Although most of us now swear by sleeping under a Continental duvet, a duck-feather-filled eiderdown is the height of bedtime luxury.
WHEN Sir Terence Conran introduced duvets—or Continental quilts, as they were known then—to the shelves of habitat in 1964, he instigated a revolution in the bedroom. An advertising slogan of the time entreated customers to ‘sleep with a Swede’ and we didn’t need much persuading.
Duvets—named after the French word for down—were more comfortable and lighter than traditional blankets and, best of all, they saved time. Making a bed, previously a laborious process involving folding blankets and stretching and tucking in sheets, became a two-second exercise, involving a little sheet straightening, some pillow fluffing and a quick shake of the duvet. Job done.
We waved goodbye to blankets and hospital corners without a backward look, but were far less enthusiastic about giving up eiderdowns. No amount of low-maintenance Nordic living (or sexy Swedes) could seduce us into jettisoning the decorative, feather-filled quilts upon which both modern and historic ideas of luxury are in accord.
Eiderdowns, or eiderdown quilts, first appeared on our beds in Victorian times as an alternative to heavy and scratchy blankets. In those days, several layers were used on beds, beginning with a top sheet, then blankets, an eiderdown and, sometimes, a bedspread on top.
この記事は Country Life UK の November 22, 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Country Life UK の November 22, 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
