What is a duvet?

Duvets are quite common in Europe, but in America they are similar.  A large bag (the size of the bed) is filled with down or feathers and placed on the bed as a cover.  People who use a duvet, especially in Europe, will have a fitted sheet beneath the duvet and the duvet as their only bedclothes (which allows for easy bed-making).  Duvets have covers which can be washed and matched with bedroom accessories.

Today, duvet is often used interchangeably with comforter (which is like a duvet except it is filled with silk, polyester, wool, or cotton rather than down/feathers).  Comforters, of course, usually need to be used in addition to a full set of sheets (and often a blanket, as well, as they are not typically as warm as a traditional duvet). 

Commercial stores have added to the confusion about duvets, as duvet or comforter covers are often termed as ‘duvets’.  You know you have a real duvet if you hear the seller refer to it with a ‘tog’ number – the higher the tog rating, the warmer the duvet.  For winter months, you’d want a tog number in the teens (some manufacturers will place two duvets in one cover to get to the higher number).