Visit a bed and bath store, and you’ll find aisle after aisle devoted to every type of bedding. There are soft, comfortable sheets that make sliding into bed a joy; blankets that warm up chilly winter nights, and many different types of bedding toppers. The last category is where confusion might set in—comforter, duvet cover, quilt, bedspread: What’s the difference, and why should you choose one over the other, anyway? While sheets and blankets are mostly functional, the bedding set topper has a more decorative purpose—it sets the pace for your bedroom’s style and feel. So when it’s time to give your bedroom a new look, it helps to know which type of topper is the best choice for your space.

Quilts

The term quilt comes with lots of nostalgic connotations in addition to defining a type of bedding. Feather Quilting is an artistic endeavor as well as a style of manufacturing. A traditional quilt has three layers: top, inner batting, and bottom. The top layer of a quilt is crafted from many different pieces of fabric stitched together into complex patterns. The batting is a thin inner layer of wool or down, and the bottom is usually a solid piece of fabric. The quilter stitches through all three layers, creating the familiar quilted look of this very old art form. Some of the traditional American quilt designs include a double wedding ring, log cabin, patchwork, and flying geese. Quilt color schemes can be very bright and varied, or a mix of subtle colors, or a colored pattern on a white or solid background.

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Today, inexpensive quilts are generally made with sewing machines, not by hand, and the patterns are sometimes dyed onto the fabric instead of pieced together with fabric scraps. Quilts with feather pillow are usually made from cotton or cotton blends and are lightweight, thus perfect for summer use or as a winter topper with blankets underneath.

Duvets

Although many people use the word “duvet” to refer to the duvet cover, technically a duvet is a comforter, usually plain white and filled with down, while the duvet cover is the fabric envelope that fits over the duvet and closes down one side with large buttons, ties, or a zipper. The most popular style of bedding with mattress in much of Europe, duvets and their covers have also become very popular in the US over the past decade or two. The duvet cover protects the inner comforter and is easy to remove for laundering, an improvement over traditional comforters and quilts, which are generally not easy to wash. In Europe, it is common to use the duvet without a top sheet underneath, but old habits die hard, and most Americans still use a duvet over a top sheet.

Bedspreads

Bedspreads are single-layer bedding toppers that cover the entire bed right down to the floor and often cover the pillows as well. Many bedspreads have elaborate pompom, corduroy, or chenille finishes, and some have fringe along the bottom edges. Solid colors are most common, although there are printed bedspreads available. Bedspreads are lightweight, so are best for summer use, or used over a blanket in cooler weather. Although you still commonly find bedspreads in hotels, they are somewhat out of fashion for home use.

Bedspreads are especially good for guest rooms, or for any bedroom with a retro style.