Canadian-Made Premium Bedding | Skylark+Owl Coupon Code for Readers

My Canadian readers always ask that I collaborate with more Canadian brands and I'm listening.  Today I'm excited to introduce to you to a Canadian linen company that sells premium bedding, made in Canada!

 
Ever since ditching the patterned duvet covers for simple, textured white bedding, I've opted for white sheets too.  A year and a half ago I experimented with colorful sheets under the white duvet cover and, although I loved the happy hues, ultimately I went back to all-white sheets.  But sheets don't last forever - just last week Hubby and I were putting the clean sheets on the bed when we heard a rip.  The pillow case had ripped in two, right in his hands.  That's how threadbare our sheets had become.

I'm excited to start the new year with a fresh new set of crisp white sheets, thanks to Skylark + Owl.

Skylark + Owl is a Canadian linen company with a long history.  They currently produce premium sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers, and they also carry alpaca throws and synthetic pillow and duvet inserts. 

The selection is carefully curated so you don't have to compare the flange on a million different styles.  For sheets, they offer sateen weave or percale weave and I chose the latter, because I like the lighter feel.

As a blogger, I get sent a lot of products and never have I been so excited about the packaging!  Skylar+Owl doesn't send ship their sheets in plastic - they use a beautiful cloth tote that not only makes a gorgeous presentation but is also something that can be re-used. 

Although I love the idea (especially the reduction of waste) I have too many tote bags already, so I'm planning to hack the tote into a pillow by adding a zipper.  I was lucky enough to be sent the perfect turquoise pattern (it's random), so I can't waste this opportunity to add more turquoise to the lakehouse.

;)

I washed the sheets immediately and they washed up so beautifully.  They're 100% Egyptian cotton, and Skylark+Owl doesn't use any chemicals to artificially keep them wrinkle-free, so they wrinkle, but I embraced wrinkled sheets a long time ago.  I actually like the look because it makes a bed look more inviting. 

These sheets feel amazing: so light and airy, but a nice weight.  They feel a little crisp, but they will soften with subsequent washings.  They feel expensive and are a really generous size.  Hubby and I sprung for massive new pillows recently and they barely fit into our old pillowcases but are swimming in these!  Same with the fitted sheet: there's tons of room, so these linens would be perfect for a generous, pillow-top mattress.  Luckily, there's a tight elastic all the way around so I can easily tuck them under the mattress and pull them taut.  The flat sheet is equally generous, almost a little too generous because it hangs out from under the duvet cover so I just tuck it under when I make the bed.

Because we have a pretty low profile foam mattress, I think the sheets fit out bed differently than a thick, plush mattress.  But if you have been frustrated with too-small bedding that barely covers your mattress, definitely check out Skylark+Owl!  Check out the size chart here and there's an FAQ page too.

And I just love that these are made in Canada (they ship to the US too)!  It is getting increasingly rare to find things made in Canada, so I'm happy to support a brand keeping manufacturing jobs here.  Plus the company is so cute.  I love the branding and the simple, classic styling of their carefully curated products.  Look at the "contact us" page because even their email address is the sweetest. 



Right now they have a great sale, too: 25% off your order until December 25th.  But if you miss that sale, you can use the coupon code LAKEHOUSE for 15% off (no minimum order) until January 1st.

Refresh a Bedroom on a Budget With Bedding

Hubby and I are working on a really gorgeous walnut bed and I can't wait to share it with you!  I can't believe it's been a year since we made any changes to our bedroom.  This time last year, we had just shared some major updates: we added a pair of mid-century modern inspired dressers, DIY green tweed drapes, DIY walnut storage boxes for our welded nightstands, and easy DIY artwork - we even switched up the vintage poster arrangement and finally installed some pretty beach glass inspired closet doors.

The room looked much more "finished" but, the funny thing is, we didn't change the bedding!

That's because it took me forever to find the right bedding for our DIY welded headboard.  Way back in 2011, I even posed the question to Apartment Therapy readers, asking for advice tracking down colorful, patterned bedding that wouldn't compete with our headboard because I felt that the black and white tree bedding we had was just too busy. 

I took my time shopping and, in the end, opted for texture over pattern and chose a pin-tucked white duvet cover with matching shams (the old tree bedding became laundry room curtains).  To add some color, Mom and I sewed green silk throw pillows and a little orange paisley one.  Over the years, the sheets have changed, but the duvet cover has stayed because the textured white bedding just makes the room.

 
It's amazing how simply switching out bedding can turn a room from "meh" to "I LOVE it". 

With our new furniture build sparking a major deep clean and a modern new look (goodbye bed skirt), I've been casually toying with getting a new duvet cover because we've had this one for five years now!  Because I have bedding on the brain, when I was introduced to the Vaulia Home Collection, a bold bedding line available on Amazon, I immediately hopped over to the website to scope out their duvet cover selection - and I fell in love.  Even though it wouldn't work for me, this duvet cover immediately caught my eye and I knew that I had to share this new-to-me company with you: 

Doesn't it feel like summer?  I love it in a simple room where the bedding can be the star.

Because I know firsthand how important finding the right bedding is, I wanted to share some of my favorites in case you're on a similar search.  Even if your budget is tight (I feel ya) or you're holiday shopping for a student who is looking to make a dorm room look fabulous on a dime, some of these Vaulia duvet covers are on sale for $25 - with stellar Amazon reviews.  Plus the duvet cover sets come in a pattern and color for every style.

Cottage chic?  This pale blue floral would be perfect:

Colorful boho?  This jewel toned design would look so good in a more-is-more bedroom design:

Vibrant mod?  How perfect would this bold floral be with mid-century modern furniture:

If bold patterns aren't your jam, Vaulia also sells classic white, hotel-inspired linens and clever solid color reversible duvet covers, like this versatile white/grey combo (I love the zipper closure):

There's also a pastel diamond print I love and a gorgeous rich navy with subtle stripe.  Now you'll have to excuse me while I spend another few years picking out bedding for myself ;)

This post is sponsored by Vaulia, but all words and opinions and bedding indecision are my own.  

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Colourful Mix and Match Bedding from bedface

When bedface (an online bed linen company headquartered in Vancouver, BC) reached out, I was excited to try the "best damn sheets on the internet".



I am deeply committed to all white bedding and although I've replaced the sheets often, the pin tucked duvet cover in the bedroom is the same one we've had for years.  I wasn't ready to explore non-white duvet covers, but I welcomed the opportunity to try some brighter sheets.  The "Bed Maker" lets you test out different colour combinations and add friends (I chose sheep).  I opted for a duvet cover and flat sheet in white, but went wild with Alarm Clock Orange for the fitted sheet and Aqua for the pillow cases.  Hubby is thrilled that the bedroom has another secret shot of orange and I'm a lot more relaxed about getting turquoise hair dye on the pillows.  You can also shop by popular sheet sets if picking and choosing is too much pressure (it took me an hour!).

One thing to think about is washing:  I washed the orange sheet and aqua pillow cases separately to avoid bleeding.  It's not a problem, because I just divided the bedding among my other laundry loads, but if you like doing the sheets in one big load, consider putting together a set in similar colours for easier laundering. 

My bedface bedding arrived quickly, with a bag of popcorn to boot!  I was bummed when one of the pillowcases was sewn wonky, but bedface promptly shipped over another pair.

At first the cotton felt very stiff - I immediately thought: hospital linens - but the linens softened up after the first wash.  Now they feel soft and smooth, with substance - which I've grown to like!  The premium, breathable long staple cotton feels like a really durable, high quality cotton that should wear very well.  Thread count isn't the best way to assess sheets so I usually slide my hand in the packaging and go for the smoothest, silkiest cotton I can afford, and this cotton feels more sturdy than what I normally gravitate toward.  But bedface is so confident in the quality of their product that they offer a 100 Night Guarantee!  These sheets are supposedly very breathable, thanks to their looser weave, so I'm looking forward to sleeping on them during the hotter summer months.   

I love how the pillow case has a flap to completely envelope the pillow and the snaps on the bottom of the duvet are nice - the button holes enlarged on my other duvet cover, so sometimes it comes undone.  I didn't realize, though, how much I rely on the ties inside my duvet cover to keep the corners of the duvet firmly in place - I might have to add some to my bedface duvet cover.  The flat sheet is generously sized - in length and width - which I love!  Too many times I've splurged on expensive sheets, only to find that the flat sheet is super short, or weirdly wide - the variation in sizing for bedding drives me bonkers. 

My only complaint is that the fitted sheet is not designed to fit very snugly.  Our mattress is fairly old and not one of those envelop-you-in-pillowy-softness-pillow-tops, but it still felt like there was just barely enough fabric to cover the width of the mattress.  The elastic is somewhat loose, making it a struggle to fit in snugly on the mattress.  But we eventually got it all tucked under!  Many of the colours have sold out, though, and the reviews from customers are glowing, so it's entirely possible that I have unusually rigorous expectations of a fitted sheet.  The return policy is outstanding, so I think you can shop with confidence from bedface.

If you want to try sleeping on the best damn sheets on the internet, use "danslelakehouse" at the checkout to receive 15% off your order - the coupon code will be good for two months.

Two months bring us to back-to-school shopping, and I keep thinking that these sheets would be a really perfect gift for a student heading off to college or their first apartment.  The packaging and branding is fun and youthful, so they don't feel like a boring gift - it was fun to receive my parcel in the mail.  More importantly, the sturdy cotton will surely hold up to the rigors of college life, where the bedding sees a lot more wear as the bed becomes a place to study, eat pizza, and watch movies!

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