Besides the fact that this is a good text to step back from and contemplate on a hot-as-torpedoes July afternoon in New York, when you'd stoop so low, hauling your sweaty self around, as to find a chilly Sleepy's and have a nap, I am amazed and moved that any political candidate, now or ever, would reference Tristram Shandy. A humble citizen reading this witty campaign flier need not necessarily get the joke, which just makes it even more amazing to me.
Just when I was wondering about summer blankets and feeling dissatisfied with our cotton quilt, which doesn't settle about the body but instead lies there on top of it, like a big thick crêpe, Plumeria Bay* asked if I'd review one of their tropical-weight down comforters.
If you live in New York — or Washington, Buffalo, Ann Arbor, Tokyo — it's a bit hard to get your mind around down in the hot months. If you think about it, though, goosedown pillows are great all year; they don't feel hot in July (or January, in Melbourne), especially if you use linen pillowcases. For our Brooklyn bedroom, Plumeria Bay recommended their 800 fill goosedown tropical-weight quilt: "I think you'll be surprised how warm, yet comfortable, it will be," said founder Steve Clay.
The comforter is covered in Lyocell, a fabric made from beechwood fiber. It's good for summer because it is softer and more absorbent than their cotton batiste, Clay explained. The queensize is a generous 92 inches square, compared with the old 77 x 82-inch full/queen winter comforter from The Company Store.
On a recent series of punishing city nights, the quilt was silky, breathable, and settled gently over the body, exactly as I'd hoped. But at about 3 a.m., I woke up, too warm. Turning the AC to "freeze" helped, but of course letting bedclothes govern energy usage is not ideal.
We brought the quilt up to the North Shore, in Massachusetts, for a few days. (Letting bedclothes govern vacation plans is a fine idea.) The nights were in the 50s and low 60s, with low humidity. There, the comforter was ethereal. It also was quieter than the cotton-covered down duvet in our cottage. Quieter, you say? Yes. If you're not the heaviest sleeper, and it's a hot summer night, the faintly crackly textural noise of cotton is vexing.
A duvet cover is really necessary if you have a dog or a child. Plumeria Bay carries luxurious ones sized for the comforter's 92 inches. Or your dry cleaner can always whip up a cover from a couple of queen flat sheets.
To sum up: Goosedown is lovely in summer. The feel of it is more substantial than a top sheet — I can't sleep with such scant weight on me — and lighter and floatier than a summer quilt. But if you live in a very humid climate, or tend to sleep warm, look around for the lightest weight option you can find. Plumeria Bay offers a 650 fill that would be cooler. The Company Store has a 550 fill, but you'll have to contend with the smaller 88-inch size, and it only comes in cotton. L.L. Bean carries a lightweight goosedown blanket, but again, it's cotton, which does feel heavy compared with the Lyocell.
Given the heat in New York apartments in January, I am sure this 800-fill tropic-weight will become our winter quilt.
*I discovered Plumeria Bay, a small company in Washington state, on my search for the perfect pillow, and have been impressed with their level of service and the quality of their products (plus the free shipping). Whenever possible, I research and buy from small companies. Supporting someone's dream, as opposed to being just a blip in a share price, is something to sleep on, I reckon.
When all else goes wrong in a day, turn to the noble, the old, those things whose beauty and usefulness are intertwined.
Also, read about fabrics.
Why are bedclothes called "linens?" Because they originally were made from linen. You can still buy linen sheets. I was seduced by Cheryl Mendelson's description of them in her strangely beguiling book Home Comforts. The queen of fibers, she said. Great body. Crispness. The only thing for summer. (Prosecco for the bed?) The way they let air circulate around the sleeper, they way they don't cling. Prized through the ages for the way they come clean, cleaner than cotton...
Linen is made from the fibers of the flax plant. It is pretty much indestructible and does not lint or pill. Of course I had to have linen linens to know what sleeping in the 14th century was like, although I could only afford pillowcases. All the fine linen in the U.S. is imported, mainly from Belgium, Ireland, France, and Italy. It is apparently difficult and time consuming to make. (When I learned that, I was lost.)
Until they make phyllo pastry linens, then, or for the next twenty years, whichever comes first, I will enjoy these Italian cases.
Over a recent few hot nights here in New York, the fabric was a cool relief against our skin, even after just one washing. You can actually launder these sheets in the machine and even dry them on low in the dryer. But really I love them for how they look. Without ironing. Handsome, yes? Like the bed Juliet leapt out of.
Maybe someone will buy us the actual sheets. Mi piace molto l'idea.
A reader writes:
Dear Sleeper,
I've just moved to Hong Kong and it is dreadfully humid and hot. Fortunately, it's still only March, so I'm not exhausted from the awful sleep. But is there something I can do to prepare my bed for the warm and humid climate?
Needing better sleep,
Paris
Dear Paris,
What's worse than a long, torpid night staring at the ceiling in deep summer in Hong Kong — or St. Louis, or Buffalo? ...except maybe the morning after. I feel your pain.
You didn't say whether your place has air conditioning, so I'll assume it doesn't, but first I'll say I'm a believer in AC, at least at night, in otherwise airless apartments or bedrooms not shaded by trees during the day, which keeps the heat down at bedtime. But if a window unit isn't an option, there are still plenty of things you can do to get a good sleep.
A fan is paramount, even if you do have AC, since cooler air sinks to the floor. If you can possibly have this Vornado shipped, do. It is handsome, but more important, it circulates the air far better than does a box fan. Put it on or close to the floor, across the room, and aim it high on the wall to the side of your bed. You won't believe the difference. As a bonus, the white noise from this fan is heavenly. (I have two.) Lower the shades during the day to keep the beating sun out.
Next, declutter your bedroom. Do you have a desk in there? Scattered papers? Dry-cleaning hangers on the doorknob, waiting to be recycled? Remove them. Then make sure the room is always clean and dusted. Just having this one room in your place (not to imply that the others aren't) neat and serene will lower the... what is the opposite of wind chill?
In a minute I will get to the bed itself, I promise.
What color are the walls in your room? A neutral or soft cool color will help a great deal. For steamy climates I love Farrow & Ball's Borrowed Light. F&B paints are made up of hundreds of pigments, so even the paler shades are complex, psychically deep. It might sound crazy, but in prepping a room for summer, every aspect of it is crucial, especially if you're at all prone to insomnia. What's on your bedside table? You don't want your mind to be toiling away when you're trying to quiet your body, although I find A Streetcar Named Desire strangely comforting on hot nights. The sultry spirit.
Your bedtime ritual should change for summer. Before going to sleep, wash your feet in cool water. Cucumber soap is soothing, but any will do, as long as it isn't heavily perfumed. Run your wrists under cool water, too. Wear woven cotton pajamas, not jersey (it clings), in white or a light color. Likewise, for your bed, choose a papery percale. Dwell bedding, made of Egyptian cotton, has a great feel for summer; it stands away from your skin. Plain white or off-white or a subtle pattern is best. Change the linens as often as possible, every couple of days if you can.
You may have already discovered that sleeping in the nude is less comfortable than wearing a light pajama.
There are some good, very lightweight blankets out there, or you could opt just for an exceedingly clean top sheet.
Eat lightly, but make sure to have some warm food at supper. It sounds paradoxical, but eating all cold foot in hot weather raises the body's temperature. And avoid alcohol in the hours before turning in.
One more tactic to try in the bedroom, from a friend who lives in Bangladesh: put a curtain rod in the doorway and hang a clean wet (not dripping) sheet from it. Aim the fan so that it bounces off the sheet.
Cool thoughts,
Sleeper
