Duvet, Quilt or Doona?

Diffrerent names for the same thing

People have given it different names over the ages, but the item itself is almost the same all around the globe - a soft bag filled with some light, warm filling that we use to cover ourselves in bed.

Duvet, Doona, Quilt, Continental Quilt, Edredon, Cotton Blanket - and quite likely many other names - are used for this wonderful thing comforting us at night.

Below is some information we found on internet about these names...

A duvet (from the French duvet "down") or doona is a type of bedding a soft flat bag traditionally filled with down or feathers, or a combination of both and used on a bed as a blanket. Duvets originally came out of rural Europe and were made from the down feathers of the Eider duck, which is well known for its usefulness as an insulator.

Duvets reduce the complexity of making a bed, as it is a single covering instead of the combination of sheets, blankets, and quilts or other bed covers, which is traditional in many parts of the world. The cover is called a "duvet cover" or a "quilt cover".

 

In Australia a duvet is called a "Doona", from a trademarked brand name derived from the Old Norse "dunn" meaning "down feathers". Though still registered to the Tontine company, the name "Doona" has become a generic term for a duvet or down quilt.

Originally the term "continental quilt" was the standard name used across Australia, some regions of Australia still use this term today. A duvet is also called a quilt, following British tradition.

Duvets are still commonly used in Europe (especially in northern Europe and Scandinavia where it is the most common form of bed covering), and have become popular throughout the world in the late twentieth century.

In Danish and Norwegian a duvet is called a dyne, which is pronounced similarly to the Australian name "doona".

In Spain and Latin America a duvet is known as edredon.

In Russia a duvet is called a "cotton blanket". It is the most common form of bed covering in Russia and a brightly coloured atlas cloth is often used for top and bottom fabric.

 

Diffrerent things that share the same name

In the US, confusion often occurs as the word "duvet" may refer to a comforter cover rather than the down blanket itself.

However, comforters are blankets that go on top of the traditional sheets and blankets and are primarily decorative, while duvets are used alone.

Another type of decorative blanket that goes on top of the bed is a bedspread - it is larger than a comforter and has a flap to cover the pillows.

And the last but not the least is a comfortspread - a bedspread with an attached valance.

Check out our range of duvets / doonas / quilts here.

Our range of bed covers can be found here.