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At the beginning of 2021, still stuck inside and hyperfocused on nesting, I decided I was going to make my bed a delightful place. It started with a new bed frame and mattress, then I needed nice bedding to match. Up till then, I was sleeping on Ikea’s cheapest option. I wanted to be surrounded by my favorite colors and textures. I wanted linen sheets. It’s a favorite fabric of mine, both for the way it looks and feels and for its sustainable production.
My roommate recommended Bed Threads. I also found an extra fitted sheet and flat sheet from a Polish Etsy shop that has since closed down. At the time, I loved both sets. The Bed Threads sheets were light, airy, and supersoft, while the Etsy sheets were thicker and more textured, never getting too wrinkled. It really did change my sleep: Linen is a thermoregulating fabric, which conducts heat to help keep you warm in the winter but is breathable and moisture-wicking to keep you cool on sweaty summer nights. Linen is so comfortable to sleep on that I actually miss my sheets when I sleep at a hotel now. On an aesthetic level, I suddenly loved looking at my bed, and it no longer felt like a chore to make it up every morning.
Four years later, there’s a noticeable difference in how the two sheet sets have held up. The Etsy sheets are softer but otherwise like new, still holding their shape. There’s no visible damage to the fabric, and I still love sleeping on them. The Bed Threads sheets haven’t held up nearly as well. So I was on the market for new sheets, and this time, I wanted to make sure my sheets were woven to last.
Below are my findings after testing nine different brands to determine the highest quality sheet set: one that’s truly worth the investment.
So which are the best linen bedsheet brands?
➼ Piglet
➼ The Modern Dane
➼ Brooklinen
➼ West Elm
➼ Quince
➼ Parachute
➼ Sea Me
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Piglet
Overall rating: 9/10
This U.K.-based bedding brand first launched with only three solid shades of linen sheets; now, Piglet is known for its eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing patterns and colors. Its 100 percent linen bedding is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified and produced in either China or Portugal.
I tested a fitted sheet, flat sheet, and duvet cover. They’re made of a densely woven, midweight linen that resists any noticeable wrinkling, maintaining the slightest rumpled texture you can curl right into. They were the only patterned sheets I tested, and in terms of appearance, they were my favorite — the mossy-green gingham duvet was a perfect complement to the dusty purple sheets. I was also really impressed by the weight of them, and they were especially warm on colder nights.
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The Modern Dane
Overall rating: 10/10
If you’re looking for the most ethical and ecofriendly option, the Modern Dane’s sheets are your best bet. Based in Seattle, the brand shares extensive information about its supply chain and production process on its website, tracing the linen’s journey from flax farms in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands to a textile mill in Guimaraes, Portugal. They also have all the certifications — GOTS, European Flax, and Oeko-Tex 100 Class 1 — which means the sheets are organic and produced in the most ethical and environmentally friendly way possible.
I tested the recently launched natural beige colorway. They were immediately soft and comfortable to sleep on with a lighter weight that makes them feel flowy and breathable — but the weave is tight and ensures total opacity even in such a light shade. I did notice a bit of fluff shedding from the inner ties of the duvet cover after I washed the sheets, but otherwise, the fabric is excellent and the sheets are lightweight while still keeping me warm and cozy on colder nights.
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Brooklinen
Overall rating: 7/10
All of Brooklinen’s sheets are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, and its website features information about fabric content, thread count, and weight. Despite having “linen” in its name, Brooklinen is better known for its popular cotton-sheet sets. I tested a fitted sheet, a top sheet, pillowcases, and a duvet cover in its signature washed linen. First, the good: The fabric is airy and light with a crêpey texture that is immediately soft and comfortable to sleep on (typically, linen starts a bit stiffer and rougher, softening over time). Other thoughtful details: The fitted sheet is helpfully labeled with “short side” and “long side” tags, and the duvet cover is reversible with a pinstriped side and a solid-white side. However, I found the sheets too thin for my liking. I’m not sure they’d withstand the test of time if I were to use them as my primary sheets. I also noticed a few threads sticking out around the button closures at the bottom of the duvet cover, which is a little concerning for brand-new sheets.
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West Elm
Overall rating: 9/10
West Elm has long been a premier purveyor of home goods for truly every room in the house,. The linen sheets I tested are West Elm’s European Flax Linen sheets, which, according to the site description, are made from European-grown flax (though it’s not specified where in Europe) and constructed in a fair-trade-certified Chinese factory. They also have the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification.
The fabric on these sheets is thick and densely woven, which indicates to me that they’ll be long-lasting. Folded up, they are heavier than some of the other sheets I tested. They’re also well-constructed; I didn’t notice any imperfections in how they were sewn, and there’s extra enforcement on the duvet cover’s button closure. They’re exactly what I’d expect from West Elm: simple, reliable, and high quality.
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Quince
Overall rating: 8/10
Founded in 2018, Quince has quickly become an extremely popular source of high-end materials at low-end prices. Its linen comes at a bargain: For $280 (for size full/queen), you can get its deluxe bedding bundle, which includes a duvet cover, a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, pillowcases, and shams. The brand claims this is because of its unique shipping model; its products are shipped directly from the factory to the customer. The linen is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified and manufactured in China and India.
Knowing all of this, my expectations were honestly pretty low before testing Quince’s sheets. I was expecting the quality to match the price; so far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The fabric is heavier than expected and the stitching is neat and even. The button closures are even reinforced. I did notice the weave is looser than some of the more expensive brands, which makes them just the slightest bit see-through and doesn’t bode well for longevity. The texture is also a bit rougher than that of some of the other brands I tried — but overall, I was quite impressed.
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Parachute
Overall rating: 8/10
Parachute Home offers an array of fabric options, from percale to cotton to linen. According to the website, all fabrics are Oeko-Tex certified, and the linen is “crafted in Portugal” — but there’s no specific information about the production process or supply chain. The brand does, however, offer fabric recycling through Supercircle, so customers can drop off bedding, towels, and other home linens of any brand to be recycled in exchange for a 15 percent discount.
The sheets I tested were the 100 percent linen sheets. The fabric was densely woven but still light and airy, and the sheets kept me warm and cozy all night. I did notice that both the duvet and the top sheet held on to the more crinkly wrinkles from the washing machine for longer than some of the other sheets I tested. Even with the wrinkles, though, the sheets were comfortable to sleep on and came in a really beautiful shade of green.
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Sea Me
Overall rating: 8/10
This small Ukrainian brand based in the coastal city of Odesa draws its inspiration from the Black Sea it borders. The linen it uses is Oeko-Tex certified, and the sheets are hand-sewn at a local atelier.
I tested only a fitted and flat sheet along with pillowcases, so I had to use a different duvet on top to stay warm at night. But the quality of the linen is such that if it hadn’t been the dead of winter when I was testing the sheets, they would’ve been perfectly warm even without a duvet. The fabric is densely woven and falls beautifully across the bed. I was also really impressed by how vivid the colors are and how heavy the fabric was when I picked up the folded stack.
