Brooklinen wants to alleviate one of the worst summertime feelings: being hot and sticky while you sleep.
The online bedding retailer is launching its first new fabric since its 2014 launch: Linen.
The breathable fabric arrives in time for the painfully hot and humid summer months ahead, and the company says it’ll keep you cooler than other fabrics.
Brooklinen is the brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Vicki and Rich Fulop, an impossibly chic couple based in – where else – Brooklyn. The company was founded three years ago and initially sold its wares on Kickstarter.
The premise of Brooklinen is "luxury bedding at non-luxury prices." As an ecommerce site, the company wants to cut out all possible middlemen and avoid brick-and-mortar retail. In doing that, Brooklinen says it eliminates as much as $200 in costs - its bedding starts at $99, compared to what the company says can be more like $300 at traditional retailers.
Brooklinen now offers plenty of items for the bedroom, including sheets, comforters, pillows, and candles. But it's stuck to just two fabrics for up until now: classic percale, and "Luxe," which has a higher thread count.
I tried a "hardcore bundle" of Brooklinen's new linen bedding - which includes a set of sheets, four pillowcases, and a duvet cover - just as the weather got hot. Here's how it went.
Making bedding "idiot-proof"
The new line of linen sheets and comforters from Brooklinen comes in three colors: Cream, stripe and cream, and white. The motivation behind Brooklinen's print and color choices is that they can be mixed and matched - the company wants setting up your bedroom to be easy, even if you don't exactly have great taste.
The linen line runs a bit pricier than Brooklinen's previous offerings. The core sets - a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillowcases - costs $225 to $235 depending on your bed size, while a hardcore bundle retails for $375 to $390. If you're just in the market for a duvet, it'll cost $275 to $285.
Brooklinen says the raw materials were harvested in Belgium and the fabric is woven, dyed, and stonewashed in Portugal.
It will wrinkle — a lot
While it sounds obvious, it's important to know that sleeping with linen bedding feels very different than regular sheets. If you're someone who likes high thread count sheets or something that feels soft and silky, the linen bedding won't feel anything like that. It's not rough, exactly, but it's a very different feeling on your skin.
The other thing to know is that everything will wrinkle - a lot. I like my bed to look nice and neat, so this was a tough adjustment to make. The sheets wrinkle pretty immediately, with creases forming after one night of rest. The duvet will hold up a bit better, but nothing is immune to the classic linen wrinkle.
But that's the point! Linen isn't a formal fabric, and it's not intended to look like one.
Waking up cool and refreshed
When I put the new bedding on my bed and climbed in, I immediately noticed the difference from typical bedding. Linen has a looser weave, which means that air doesn't get trapped underneath it but instead passes through it. The idea that it'll keep you cool isn't a marketing ploy - it's true.
My first night sleeping with Brooklinen was, honestly, delightful. I'm a really hot sleeper and, simultaneously, a deep and still sleeper, which means that I often wake in the middle of the night burning up, trapped under layers of blankets.
With the linen bedding, that didn't happen. Instead, I woke up cool and refreshed. I wasn't hot or clammy, and I had slept through the night without waking up once. And while I thought this was just a fluke, it continued to happen night after night.
The one downside
If there is one downside of Brooklinen's linen bedding, it's the same as the upside: it keeps you cool.
A few of the nights I slept with the sheets, the AC was on full-blast in my apartment. Rather than waking up hot like I was accustomed to, I woke up shivering. This bedding is definitely summertime bedding - because it doesn't trap air in, it also doesn't keep you warm.
So, should you buy?
Another downside to Brooklinen's linen bedding (besides feeling a little too cool sometimes), it's the price. For the average consumer, the sheets and duvet are expensive. They're not expensive compared to luxury goods, but they are expensive compared to the $35 bed-in-a-bag you can get from Target. If you're someone who buys the cheapest possible bedding and can't tell the difference, this product might not be for you.
But if you're someone who doesn't mind paying for quality, or you're simply ready to get rid of the sheets your mom bought for you in college, you can't go wrong with Brooklinen.
Plus, the entire experience - from ordering the bedding to putting it on your bed - feels fun and a little luxurious. All you have to do is pick out what you want on Brooklinen's website and it's sent right to your door wrapped in cotton sleeves and tucked inside a handy tote bag (mine even came with a special bottle of detergent and specific care instructions).
While I used to be someone who refused to shell out for nice sheets or a quality duvet cover, my mind has been changed. I've spent the last few weeks excited to go to bed solely for the sheets, and now I never want to go back to the cheap stuff.