Fashionable in bed

Abhilasha Ojha goes shopping for bed linen and finds that the branded market is flooded with incredible options, including limited edition collections, zany motifs and quality that redefines comfort.

I n an episode of Sach Ka Saamna, the desi version of Moment of Truth, anchor Rajeev Khandelwal asked his guest if he was guilty of stealing bed sheets from hotels? The guest replied in the affirmative. In fact, Yusuf Hussain, the show’s participant, also a theatre personality, from Lucknow, argued why he sneakily packed bed sheets from different hotels in his suitcase. “The bedsheets [in hotels] were so soft, so comfortable, not at all like the ones which were available in the market,” 60-year-old Hussain had said.

One can’t blame Hussain alone. Like him, many of us would steal to sink into the luxury of ultra-soft and luxurious bed linen.

My personal favourite is a bed sheet I recently purchased from Shoppers Stop. It’s a brand called Spaces and with its very pretty motif, it’s also a splendid combination of colours in dull blue and white. What makes it a complete winner, however, is how soft the cotton fabric feels every time I lie on it. And though one doesn’t know the exact thread count, I’m quite sure that it could do well in a hotel room.

If you are a bed linen junkie too, craving to stuff your wardrobe with colourful and comfortable bed linen, this festive season has a lot in store for you. Most bed linen labels are introducing their autumn-winter collection for season 2009-10. In fact, United Colors of Benetton has stepped into the segment of bed linen for the first time this season for the Indian market. Starting from Rs 1,499, the bed linen collection from UCB has some incredibly zany designs. While the shades of the linen use pale colours (almost like a blank canvas, you might say), the overall design puts emphasis on big and bold prints. So, you’ll have meadows of huge daisies, huge prints of road atlas’ as bed linen design (yes, that’s right), alphabets in cubic characters, huge ocean waves and sand dunes that are printed in rich colours. If you’re thinking it’s perfectly suited to your kid’s bedroom, you’re wrong. It can find a place in the master bedroom too.

If United Colors of Benetton promises a completely wacky look in bed linen, Maspar (another personal favourite, by the way) has come up with its Enchanting Nature collection. It’s also impossible to ignore the rich yet warm tones that the brand has introduced in its new Pot Pourri collection for Diwali 2009-10. What’s more, instead of labelling them simply as blue, brown or red, the colours have some fascinating names including red ginger, wood brown, river blue and Thai green. If the colours are sure to leave you feeling fresh, the fine embellishments of flowing designs that one finds in the range are even better. The collection, 100 per cent cotton, offers a fully coordinated bed linen collection, complete with bed sheets, pillows and cushions, bolsters, bed covers and duvet covers too. In fact, it also offers coordinated throws and rugs. The price: Rs 4,500.

Similar to Maspar’s rich colours but very different and unique in its design is the new Marigold collection from Portico. The range is fabulous, a riot of colours in reds, oranges and yellows packed in interesting gift box options. A duvet cover gift box, complete with a 108”x108” bedsheet, four pillows covers, one duvet cover (88”x96”) is available at a price of Rs 4,999. The set also includes spa products, including scented candles, a handmade soap and loofah. With 30 designs to choose from (each one offers options in blankets, duvets, bed sheets, bed covers and pillow covers and more), Portico’s new range is impressive.

We suggest, you also give brand Maishaa’s bed linen range a good look. For season 2009-10, this home furnishings brand introduces 12 different collections including Sufi, Mandarin, Riviera and Arabic, to name a few.

A new name to emerge in this segment is Rosebys, a London-based brand now available in India. For the festive season, fashion designer Varun Bahl, in fact, has been especially roped in to create designs for bedspreads, duvets, bedsheets and cushion and pillow covers. What emerges, according to Nikhil Sen, CEO, Rosebys, is contemporary design from classical motifs. Rosebys’ USP is premium quality offered at very reasonable prices. Having picked up sets of bedsheets and pillow covers from Rosebys personally — thankfully, the colour hasn’t changed after numerous washes — the quality, I can add, is excellent. It’s also very attractively priced. Bahl’s limited edition designer bed linen ensemble is available from Rs 799 (cushions with intricate embroidery) and Rs 2,999 (king-sized bedsheets with four pillowcovers).

Desi designers have been associated with bed linen for quite some time actually. If Raghavendra Rathore has partnered with Carmichael House, Sabyasachi has been associated with Bombay Dyeing to create bed linen. JJ Valaya, of course, has been bringing out home décor designs (bed linen included) under his own label. But if you were the sort of person for whom only international designer brands would do, well, you could just be lying on high-end branded names like Donna Karen, Calvin Klein and Versace who offer some incredible designs — in bed linen too.

This Diwali, invest in colour, comfort and the ultimate luxury in bed linen.