I don’t understand the infatuation with linen sheets, I’m done with them. They’re more expensive, less soft, and much less durable than high quality long staple cotton sheets.

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Oh, I can answer this! I left a relationship and bought all new bedding last fall. I've posted this a few times before but here are my thoughts on the brands I've tried. Magic Linen - (Duvet cover, $255) - I purchased via their Etsy store during their Cyber Monday sale, I'm very pleased. The duvet cover has loops for securing the duvet and nice coconut wood buttons. The cloth is very thick in an impressive BIFL quality way. It was very rough out of the bag but has softened with wear and washing. The pillow covers that come with the duvet cover have an inner flap so the pillow does not show at all. Shipping was extremely fast, about a week to the US! Magic Linen's pictures best match the product I received in real life. If I could go back the only thing I'd do differently is getting a king duvet/cover for an oversize look on my queen bed, but that oversize aesthetic is just personal taste. Looking at their sheets, it looks like they only offer a regular and deep option for depth. Their flat sheet is also not as large as the Lenok flat sheet even accounting for the extra 2” not listed. Quince - (linen duvet/sheet set $271, all season goose down comforter $280, waffle towel bath & hand towel set $75, robe $75, linen table napkins (4) - $25, Turkish baby bath bundle - $55) - I bought a plain white set of everything. It was all very soft out of the bag, softer than all the other brands I have. The sheet set is the thinnest and softest of all the linens I have. The softness makes it feel very luxurious. It's held up so far just fine being rotated with other sheets but I am concerned about how much life I'll get out of it. I bought the queen and the fitted sheet is pretty tight with very little extra room if I wanted a mattress topper. The flat sheet doesn't have a lot of extra room for tucking in. There is no option for a deeper size. It is a very good deal and I am happy with how it has held up so far, but given the thinness of the fabric it might be best for lower usage linens (like a guest bedroom). The duvet cover is the same quality fabric. It has plastic buttons to keep it closed and loop ties for the comforter, I prefer the contrast aesthetic of the wooden buttons on the ML cover but if you don’t like the contrast look the clear buttons on the Quince duvet will appeal to you. The goose down comforter has a nice amount of fluff, kept me warm all winter and I'm happy with it overall but don’t have anything else to compare it to. It's hot for the summer so I've been using a throw blanket. The waffle towels are my favorite purchase from Quince, they are extremely soft and make shower time very spa like. They dry your skin quickly and then dry on the towel rack quickly. I recently also purchased the waffle robe, linen napkins and Turkish baby set. The robe is very nice, the same fabric as the bath/hand towels. I do wish it had a shorter more stylish option but the mid calf length gives it a spa feeling so that’s nice. I use the baby towels as dedicated face cloths, love them! The linen napkins are also great - cheap enough to buy a few sets for everyday fancy feel. If you are dithering about the sheets, get the napkins to see how you like it, they are the exact same fabric. I honestly wouldn’t want the rougher European linen as a napkin fabric. As napkins, the softness of the Quince fabric can’t be beat. The label is annoyingly large on it, but you can always cut it off. Lenok - ($258 queen 16” linen sheet set, $215 queen 12” set) This was also an Etsy Cyber Monday deal, though Lenok routinely runs 30% sales on their Etsy store, not just during holidays. Definitely wait to buy until a 30% sale is going on, it happens like once a month. It took about 3-4 weeks to arrive to the US as everything is made to order. This linen is the same quality as the Magic Linen, very thick and rough out of the bag, quality BIFL fabric. It feels like it will hold up for years. They have several options of mattress depth so you can really customize it to your set up. Everything is sewn to order and they will even custom make you a specific depth upon request. The fabric has a decent amount of stretch too. On my 16” queen set the pillow cover was just a plain insert type, with no flap to hide the pillow. On the 12” queen set the pillow cover did have a flap. I’m not sure why the difference, if it matters to you message the seller before purchase - Maya is very responsive! The Lenok flat sheet is the most generous of all the flat sheets I've seen, it's 105" x 110" so tons of extra room. The flat sheet has a hem across it, demarcating where you should turn down the comforter. I don't hate it but wish I had known about it before purchase. After looking back I do see the seam in one picture but it's not very obvious, their pictures are more artsy than product representational. The sage green color appeared richer/darker in person vs the swatch picture on the website but the antique white was a good color match for the website pictures. If you have time to shop and aren’t sure about your color choice I'd encourage you to get swatches, their photos are not the most representative, not in a fraudulent way or anything but they could do with more representational product pictures. I ended up gifting the sage set to a friend as a housewarming present as I felt it was too dark for my current bedroom set up. I am very happy with my antique white set and both sets had the same excellent fabric and sewing quality. I will purchase from them again. West Elm (gifted, probably $250?) - I was gifted this sheet set by a friend, it's a good in between of Quince and the Etsy linens both in terms of softness out of the bag and thinness of the fabric. The fitted sheet is very generous but the flat sheet is not, there is not a lot of extra room for tucking. After reading some reviews I honestly wouldn't bother with west elm unless it was a crazy good sale, they seem to tear around 1-3 years in with normal use. The price point is too similar to LenOk on sale that I would just spend my money on the better quality stuff and do cheap minimal use linens from Quince. My advice in a nutshell would be Magic Linen, Lenok or a comparable Eastern European brand, you can find many on Etsy, look for a store with a lot of sales and reviews. Properly cared for Eastern European linen can last 5+ years with daily use. Linen sets made in China seem to be thin and prone to tearing 1-3 years in after daily use, though this hasn't happened to me personally yet. If you are furnishing a guest room and want to save money since the linens won’t be subject to daily use, Quince is a terrific choice. More on reddit.com

Large vintage linen sheets have a center seam too to make it wider. Bonus- get a second life with the same sheets, once they start to get worn in the middle, remove the center seam, flip the ends and resew and they will be like new. And best to air dry or low heat cycle after the initial shedding is done. ... yes, fitted bottom sheets are a scam and will wear out quickly. learn to make a bed ... More on reddit.com

I love linen. It's my favorite, but it's not for everyone. I would guess many of the bad reviews are from people who didn't really understand what they were getting into. Linen also feels amazing to your hands, but very different when you're laying on it with all your weight. I have West Elm Linen and it's currently my favorite. The only reason I have that specific one was because I found a king set on what I consider double clearance... Memorial Day sale and clearance, which brought it down to $96. I've been back during various sale weekends and I've never seen a set that cheap. I've washed them around 25 times. I've soaked it in vinegar, baking soda, and borax (all separate soaks). It was around 15 washes where it finally started to feel really good. My girlfriend who doesn't like linen (and still doesn't) tolerates these now. If I were to buy more linen, I'd buy from one of the following sellers, Marup Linen House or Lina Plus Home (Etsy sellers), Matteo, or Amalia at Home. With the Etsy sellers, I'd struggle with what GSM to buy. I've gotten samples from MLH and they're so soft, but that's obviously my hand feeling. I haven't ordered samples from Matteo, but their percale nap is good, they're on my list for another time. Linen doesn't have to be this big ordeal, but it really just needs time to relax and the best way to do that is with multiple washes. Many sellers don't want to prewash and treat so you end up having to do it yourself. Good sellers will use better quality linen that doesn't need as much breaking in. More on reddit.com