I've finally invested in some pure linen sheets - and now I understand what everyone's been talking about

Getting your sleep setup just so takes a lot of work. Once you’ve found the perfect mattress for you and piled on your favourite pillows and the perfect tog of duvet, there will be just one final piece of the puzzle that you need to fit to complete the perfect sleep set-up: your bed linen.

It took a little while for me to get used to investing in my bed linen, but I’ve learnt that it’s not the place to skimp. If you buy good quality fibres and the perfect design for your room, your bedding can make your room feel cosy whilst delivering on that gorgeous fresh-sheets feeling from the moment you climb into bed right through to when you (reluctantly) roll out.  But what does the best bedding look like?

My latest and greatest discovery in the luxury bed linen category has been Rowen and Wren. Their French linen sheets are the epitome of luxury. They crinkle just so and come with beautiful tie features and embroidered flourishes. They’re cosy, but not twee. The kind of style that you’d see in a luxury cabin getaway. And, if you sleep on these every night for ten years, the investment comes down to almost nothing. Or, at least, that's how I’ve justified it to my bank. 

Specifications

Composition

You see the boast that sheets are 'pure linen' in a fair few places these days, but none can quite make the same claims as Rowen & Wren. Their all-natural linen is consciously sourced from a small batch production team. Then, the fabric is woven and embroidered by hand. That takes a lot of time, care, and effort and I actually think that translates well into the sheets (if that's possible). The linen feels like a labour of love and it looks stunning too.

As if the love wasn't enough to make these sheets feel like a warm hug, Rowen & Wren also pre-wash the sheets before you buy them. If you've had linen sheets before, you'll know that the more you use your sheets, the more the fibres break and relax. Brand new linen can sometimes feel a bit scratchy, but Rowen & Wren push past this for you, so that you get the lightweight, super soft results. It's exactly as you dream linen to be.

It's worth dwelling on the composition in a broader sense. The price of linen has shot up in the last year, so much so that The Secret Linen Co and Piglet In Bed have had to start creating more affordable linen blends. It goes a long way to explaining why Rowen & Wren's bedding is leaning towards a luxury price tag. If you're interested, Linen Trail suggests that "the growing popularity of linen has led to a surge in demand. Linen production, when compared to other fabrics is still small-scale against its supply, hence the high prices." It helps to know that the price hasn't been inflated for the sake of greed and 'because everyone else is doing it'.

Tangent tucked away, the Rowen & Wren linen is the softest that I've felt and the colours are all natural, subtle, and hand-applied too, leaving an effect of some sheets that are irresistable. You'll also spot that the pillows tie closed, or use a button fastening. The same buttons are at the bottom of the duvet cover and they have a delicate, mother of pearl feel. It's all very elegant.

Who would it suit?

If, like me, you fell in love with Rowen & Wren at first sight, you're not alone. There is something irresistible cosy about the woven ticking stripe, delicate embroidery, and palette of soft blues. Whilst my initial response to the design leant on the side of 'cottagecore' and 'farmhouse', on closer inspection, I think the classic stripes and subtle embroidery offer pretty timeless elegance for homes, modern and classic. 

Of course, the subtle tones are more understated than anything bold or dramatic, but I think that makes the perfect palette for layering with some textures. Linen looks great with textured throws and cushions and this gives you plenty of scope.

Linen appeals to lots of people looking to make their sleep set up a little more natural. The look, feel, and background of the linen gets a big tick from me when it comes to natural fibres. You'll just also need to be ready to make an investment. If you appreciate high-quality craftsmanship and attention to detail, the luxury price tag doesn't sting, but if all that sends you to sleep (not in the good way), there are other options.

In a practical sense, linen is the smart choice for hot sleepers to opt for. The naturally breathable fibre helps to take heat and sweat away from your skin, rather than suffocating your pores. I wouldn't say that it's the set for curing night sweats, because the linen itself is quite thick. I'd say that it's a good breathable option for Autumn through to Spring. I'll be using it in the summer, but ask me again when the evenings get a bit sweatier.

What is it like to sleep on?

The ticked blue stripe base sheet looks as cosy and soft as it feels. I have a double bed and the elasticated corners just about stretched over all the parts of it. The final corner took a bit of muscle strength because the natural fibres are a little less flexible than others, but they reached over the final corner in the end. 

The duvet cover is spacious and easily engulfed my fluffy duvet. The base has some delicate mother of pearl buttons to seal and tidy up the whole design — it’s a subtle feature, but one of the many extras that make this feel premium. 

To go with the bedding, I invested in the striped square pillow (with mother of pearl fastenings) and the embroidered standard pillow (with a tuck and tie fastening). The whole bed set up looks effortlessly cosy. It’s the perfect, easy yet premium combination. 

I've been sleeping in these sheets since September, so they've had a good test. It was still pretty warm when I put them on the bed (I remember some 20 degree days) and I've been sleeping in them even when it's dropped to -4. These have managed that almost impossible balance of temperature regulation. When I was hot, these didn't stick or insulate my skin. It might not have felt actively cooled, like if there was a fan running over my skin, but it still felt fresh.

As for the winter, these felt cosy and thick, but still not too sweaty when I turned my electric blanket on. I've had to switch out some of my other cooling sheets and linen alternatives, because they were either making me sweat or making me feel too cold. These sheets are the only ones (aside from my Piglet In Bed sheets) that felt good through the seasons.

You can see in the image above, if you can decode the graphs, that I was getting some very consistent sleep in with my Rowen & Wren bedding. The statistics come from my sleep tracker and they're showing that my body was obvioulsy very happy with the breathability and comfort levels of the sheets. You can't fake that.

Cleaning

It's only after researching how to clean the Rowen & Wren bedding that I realised that I haven't quite been following their advice to a tee. I have been bundling the sheets into my washing machine, on an eco-wash (30 degrees) with Ecover Non-Biological Laundry Capsules. In the grand scheme of things, I've been pretty gentle on them. They've had fortnightly washes and not a button or a thread is out of place. They're as soft and pristine as they were back in September. 

Rowen & Wren recommend washing your sheets on a cold cycle, with a gentle detergent (tick, tick for me), but they have a special little extra tip that should help to keep your sheets in even better condition. They say to turn the sheets inside out, so that the delicate hand embroidery is protected in the washing machine drum. It's smart and absolutely how I'll be washing the sheets from now on.

You're also encouraged to air dry your sheets, again so that there's less wear and tear on the fibres and embroidery. I have a heated airer (the Dry:Soon 3-Tier, if you're wondering) that speeds up this process a little more. However, when I air-dried these inside in December, I had them bed-ready within 9 hours.

The real beauty is that this is linen. You don't need to iron it and the sheets looked great on my bed. It feels nice to have some low-maintenance sheets, for once.

How does it compare?

If you've used different kinds of linen, you'll know that pure linen bedding sets can feel like chalk and cheese depending on where you're buying from. Rowen & Wren's bedding is super soft, light, and breathable. It's exactly as you imagine linen should be, so it's tricky to pull out comparisons that don't make it sound like I'm sponsored by Rowen & Wren (I'm not, by the way). The only brand that really holds a candle up to this bedding is my Piglet In Bed Gingham Sheets.

I mentioned earlier that the price of linen has shot up. Whilst you can pick up pure linen sheets from Piglet In Bed, I opted for the gingham in their blend to see how it compares to pure linen sheets. These are 55% European linen and 45% long staple cotton and they blend beautifully. They feel just as soft as the Rowen & Wren sheets, they're equally breathable and just as cosy. You'll also get more detail on where the flax and cotton comes from. With Piglet In Bed, it's the best of the best, so you get the luxury service.

If they're comparable on price, feel, and performance, the only real choice that you face is aesthetic. Piglet In Bed aren't afraid to go bold with their colours and designs, leaning in to the cosy, cottage aesthetic. Rowen & Wren are still on the scale for this, but there's a touch less dramatic and a little more understated. Both are gorgeous, so the decision is really up to you and your style.

Should you buy it?

I know that Rowen & Wren sheets are luxurious. I know that they look expensive, but you spend one third of your life in bed. I spend more on my food shopping, more on my gym membership, and more on my clothes too, so this bedding feels relatively sensible. It will last you for decades and, if you're struggling to sleep, this might just be the missing piece in your snoozing routine.

How we test

At woman&home, we test all of our bedding before we recommend it to you — I wouldn't dream of doing anything else. There's a lot of science behind how we sleep, why we sleep, and how to optimise that set-up that you snooze in. I have geeked out on all of the studies and then I apply them to the bedding that we review.

I look into the composition of your sheets, showing you where brands might be making blends instead of pure weaves. I'll give you the science on what the fabric means for you and your sleep. Then, of course, I put it all into practice. 

I sleep in these sheets for months. In fact, I like to keep them all in rotation so that I can keep comparing the different sets for you. I update the reviews with how I slept (I have a sleep tracker) in different weathers as well as how it felt against my skin through the seasons. There isn't a single detail that I miss out.

I'll talk you through cleaning and ironing, whilst also making comparisons to similar models that are on the market. By the end of the review, you should have a good idea of whether you're getting value for money, as well as whether these are the best sheets for you. If you still have questions, please get in touch. I could talk you to sleep about, well, sleep.