These three terms can be very confusing and they are often misused, which doesn’t help when you’re trying to decide what kind of home bedding to buy. Nevertheless, they do refer to distinct things. A duvet (pronounced ‘”due-vay’”) is the same as a down comforter: a cloth bag filled with feathers. The word ‘duvet’ comes from the French and means ‘down’, as in the soft plumage under the feathers of birds. Down comforters/duvets were first used in rural Europe and filled with whatever feathers were available. Duvets are also called ‘duvet inserts’ by American interior designers.
The problem arises when ‘duvet’ is used to refer to a ‘duvet cover’, which is a completely different thing. A duvet cover is a protective cover that covers the duvet, like a pillow case covers the pillow. Many people in Europe and Canada refer to down comforters as duvets. It’s good to make sure you have your term meanings the same between both parties when you’re talking about comforters. Much of the confusion results from a simple misunderstanding of the items the words refer to.
A down comforter is a subject unto itself. Down comforters were used in Europe before becoming popular worldwide. The English name for them was ‘continential quilts’ (being as they were from the Continent). A variety of loosely quilted comforters in Germany called federbetten (featherbeds) is still used in some parts of that country today. The true predecessor of the duvet, on the other hand, was pioneered in Victorian Britian. Quilted elderdowns, covered with floral chintz or smooth satin, were used until the modern era.
Of course, choosing a down comforter isn’t a matter of simply knowing it’s history. To know the difference between terms is very important, but that’s not the whole story either. You want to know how to find the comforter that fits you. The process can be clear-cut and direct from start to finish if you understand what you are looking for.
There are three standards to keep an eye on as you search for the right down comforter. These are fill power, thread count, and baffle box construction. Fill power is usually listed on the highest-quality comforters. It measures the space taken up by one ounce of down. So, a higher fill power means better insulating ability because the down takes up more space. This is a good measure of warmth and quality.
The thread count is exactly the same thing that I have talked about in other posts on this site: the number of threads per square inch of fabric. The choicest of down comforters used high quality fabrics with a high thread count. If the thread count is higher, the fabric is more soft and more durable at the same time. The high thread count fabric will keep the fill in and dust and dirt out.
The term ‘baffling’ doesn’t just refer to something confusing when it comes to bedding. A baffle is a strip of cloth sewn in-between the two sheets of the comforter to keep the down in one place. How the ‘baffle box’ is constructed contributes greatly to the stability and warming/cooling ability of the comforter. Without this baffling, the comforter will quickly lose it’s ability to keep you comfortable at night, as the down will clump together between the two sheets and leave hot spots and cold spots throughout the comforter.
Don’t forget to check the warranty, either. How long your warranty lasts can make or break a purchase. A long warranty means the quality is virtually guaranteed; a short one, however, means you should take a closer look at the comforter in question.
