It's not enough to have only one type of 100% long staple cotton sheets here at SNOWE. Because let’s face it: we’re overachievers. So in addition to the award-winning Percale bedding we launched with, we also have a line of Sateen bedding that serves as the softer, glowier counterpoint to the crisp and matte masterpiece of Percale.

(Or: if you prefer linen to cotton, check out our dreamily-soft Linen Bedding.)

 

In our research process – from the highly technical to the quite low-tech, i.e. asking friends at brunch – we realized that while your personal preference for a bedding material is instantaneously obvious to the touch, it’s harder to put into words. So we put together a handy guide to telling these two apart, and finding your bedding soulmate.

So enjoy this throwback to the highly under-rated Choose Your Own Adventure book genre, and follow along…

 

...

 

Welcome home! 

It’s been an impossibly long Friday filled with subway delays, ambiguous emails from your boss, and drinks with friends that turned into drinks with a friend’s too-chatty new co-worker. First things first: tossing your workwear on the floor and slipping into your favorite pajamas, which are…

 

• A tailored and crisp pajama set.

• A silky loose nightgown or tee and soft pants.

 

[Pajama people: Percale best approximates the feel of a crisp button-down that feels cool and refreshing against your skin, while if you’re team nightgown, you’re going to fall for the Sateen. It has that same luxurious hug-like feel that’s both sumptuous and cozy all at once.]

 

 

Time to change. 

Now that you’re appropriately dressed, you collapse onto the sofa and turn on the most deliciously bad TV available. Your chosen drink to accompany you is…

 

• A bright, fizzy, and freezing glass of seltzer.

• A steaming, comforting mug of tea.

[If you regularly turn to an ice cold glass, you’ll love the crisp, smooth, and highly breathable Percale pieces. Or if you’re always running cold and craving the warm stuff, you’ll love the soft, silky Sateen bedding – it drapes closer to your body to keep the heat in.] 

 

 

 

Ah! Refreshing.

You place your drink back on the table – well, on a coaster. You’re not an animal. Your coasters are…

 

• Wood, fabric, or cork.

• Glass, polished stone, or lacquer. 

 

[If you love the more natural, low-key look, Percale is your jam. These sheets are woven tightly making for a crisp feel and matte texture. But if you’re up for a little shine, you’ll flip for the slightly lustrous look of Sateen. The looser weave creates a “float” to give the fabric a signature smooth hand feel and a slightly shiny appearance.]

 

 

Drink is down, so you pick up your phone and fire up Instagram to start some light stalking. Your finger automatically double-taps when you spy…

 

• A perfectly-made bed with ironed sheets and fresh flowers in a bedside vase.

• A bedscape that looks gorgeously lived-in (complete with coffee cup and undone, yet not-too-wrinkled sheets).

 

[If you love the picture-perfect, luxurious thrill of ironed sheets, the Percale pieces, with their one-over, one-under weave, are your ideal match. The denser weave means they’re more prone to wrinkling, which makes them the perfect candidate for an ironed-to-glorious-smoothness success. Meanwhile, Sateen’s four-over, one-under weave makes it softer, less prone to wrinkling, and more of a laid-back, soft and cushy look.]

 

 

Ding, ding!

Text pops up asking you to make the call on a brunch location for tomorrow morning. Do you choose…

 

• The old standard – you know you’ll have a friendly, reliable, and delicious experience at your regular place. Omelette and wheat toast, please!

• The new place in town – who knows what’s in store at your city’s latest, buzzed-about restaurant? But you’re willing to take a chance. Who can resist bacon-wrapped pancake bites?

 

[If you’re a traditionalist, through-and-through, the Italian-made Percale collection is going to feel like your favorite hotel sheets – classic and crisp. But if you’re always up for something new, our Portuguese-made Sateen is a little different – newer, smoother, and sumptuous against your skin. We know you’ll love it.]

 

 

TV’s off ...

... drink’s done, and tomorrow’s plans are made. All you want to do is sink into bed into quality sheets that are made with…

 

• Carded and combed cotton fibers, making for a softer feel.

• Longer fibers that make them more durable and less likely to fray and unravel

 

Surprise!

This one leads to the same page: both Percale and Sateen are made from 100% long-staple, high-quality cotton that’s made from the same process that makes it as soft as it is strong. It’s the weave that sets them apart in the ways we’ve laid out above. So rest easy knowing that you’re getting a quality companion to your sleep – it’s just your call how you want it to look and feel. Happy adventuring!