Who am I spending the night with? Choose if sateen or percale is right for you
JOne thing's for sure. We spend about a third of our lives in bed. It's not just your mattress, bed or partner that plays a big part in how well you sleep, but also your bed linen. This is what is the closest to us, after all. The best materials from which the linen can be made are percale and sateen. Both are made of cotton, both are pleasant and beautiful. You can't say one's better and the other's worse.
"It's like wine, is white or red better? Either is great. Just different. And the taste for them can change. The same is true for linen."
Percale or sateen? Both are made of organic cotton.
Percale and sateen MARIELI linen is made of organic cotton grown in Egypt. Their fabric is woven from long fibres, which makes them much softer than ordinary bed linen available on the market. Technically, the difference between percale and sateen lies in the exact way in which the fabric is woven. And that difference can do wonders for how they make you feel.
Percale linen
Percale, whose name, by the way, comes from Persian, is matt, strong, but also light, fluffy and, above all, very breathable. This makes it ideal for the warmer months or for those who don't like to be too warm or sweaty at night.
"The percale is crisper, cooler, a bit like a freshly ironed shirt," describes Terezie, the woman behind MARIELI.
The unquestionable advantage of percale is that this fabric made of very fine yarns is extremely durable.
- Washes great at 60 degrees, looks better with every wash
- Thanks to the strong weave of the long fibres, it will last for years in perfect shape.
Unlike sateen, however, it creases more easily and it is better to iron it for maximum enjoyment of the linen.
Sateen linen
Sateen doesn't wrinkle as much, making it a good choice for die-hard iron haters.
Make no mistake.
But just to be clear, forget the "famous" shiny, clingy, smooth satin. This fabric made of synthetic polyester or viscose has almost nothing in common with the real sateen made of 100% cotton that we are talking about here.
We're talking about a special weave made of long fine fibres. It guarantees a soft and silky look and feel.
Compared to percale, it has a higher grammage and is thus heavier, warmer and ideal for colder nights or all year round for those who like to snuggle up and stay warm.
"Just one touch and you love it. It is ideal for long winter evenings in bed," Terezie says.
So which material is the right one?
Linen made of both materials have one important thing in common. For a long time, I was looking for a manufacturer who would have the perfect material and at the same time take both ecology and working conditions seriously," says Terezie, for whom Öko-Tex certificates are a must.
In the end, she found a manufacturer in Israel that surpassed its European competitors not only in quality but also in its approach to ecology. Moreover, it has a long tradition and prestigious customers from all over the world, including top hotels such as the Hilton, Sheraton and Ritz-Carlton.
Why not sleep as well at home as in a five-star hotel?
With percale and sateen linen, it's like wine. You can't go wrong with either. Only sometimes white is more suitable, sometimes red. So, what are you in the mood for?