I saw that on the cover of the latest PB. I use all solid colors in the bedroom and that tempts me, especially if the blue is close to their Porcelain Blue, but it is a duvet and there's the issue of keeping the comforter inside from shifting around. Good luck!

A duvet is a cover for the comforter. The duvet is(usually, but not always) made of a fabric that can go into the wash. Yes, you can take the comforter out of the duvet and just use the duvet as a top. It will look like a thick sheet.

Ties in duvets are really helpful so that your comforter stays in the right place (not bunch up into a corner of the duvet). Many comforters have little tabs designed to be used with the duvet ties. Otherwise, you can use the duvet ties to lasso each corner of the comforter. That works pretty well, too.

In my home, we have two weights of down comforters for our bed. A very light weight for the summer and a heavier weight for the winter. The duvet gets washed weekly in hot water(allergies). The comforter gets aired out regularly in hot dry weather (to reduce dust mites). We use our duvet without a top sheet. Most people, however, seem to use a duvet cover AND a top sheet.

Delta said so well what I was going to say.......

That duvet is stunning! Can't wait to see! I've used a duvet over the years and just take hold of the corners, making sure I grip the comforter inside too, then, give it a good shake to evenly distribute the comforter so I can arrange it back on the bed. It usually only takes a minute more than arranging a comforter only. And once you have ONE duvet, you may decide to get another pattern for other seasons of the year. I have a set in deep wine velvet for winter.

Red

So if I'm going to buy a comforter anyway I should probably look for one that has tabs? That helps, I wasn't sure how the corner ties were supposed to work. Thanks Natal and deltabreeze. Any more advice out there? I'm waiting for the UPS delivery now :-) I just hope I like it in person!

Red...Thanks for the tip on how to do the insert. I think I was posting as you were and didn't see it. I'll post pics soon :-)

If your comforter doesn't have tabs, you can just put something (like a shoelace) kitty-corner across each corner of the comforter. Sew the shoelace to the ENDS of the comforter, leaving the middle of the shoelace alone. Then the ties have something to hold onto.

Um, no, a duvet cover is a cover for a duvet or comforter.

A duvet is typically filled with down, feathers, or down-alternative fiber (polyester) and the cover is to keep it clean and provide decorative interest. A comforter has the decorative fabric permanently attached to one side or both, but a comforter can also be used inside a duvet cover.

As already noted, a duvet cover is much easier than a comforter to wash.

A duvet is a cover for the comforter.

Nope. A duvet goes inside a duvet cover.

Yes, to what okmoreh and homemaker have posted... I think the reason we think often hear people refer to the cover as the "duvet" is because we have another English word for "comforter", so we assume duvet is the cover. I believe that duvet is the French word meaning a quilt that's usually down-filled (or comforter). So what we do is then cover them, so we can wash the cover without having to wash the comforter (duvet) as often... hence "duvet cover". Speaking of which I just bought a new one myself and love them.

And I'm with redbazel on how to keep them from shifting around. I don't find they do it that much, but when I make the bed, I just grab the corners of both the cover and duvet inside and lift the whole thing, and it fluffs the down nicely and keeps the duvet from shifting. I've never found a need to use the ties, but I guess they wouldn't hurt unless they make a lump in the corner.

Thanks all. I think the terminology has had me a little confused and I guess now see why :-) I just wasn't sure if there was a special type used inside the duvet cover or if it was a regular comforter like some people use without covers. I've decided the answer is that a comforter is a comforter (our American word for duvet) and a plain white one is often used because you're going to cover it anyway.

Thanks for the shoelace idea deltabreeze. I'll probably try the tricks some of you have posted to just fluff it out but if I find I need ties I can do the shoelaces.