jun 6, 2021 | Bedding
Are you tired of monochrome, minimalist interiors? This so-called futuristic design trend is absolutely on the way out, and it’s time to bring color back into our lives. While we all want our houses to be trendy and fashionable, it’s important to remember the key word: home. Your home should be a place to be safe and to rest. If you aren’t at home when you’re – well, at home – then where will you be?
Villa Cotton began with this idea – to bring back this sense of comfort and coziness and to add color to the bedroom, one of the most important rooms of the home. Right from the start, we were drawn towards Italian designs and styles for our bedding and sheet sets. It makes sense: traditionally Italians have always seen their homes as a safe haven, and it is the heart of la dolce vita, a delightful concept that brings sweetness and joy into all aspects of life. We wanted to infuse our bedding with this concept and bring it to our customers’ homes.
Out With Plain White Bedding, in With the Color!
Image Source: Giardino Design by Villa Cotton
It was perfectly clear from the beginning that plain white bedding would just not do in our quest to create la dolce vita bedrooms. Solid color and white sheets were too joyless, an uninspired canvas for boring dreams. We were inspired by the brightness and color of the Italian landscape and Italian homes, and went looking for those designs that could make every morning exciting.
In the end, we went straight to the source. We weren’t particularly interested in the big design houses of the main cities in Italy, as we felt their focus was a bit more corporate. Instead, we wanted to harness that small Italian village feel: the flowerboxes in the windows, the colorful stucco houses, the long nights of wine, food, family, and friends. After some searching, we found a small artist workshop in Como, Italy, and the minute we saw the hand-painted watercolor designs from the artists there, we knew we’d struck gold.
The eight designs we eventually chose for our signature collections have a wide range of color palettes and styles. From more traditional floral, to tropical, to abstract, it’s pretty much all there. Not all of them are colorful – but even those have a unique, exciting design that brings a sense of inspiration and coziness.
Image source: Primavera Design by Villa Cotton
These hand-painted Italian designs became the heart of our duvet cover and comforter sets, but when it came to our sheet sets, we decided to go a different route. We wanted to focus on luxury quality material that would give our customers the sweetest sleep of their lives; however, we also wanted to find a way to bring in that touch of color.
After various revisions and discussions, we landed on a very simple, elegant idea: small, embroidered dots on the edges of our sheets and pillowcases. Somehow this little detail reminded us of a collage by the sea somewhere, where color finds it way into every part of life. We picked out a palette of six colors, three bright and three more subtle, to suit our customers’ different tastes.
Taking Care of the Community
Italian design is the heart of our brand’s look and feel, but there’s something else we took from Italian life: the sense of community. From the beginning, it was important to us that we imbue a sense of responsibility and care not just into our products, but into every aspect of our work, from production to packaging.
This led us down a path of eco-responsibility, and we’ve found multiple ways to bring this awareness into our process. It goes beyond the OEXO-TEX certification for all our products – we also went for digital printing, as it transfers the images better and dramatically reduces the amount of water required for printing. When we were designing our packaging, we focused on its materials as much as its design, and now our boxes are fully recyclable (made of cardboard and paper).
Finally, we partner with a number of charities relevant to the region where we manufacture (Punjab) and have launched a collaboration with the organization One Tree Planted to have a tree planted for every purchase off our website.
They say home is where the heart is, and we absolutely believe that. It is our mission to bring color and joy into the bedrooms of our customers, and inspire them to live that la dolce vita every day. After all, those who are happy and healthy (and well-rested!) are those who can best work towards a better world!
May 24, 2021 | Bedding, Pillows
If you are looking for something unique to add a splash of flavor to your decoration, you can try custom designing your pillows. The great thing about pillows is that they highlight colors in your bedroom and supplement the overall atmosphere you created. You can tailor them to your particular taste and add some flair. This saves a ton of time on having to hunt down the right color, fabric, and design across department stores.
Custom Pillows for Your Bedroom
When you create your own pillow, you can add a design that you can’t find anywhere else. Choose any color or pattern that you desire.
Custom Pillows Are High Quality
Custom pillows are built well and incredibly fluffy. If you go with an image print, they are high resolution and look very crisp. You don’t have to worry about the pillow looking dull or the fabric fading. You can remove the print cover and wash it by hand while placing the rest of the pillow in machine-wash.
How It’s Done
When you create a custom pillow, you are given the option to choose the size and shape. You can go with a basic pillow with just an image on one side or a print that covers the entire pillow. The design you choose can go on both the front and the back of the pillow. If you want to create a logo and add it to the pillow, you can consider logo-making tools that can create one with ease. Once you complete your design, you can preview what your pillow will look like before purchasing it.
Cool Custom Pillow Ideas
There are a variety of options you can choose from. One of the most popular pillow designs is a fully covered pattern. These tend to best complement bedrooms and provide a pop of color in very drab environments. With patterned prints, you can choose basic shapes and vivid colors. You can also choose an image with different designs. For example, you can pick an animal and pair it with flowers. You can place family portraits on a pillow or a photo of your favorite pet. Other ideas include text, such as a family slogan, a funny inside joke, or a catchphrase. Inspirational quotes can brighten up your day when placed on a custom pillow that you can add to your bed.
How to Decorate With a Custom Pillow
Your custom pillow can be both functional and increase the beauty of your bedroom. Use the pillow to add highlights and accents to your room. You can pick colors that don’t stand out well in your bedroom and create a pillow with these tones to bring this hue out. You can also make a bedroom fancier simply by creating very upscale-looking pillows with detailed artwork or prints.
Give One as a Gift
When it’s time for the holidays or a birthday celebration, you can make something signature that is meaningful for your friends and family members. When you give a gift you custom-designed, it adds a touch of affection. This is also great for weddings, anniversaries, graduations, and other special ceremonies.
Get Started on Your Custom Pillow
With these great ideas, you can get started on your bedroom makeover. You can also find out how to make your own custom logo pillow.
May 22, 2021 | Bedding
Very few people understand the impact bedding contributes to the quality of sleep they get. Most often, the blame or concentration goes to the bed leaving out the beddings.
Top interior decorators often spend more time and money choosing a bed and beddings. Sleeping on a not-so-good bed or beddings is like wearing scratchy or worn-out clothing for 8 hours. No doubt, you will not be comfortable and will not be in top shape.
If you are confused about the best types of materials to choose for your beddings, then read on.
Picking the Right Duvet and Pillows
Frankly, a bed is not complete without a cloud-like duvet (i.e fluffy cotton wool type of duvet) and perfectly suited pillows. Before you buy a duvet, make sure it’s suitable for your bedroom. Have you thought about how warm you would be in bed wrapped in the duvet?
To choose the perfect duvet, check out the tog rating. Wondering what a tog rating is? It means the measurement of warmth you will receive using the duvet. Below is the best duvet tog rating for each season:
- Summer – 2.5 to 4.5 tog
- Spring and Autumn – 9 to 10 tog
- Winter – 12 to 13.5
However, instead of buying separate duvets for each season, you can get a medium and light duvet and use both together during the winter.
For pillows, make sure they are soft enough to be comfortable and hard enough to provide the needed support to our heads. The best way to know if your pillow is due for change is to raise it over your arm. If the pillow drops then you need a new one.
Selecting the Best Bed Linen
Although the linen is second on this list, it ought to be the first. As important as linen is, it always seems like an afterthought for most people for their bedding.
To get the best linen you need to consider the thread count. The thread count is the measurement of the fineness of the fabric. To get the thread count, the number of threads per square inch is counted. So get the best linen, make sure the thread count is high. Also, the fineness of the yarn and weaving should be considered too.
Choosing the Best Materials for Bed Sheets
The most popular bed linen materials are cotton, silk, or linen. However, what matters here is that these materials are natural fibers that are breathable. Therefore, the choices are often made on personal preferences.
For a glossy bed sheet opt for silk materials. The strands of the silk material naturally keep moisture close to the skin. You can also opt for linen if you are not a fan of glossy and hairy bed sheets.
The Last Take
Whatever, your choice of beddings for your bed is, the price would also determine whether you will get it or not. Not to worry, you can a bohemian bedroom style.
Last updated May 6, 2021 | Bedding, Sheets
If you’re on the lookout for new bed sheets, you could be walking into a whole new world of terms you’re unfamiliar with.
What the heck are thread counts? Why does the weave matter? Did you think that “ply” only applied to toilet paper?
A whole lot more than you may expect goes into making high-quality bedding. We’re going to get down to the basics of bedroom décor and break down how to shop for the best bedding.
What are Thread Counts?
Thread counts are a measurement of the number of threads in one square inch of fabric. It lets you know how tightly the fabric is woven.
Manufacturers calculate thread counts by adding the warp and weft threads in a certain area. This means that they add how many threads run lengthwise and how many run widthwise.
If your sheets have 110 warp threads and 110 weft threads in a square inch of the fabric, it has a thread count of 220. Many people think they should use thread count as a way to indicate how soft the fabric feels.
Companies that market bed sheets use thread count as a selling point to indicate that their sheets are of a higher quality than their competitors. What feels more luxurious than knowing your room is decked out in high thread counts and exotic ceiling fans?
The truth is a little more complicated than that.
What is the Best Thread Count?
In truth, there is no “best thread count.” The quality of your sheets depends on the quality of the threads, not the thread count. In fact, each type of fabric has a different ideal thread count.
At the very least, your sheets should have a minimum thread count of 200. Anything less than 200 is loosely woven and won’t feel as soft.
Both the type of fabric and how it is woven will make a difference in what thread count to look for.
For example, percale is a “plain weave” pattern. It has a one over, one under pattern. Percale sheets should have a thread count between 180 and 200 to be considered average quality.
On the other hand, to achieve an average quality set of sateen sheets, they must be tightly woven. They would have a thread count between 250 and 300.
Here are the thread counts for high-quality fabric depending on the material:
- Linen: 80-140
- Cotton: 200-400
- Egyptian Cotton: 300-400
- Bamboo: 300-500
As a side note, linen sheets don’t typically list the thread count on the packaging. High thread counts should be avoided when buying linen sheets.
Also, many popular materials for making bedsheets don’t use thread counts to measure the quality. For example, silk is measured in a unit called a “momme.” This is a measurement that looks at how much a 45 inch by 100-yard piece of silk weighs.
Microfiber, jersey, and flannel are measured in grams per square meter, or GSM.
Does High Thread Count Mean Better Sheets?
In short, no. A higher thread count doesn’t always mean more comfortable or higher quality sheets. This correlation between a high thread count and more comfortable sheets usually tapers off at a certain point.
For most fabrics, once you’ve hit the 600 thread count marker, generally the only noticeable difference will be the price tag. High thread counts, in the 600-800 range, won’t feel any softer or last any longer than the sheets in the 200-600 range.
Plus, if manufacturers packed more than 800 threads in a square inch, your fabric would be bulky and would stifle airflow.
Important Aspects of Good Bedding
Now you understand the basics of thread counts and how to spot good sheets based on that number. But, as we mentioned, there is so much more that goes into making high-quality bedding. Fabric material, weave pattern, and ply count all matter too.
Fabric Material
For higher-quality bed sheets, look for labels that tell you that they were made with extra long fibers. For example, long-staple or extra-long-staple cotton ensures that the fibers won’t stick out from the weave and become uncomfortable.
Another good option for cotton sheets is combed cotton. Cotton is considered “combed” when the manufacturers remove short fibers from the cotton before they spin it.
In general, all-natural fibers will have a much better feel than anything made from polyester.
Weave
There are two different kinds of weaves: plain and satin.
In a plain weave, the horizontal and vertical threads alternate one after the other throughout the weave. Think of it like a checkerboard pattern.
With a satin weave, the weft threads lie along four warp threads at once. This allows there to be more vertical threads in each weave and creates a much softer, smoother sheet.
Sheets with a plain weave are great for people who get overheated overnight. The weave allows for plenty of airflow to help keep you cool.
Sheets with a satin weave are a little better for colder nights. They’re more tightly woven and they feel heavier and more sturdy.
Ply Count
Single-ply sheets are sheets with one strand of yarn per thread. These are more high quality because they use strong, fine threads to create their weave.
Multi-ply sheets use more strands because the threads are more prone to becoming brittle and breaking. They feel more coarse and thick.
Finding the Best Bedroom Decorations
Who knew that buying bed sheets would be so complicated? When it comes to finding the best quality sheets you can afford, there is a lot of information to consider. Just remember that high thread counts and high price tags don’t always mean a better sleeping experience.
At the end of the day, you need to be happy with the decision you made. If you find that you’re more drawn to the way a lower thread count feels, there’s no shame in using them! It all depends on your personal preferences and what makes you comfortable when you rest your head at night.
For more design tips and tricks, keep reading!
Mar 5, 2021 | Pets
You just got a cat tree for your cat, likely because you’re sick of it scratching up the furniture, even though you’ve purchased the best cat proof couch cover! But now, you’re looking for ways to furnish the tree, or you want to change the carpet it came with. Once you attach a carpet to your cat tree, your cat will be able to find warmth and scratch until their hearts content.
Your cat can also scratch at the carpet of their cat tree instead of your furniture. Now that you want to attach a carpet to your cat tree, you don’t know how to do it. Rest assured, this article will be telling you how to attach a carpet to your cat tree.
Gather the Supplies
The first thing you need is a bare cat tree without any carpet. So if your cat tree came with a carpet, you have to remove it before you commence. At this point, you must have the carpet you want to put on your cat tree. Choose a carpet that won’t be too rough on your cat’s skin but one that is very fluffy and soft. After, you will have to go to a store and get a hammer, nails and a box knife. Don’t attach a carpet to your cat tree in the house; take it to the garage. You wouldn’t want your cat to step on nails.
Remove the Previous Carpet From the Tree
Most cat trees come with some covering, so you have to make sure you remove it before attaching a new one. You have to take great care when you’re removing the previous carpet from the cat tree so you won’t damage the cat tree. A lot of carpets that come with cat trees are easy to remove, so you can use a solution to weaken the adhesive and remove it. If you don’t know how to remove a carpet from the cat tree, you should hire a professional to remove it. You can call a carpenter to remove the carpet you don’t want any longer from your cat tree.
Cut the Carpet To Appropriate Size and Attach the Carpet Using Nails
This part is going to require precision and measurement on your part. Calculate the size of where you want to attach the carpet to and cut it out on the carpet. Once you’ve cut out the carpet according to the size of the cat tree, you can then begin to attach it. You will use your nails and hammer to attach the carpet to your cat tree. You should attach the carpet in a part of your house where your cat won’t interfere. The loud noise will disturb your cat, so you should do it far away from where they stay.
It is important to know when to change the carpet on your cat tree. Carpets get worn because of your cat clawing on them. Once you see the carpet on your cat tree has many patches and is no longer cushiony, change it. You also need to make sure you get a quality carpet that won’t shed. Put a new carpet on your cat tree, and your cat will never want to leave their cat tree.
