Gifting
Bedding is a good gift and an easy one to get wrong. Two decisions make it safe.
Decision one: size, and how to learn it without asking
A gift in the wrong size is a return, and returns are the opposite of a present. If you cannot ask outright, ask something adjacent: what size sheets they buy, or whether two people share the bed. Queen is the safe default for a couple in the US, twin for a child's room.
Decision two: the picture, which is the risky part
You know the recipient's room better than any guide does. In doubt, the safer gift is a design where the pattern is a texture rather than a subject — marble, tile, a wash of colour — because it sits in more rooms than a bear or a bouquet will.
The occasions the catalogue keeps returning to
- Weddings and anniversaries. Roses and blush florals; a set in the couple's own colours reads as thought rather than obligation.
- Valentine's. The red-and-black rose designs exist for exactly this week of the year.
- Housewarmings. A guest-room set is the gift people actually lack, and the size question is easier: most guest beds are full or queen.
- Birthdays for children. See the kids' rooms page, including the age rule that applies to babies.
What to say about care
Slip a line in the card: cold wash, low tumble, no bleach. It is the single thing that decides whether your present still looks like your present in two years.