Soft, cozy and luxurious--a down duvet is the finishing touch in any perfect bedroom. Warm but not too hot, snuggly but not too bulky, the right down duvet can transform your bed into a heavenly cloud of comfort.
A down filling is the ideal filling for bedding because it is light, airy and at the same time very breathable. Not to be confused with feathers, down is the fluffy layer that sits underneath the feathers of waterfowl and protects them from wind and weather. The largest amount of down is found on the belly of geese and ducks, as this part of the body comes into contact with water most often and the down has to warm the bird accordingly.
People have appreciated the warmth and comfort of down for centuries.
In the fourteenth century, mattresses in Europe were made up of feather beds and down pillows, later we began to use down duvets for covering as well. Due to its longevity and robustness, good down bedding has been passed down from generation to generation and even today, high-quality down products should have these qualities.
The most important thing to look for when buying down duvets is the fill power, which measures how fluffy the down is. The higher the fill power, the better the duvet. Fill power is reported as a value, usually in the hundreds, that corresponds to the number of cubic inches per ounce that a particular type of down fills. For example, an ounce of 600 fill power down also fills 600 cubic inches, and a 700 fill power down fills 700 cubic inches.) It's a measure of volume.
A higher fill power (about 700) means a warmer and lighter blanket. This is because fluffier down offers a higher level of insulation (because it can trap more air). So you need comparatively less down than with a down with a lower fill power (e.g. 600), of which you need a higher fill quantity to produce the same amount of warmth. In short, the highest quality down duvets have a high fill power, so they offer the perfect amount of warmth and are incredibly light.
Of course, you also need to consider the climate you live in and how you like to sleep. Most down duvets––including ours––can be selected in an extra light version or in the 4-season version. The difference is in the fill weight. All 4-season duvets have a higher level of down of the same fill power as their lightweight counterparts to keep them warm enough for frigid winter nights without being too heavy and suffocating.
Finally, you should look out for a cassette or checkered design, which means that a grid pattern has been sewn into the duvet, which distributes the filling evenly over the entire duvet. This design ensures that the down can achieve its highest possible fill power and also does not slip to one side of the duvet.
Did you make a note of that? Good. Then get the best down duvet on the market now if you don't already have one: down duvet or synthetic duvet.