When buying sheets, choosing a luxury bedding brand can be hard. Questions of material, thread count, price point, and washing instructions can be overwhelming and information can be difficult to find. However, you're in luck! The Fig Linens Buyer's Guide to luxury sheets compiles all the information about designer sheet sets from our bestselling bedding brands Matouk, Sferra, and Frette.
Explore the history, qualities and tiers of each brand from Matouk's Grande Hotel to Sferra's Giza 45. Then, examine a side by side comparison of Frette vs. Sferra vs. Matouk sheets.
High End Bedding Terms Glossary:
- Thread Count:
Thread count refers to the number of threads per square inch of fabric. It measures how tightly woven the fabric is. Therefore, higher thread counts generally indicate softer and more long-lasting sheets. Sheets from all of the manufacturers discussed here start at 200 thread count.
There is much discussion around "does thread count matter?". The answer is both yes and no. While sheets with a thread count below 180 will feel scratchy and wear easily, thread count becomes less important as you go up in level of luxury.
In the upper echelons of luxury bedding, the fineness of a sheet is determined by the quality of the fiber, and not the thread count. For instance, Sferra's Giza 45 sheets are considered one of the finest in the world because they are made of an incredibly high quality cotton, even though they have a thread count of only 500.
- Percale:
Percale (pronounced per-kale) refers to the finish and feel of sheets. Percale sheets feel crisp with a flat finish. Sheets with a percale finish are the sheets most often used by luxury hotels across the world.
These cooling sheets are perfect for hot sleepers as they are very breathable.
- Sateen:
Sateen also refers to sheets with a silky feel and shimmery finish. Sateen weave fabric is slightly reflective and feel like satin. Sateen sheets are perfect for temperature regulation in winter as their tight weave holds in more heat.
The choice between percale and sateen set of sheets is completely up to personal preference for feel and look.
- Giza Cotton:
Giza cotton refers to an incredibly fine long-staple Egyptian cotton. The fiber is considered the gold standard for making the world's most luxurious sheets. It is used in Sferra's Giza 45 styles and Matouk's Bergamo and Gatsby styles.
If you would like to learn more about Egyptian Giza 45 Cotton, read our blog post about the material here!
- Sheet Set:
The term "sheet set" refers to a combination of the flat sheet, fitted sheet, and a pair of pillowcases in a specific style. Flat sheet describes the plain sheet that goes directly under a comforter or blanket while a fitted sheet is the sheet with a deep pocket and elastic meant to go around the mattress. Twin, Queen, and Full Sheet sets pair with standard pillowcases, while king pillowcases are generally used on a king or California king bed.
The Best Designer Bedding Brands
Explore our top picks from the best bedding brands including Matouk, Frette, and Sferra Bedding. These bed sheet brands offer a variety of bedding products and sheet sets tailored to your preferences. Use this guide to compare styles side by side. Learn the subtle differences between Sferra Grande Hotel Bedding and Sferra Celeste Bedding, Matouk Milano and Matouk Bergamo, and Frette Hotel Classic and Frette Single Ajour Bedding here!
American-Made Luxury Bedding: All About Matouk Bed Sheets
Matouk offers sheeting in a broad range of styles at a broad range of price points. They offer both percale and sateen styles.
Percale Matouk Sheets include:
- Sierra Percale: 350 Thread Count | $422 for a Queen Sheet Set | Hemstitch | Indian Cotton
- Ceylon Percale: 520 Thread Count | $523 for a Queen Sheet Set | Satin Stitch | Indian Cotton
- Luca Percale: 500 Thread Count | $638 for a Queen Sheet Set | Hemstitch
- Milano Percale: 600 Thread Count | $726 for a Queen Sheet Set | Hemstitch
- Bergamo Percale: 500 Thread Count | $883 for a Queen Sheet Set | Giza 87 and 92 Egyptian Cotton
- Gatsby Percale: 1000 Thread Count | $1,875 for a Queen Sheet Set | Sateen Border | Giza 87 Egyptian Cotton
Sateen Matouk Sheet Styles Include:
- Nocturne Sateen: 600 Thread Count | $726 for a Queen Sheet Set | Egyptian Cotton
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Talita Sateen: 615 Thread Count | $838 for a Queen Sheet Set | Egyptian Cotton
Matouk's most popular designs which feature a simple design on a solid background (Essex, Lowell, etc.) are printed on these various percale and sateen sheeting fabrics. When buying Matouk bedding, be sure to check which sheeting is used in your chosen design. It is important that the feel matches your preferences to ensure a dreamy sleep.
In addition to the solid sheeting style mentioned the Matouk Shumacher Collection includes fitted and flat sheets in a variety of colors and patterns.
Love a design but don't love the sheeting fabric it is printed on? Matouk specializes in custom bedding! Contact the Fig Linens and Home customer service team at info@figlinens.com to see if we can help to make your vision a reality.
160 Years of Italian Luxury Sheeting: Frette Bed Sheets
Frette bedding is well-known around the world for its prestigious history and popularity with European royal families. Frette makes gorgeous sheets in simple, timeless styles. Frette sheets are made in Italy by attentive artisans. The sheets are known for their meticulous construction and considered to be an heirloom item.
Fig Linens and Home carries several of Frette's sheeting styles including:
Frette Percale Sheets:
- Hotel Classic Bedding: 200 Thread Count | $575 for a Queen Sheet Set | Double Line Design
Frette Sateen Sheets:
- Single Ajour Bedding: 300 Thread Count | $600 for a Queen Sheet Set | 100% ELS Cotton Sateen
- Bold Bedding: 300-500 Thread Count | $1,100 for a Queen Sheet Set | 100% ELS Cotton Sateen | Sleek borders
- Grace Bedding: 500 Thread Count | $1,500 for a Queen Sheet Set | 100% ELS Cotton Sateen
- Links Embroidery Bedding: 500 Thread Count | $1,650 for a Queen Sheet Set | 100% ELS Cotton Sateen | Chain Design
Frette Poplin Sheets:
- Triplo Bourdon Bedding: 240 Thread Count | $1,275 for a Queen Sheet Set | 100% ELS Cotton Sateen | Triple Line Design
Frette Poplin is a soft, strong cotton fabric with a slight sheen. It washes and irons easily and does not wrinkle quickly.
Sheets Made of the World's Finest Raw Materials: Sferra Linens
Sferra is another Italian heritage brand known for their rich history. Started in 1891, Sferra was the first to use Giza 45 cotton (widely considered the best in the world) in sheeting.
Their line contains a variety of percale and sateen fitted sheets, flat sheets, and pillowcases in gorgeous styles.
Sferra Percale Sheets:
- Grande Hotel Sheets: 200 Thread Count | $539 for a Queen Sheet Set | 2 line embroidery
- Celeste Sheets: 400 Thread Count | $847 for a Queen Sheet Set | Hemstitch
- Finna Sheets: 525 Thread Count | $1,093 for a Queen Sheet Set | Double Hemstitch
- Giza 45 Percale: 500 Thread Count | $1,766 for a Queen Sheet Set | Hemstitch
Sferra Sateen Sheets:
- Fiona Sheets: 300 Thread Count | $601 for a Queen Sheet Set | Hemstitch
- Giotto Sheets: 590 Thread Count | $1,168 for a Queen Sheet Set | Hemstitch
- Milos Sheets: 1020 Thread Count | $1,795 for a Queen Sheet Set | Hemstitch
- Giza 45 Sateen Sheets: 700 Thread Count | $1,805 for a Queen Sheet Set | Made of 100$ Giza 45 Cotton
Side by Side Comparison of Frette, Sferra, and Matouk Sheets
To explore even more styles and specialty sheet sets like jersey sheets, organic cotton sheets, bamboo viscose sheets, and linen sheet sets, explore Fig Linens and Home's entire Sheets and Pillowcases collection here.
Sophie Edwards
Sophie is the head content writer at Fig Linens and Home. She is a bedding, linens, and luxury homeware expert with an interest is the intersection of interior design with fashion, travel and culture. She has a BA in creative writing and sociology from Sarah Lawrence and an MSc from the Oxford University Department of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography.