For most people, shopping for bedding is a necessary evil. You want the very best on offer. After all, according to Ariel Kaye, CEO of the new online bedding e-tailer Parachute, you’ll spend a third of your life in bed. For that amount of time, you and you family should be sleeping on sheets of gold. But with a little bedding know-how and the right tools, the process is as simple as, well, breakfast in bed.
Here, Kaye talks Egyptian cotton, the duvet color of the season and why we should all be burning our bed skirts.
Why do you think people are shopping online for bedding?
What I found in my own experience, and partially what inspired Parachute, was that going to the store really isn’t that great of an experience. Oftentimes there are sales associates that don’t actually know quite a bit about the product, there’s a ton of different options, it’s not really curated in a way that’s easy to understand or maneuver though.
Where should people even start when they need to buy bedding? Now it sounds even more daunting!
I always recommend that people think about the sensation that they like against their skin…you spend a third of your life in bed! That’s where I like to start, and the way that the fabric quality is made is through the weave. So our percale and our sateen are made from long staple Egyptian cotton, the highest grade possible, but the way that they are woven gives them a much different finish. Do you like the smoother, softer sensation like sateen? Or do you like percale, which is cooler and crisper? Or do you like linen, which has this more organic type of texture to it and is much more breathable. What is that fabric that is actually going to improve the quality of your sleep?
Are there any top bedding trends this season?
[Lots of] textural products. We’re introducing a great quilt for the top of the bed that would layer over your duvet and just add a really nice top of bed quality and warmth. We’re also doing this heathered stripe. I think heather is a really great look for fall. It’s a nice transition from end of summer months to these cooler months. And cashmere, for me, is the best for the fall and winter months. Throwing a big cashmere throw over the foot of your bed—there’s really nothing that makes me feel more in love with fall than wrapping myself in that soft fabric.
Okay, let’s do a little rapid fire: Bed skirts?
Hmm. Archaic. Personally, I think they’re out.
Throw pillows?
I like a throw pillow.
Throws?
Love it.
Pets?
Oh, I’m a sucker for a dog, so I think pets on the bed—except when you sleep. No pets while you sleep.
