Bin your lumpy pillow or skimpy duvet for some top-notch bed linen from the sales, writes Eoin Lyons
House of Fraser,at Dundrum Town Centre (01-2991400, www.houseoffraser.ie), has cut 30 per cent off the price of duvets made by the Australian company Sheridan. A double that cost €405, for example, is down to €283.50. You can put these high-quality, hypoallergenic down-filled duvets in the washing machine, too. The department store's bed-linen reductions include the range's pure cotton sateen collection. A bed cover that was €368 is now €257.60. Also on offer in the Linea range is a large purple bed throw for €320, down from €400. House of Fraser is now stocking Helen McAlinden's bed linen for . This is subtle, good-quality stuff, and at the moment you'll get 30 per cent off the linens and 20 per cent off mohair throws.
Bottom Drawerat Brown Thomasin Dublin and Cork (01-6056666, 021-4805555, www.brownthomas.ie) has some of the best bedding ranges. Its sale includes a number of top-quality 13.5-tog king-size Polish goose-down duvets€495 to €395. Light and fluffy but warm and luxurious. Its washable cotton quilted pillows are down from €45 to €35. Bottom Drawer has a table of reduced bed linen by , the brand used in the Four Seasons, the K Club and many other luxury hotels, including the Ritz in Paris. Classic pure white king-size duvet covers are down from €245 to €171.50, and sheet sets that were €325 are now €227.50.
Caseysin Limerick (061-307070, www.caseys.ie) and Cork (021-4270393, www.caseys.ie) has pillows by Tempur, a leading brand, that dip in the centre. They're called Contour and are supposed to relieve pressure in the neck. Normally €119, they're now €99; worth testing first.
Irish linen sheets are an old-time luxury, in part because they're difficult to maintain (all that ironing), but nothing feels better. House of Ireland, in Dublin (01-6711111, www.houseofireland.ie), stocks sheets and pillowcases made by Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen (www.fergusonsirishlinen.com), in Co Down. They are expensive: a pair of flat sheets for a king-size bed is €580, a pair of regular pillowcases €154. The shop is offering 10 per cent off in its sale. It's not a huge reduction, but when something is this pricey, even a little helps.
Marks & Spencerdoes a decent range of well-priced duvets and pillows, all with generous reductions this month. It's particularly good for anti-allergy duvets, which are synthetic but still cosy. For example, a 10.5-tog duvet for a five-foot bed was €67 and is now €37.50. In the heavier 13.5 tog, a similar size was €73, now €37.50. For something really warm, try its wool-blend duvets. A five-foot was €125 now down to a mere €28. It has wool-blend pillows to match; they were €34, now €13.
Arnottsrecently enlarged its bedding department, adding many ranges, which makes it an even better place to search for a duvet. Snuggledown of Norway'ssynthetic Thermofill Lite 13.5-tog has warmth without weight and is both machine washable and non-allergenic. This mid-range duvet is half-price in Arnotts' sale: a double was €100, now €50, and a king was €110, now €55. The store's high-quality down-filled duvets include the Monogramwhite goose down 13.5-tog, covered in a superfine jacquard. It's also half-price, so a double that was €285 is now €142.50 and a king that was €340 is now €170. If you're looking for pillows, try Snuggledown's Wash & Dry Me microfibre pillow, which goes in the machine. It was €30 and is now €15. Tempur's traditional pillow is made from shredded synthetic material to give a luxurious feel while still relieving pressure. It was €110, now €88.