Duvet, comforter or quilt: what is the difference?

Ask for a duvet in London and you get an insert that goes inside a cover. Ask for the same thing in Chicago and you are handed a comforter, already quilted, ready to throw on the bed. Same part of the bed, different object, different habits. Here is what separates them, and which one you actually want.

Duvet

A duvet is the filled insert on its own: a plain outer shell holding down, feathers or, in our case, bamboo fibre. It is not decorative, because it is never meant to be seen. It lives inside a duvet cover, which you take off and wash the way you wash a pillowcase.

That separation is the whole point. The insert stays in use for years while the cover goes in the machine every week, and swapping the cover changes the look of the bedroom without buying new bedding. It is the standard across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia and the UK, and it is why our bamboo duvets and duvet covers are sold separately.

Comforter

A comforter is the American equivalent, with one important difference: the filling is stitched or quilted through the outer fabric, and the outer fabric is the decorative layer. It is designed to be used uncovered, often as part of a set with a flat sheet underneath.

The trade-off is washing. Because there is no removable cover, the whole comforter has to go into the machine, and most are too bulky for a domestic drum. That is the main reason Americans who switch to a duvet-and-cover setup tend not to switch back.

If you are used to comforters and are looking at our range: our duvet is the comforter insert, and the duvet cover is what you put around it. You need both.

Quilt

A quilt is thinner and flatter, with a decorative top layer, a thin batting and a backing, all stitched through in a visible pattern. It adds a light layer rather than serving as the main source of warmth, which is why quilts are often folded at the foot of the bed or used on their own in summer.

Coverlet, doona and eiderdown

Three more words that turn up in the same conversation. A coverlet is a lightweight decorative cover, thinner than a quilt, used over the bed rather than under you. A doona is simply the Australian word for a duvet. An eiderdown originally meant a duvet filled with eider duck down, though in Britain it is now used loosely for a thick, decorative top layer.

Which one suits you

A duvet always goes inside a separate cover, ranges from light to very warm, and only the cover needs washing every week. Changing the look means buying a new cover.

A comforter has no separate cover, gives medium warmth, and has to go into the machine as a whole, which most domestic drums cannot handle. Changing the look means buying a new comforter.

A quilt can be used with or without a cover, adds a light layer rather than real warmth, and is easy enough to wash in one piece.

Where bamboo comes in

Whichever word you use, the material against your skin matters more than the construction. Bamboo viscose has a smooth, closed fibre, so it carries warmth and moisture away instead of holding on to them. That is what makes it useful for people who sleep hot, and why it works in both a summer and a winter weight. Our range covers both: a lighter summer duvet and a warmer winter duvet, in the same sizes, so you swap twice a year and keep the same covers.

All of it is 100% organic bamboo, certified by OEKO-TEX Standard 100, ECOCERT and Organic 100, and washed at 30°C (86°F) on a delicate cycle.

Getting the size right

Sizes are the other place where the two systems diverge. A US Queen comforter is around 90 x 90 inches, while a European duvet for the same bed is usually 200 x 220 cm (79" x 87"). The rule is simple: the duvet is sized to the bed, and the cover is sized to the duvet, not to the mattress. Our bedding size guide lists every size in centimetres and inches, with both the UK and the US names, so you can work back from the bed you actually own.