The luxury bedding market has always been innovative, and Elegant Linens keeps pace with the demands of the luxury sheeting market by providing luxury sheets for the uniquely sized beds that have made their way to popularity within the luxury bedding customer realm.  Specifically, luxury sheets for extra long twin beds, California king and queen beds, and Olympic queen beds have been previously difficult to find.  However, with a refined understanding of the luxury bedding market, Elegant Linens offers such “Hard to Find Bedding” on their site, as well as the opportunity for customers to place custom orders for the ever-widening variety of bed dimensions available.

Part of the reason luxury bedding designers have been modifying their luxury sheeting sizes is due to the significant changes in the US mattress market since the 1900s.  Once upon a time, coil spring (innerspring) mattresses were standard fare, and the sizes were standard as well: twin, full, queen, king.  Prior to the era of astronautically inspired memory foam and the subsequent Swedish Tempur-Pedic and pillowtop mania, a bed was basically a bed, sheets were easy to find and the dimensions of the beds were lovingly consistent.  With the advancements in technology and the additional research data available, however, an inevitable shift in bed design began. 

Simultaneously, further information became available regarding health and medical conditions that could be meditated, in part, by sleeping a particular way (torso slightly inclined, feet slightly inclined, etc) on a customized (hard, med, soft) surface.  Add to those concepts a more savvy consumer culture in which having choices is paramount, and one can quickly see why and how the current diversity of beds available developed. 

Part of the concern in today's bed market is regarding what is literally in the bed – inside the bed.  Coil springs are, of course, metal, and they have a tendency to uncoil, shift or puncture through bedding material over time.  According to various sources, NASA did in fact help spur some changes in the bedding market when it developed a “space foam,” originally intended for use in the seat cushions of US shuttles to help astronauts' bodies absorb the shock of entering space.  The Swedish were apparently the first to take interest in this foam technology and hence the Tempur-Pedic “memory foam” revolution began.  While innerspring mattresses were and are still popular, their developers were quick to add layers around the springs to give a “foamier” feel to their beds.  This, in part, has led to the change in the depth of current mattresses and the necessity for deeper, fitted-sheeting gussets (pockets) that can accommodate the new varieties of mattress thickness.  Along with innerspring and memory foam mattresses, modern beds also come in number beds and air beds – both with adjustable firmness – water beds and finally latex beds, made from either natural latex or natural/synthetic blends.  Concerns with “what's in the bed” have also led to the industry's creation of “green” beds – such as the all-natural latex bed, which is free of the petrochemicals that may be found in synthetic latex beds, as well as other types of beds.  Along with eco-friendly consumers, allergen sufferers would do well to research the inner-bed content before purchase. 

Following bed content is bed form and function, and, for those with health issues in particular, adjustable beds have gained popularity.  While some adjustable beds come in standard sizes, the sheets for a dual king adjustable bed are unique, requiring two XL twin fitted sheets.  Considering the overall bulk of a traditional king-size bed, which some rooms will simply not accommodate, some interesting sizes have developed.  The first is the California king, which is four inches narrower and four inches longer than a standard king; the California queen, which offers four additional inches in length over the regular queen; and the expanded, or Olympic queen, which offers six inches more width than the standard queen.   

Most individuals take plenty of time to do the research when investing in a bed.  When selected and maintained well, a good bed can last up to 20 years.  Surprisingly, many of those same individuals will not take the same amount of time when considering bedding.  After spending a great deal on a marvelous bed, why would one skip over the bedding, which no doubt contributes greatly to one's overall sleep experience?  Many bed manufacturers will offer bedding on their retail sites; however, more often than not, the bedding is of inferior quality.  Elegant Linens suggests that customers consider the investment they are making in their bedding and do the research accordingly.  Lower quality bedding has to be replaced frequently, whereas luxury bedding, when well cared for, will last as long – possibly longer – than the bed itself.      

While the reasons that people purchase certain types of beds vary greatly, from potential health concerns to matters of personal taste, one constant prevails: a desire to have sheets that fit.  When investing in luxury bedding, one certainly wants the best possible fit.  Consider XL twin beds, for example.  The width of an extra long twin mattress is exactly the same as a standard twin bed at 39 inches across.  However, as the name suggests, an extra long mattress is five inches longer (39x80) than a regular twin (39x75), and a standard twin sheet set will simply not fit.  Properly fitting an extra long twin mattress is especially important, considering some extra long twin mattresses top king adjustable beds (as mentioned previously).  Since comfort is key to those who purchase dual king adjustable beds, it follows logically that comfortable sheeting would also be primary import, making a good fit necessary.  Many dual king adjustable beds often require a deep gusset (16 inches and up) in order to fit these mattresses properly.  College dorm beds, on the other hand –  most of which are also XL twin mattresses – generally have a standard mattress depth, and sheets with a shallow, 8-inch gusset would likely fit best.  Elegant Linens carries luxury XL twin sheets with both shallow and deep gussets to accommodate either kind of XL twin mattress.    

The California king and queen and Olympic queen beds all differ from the traditional king and queen dimensions, and trying to cover any of these beds with the standard king and queen sheeting would simply not turn out well.  Traditional king and queen beds provide the 80 inches of length, whereas California king and queen beds are four additional inches longer, for a total of 84 inches length.  The California king, as mentioned earlier, is also four inches narrower than a traditional king, making a standard king (76x80) sheet set inadequate to the task of providing a great fit for a California king (72x84).  Some individuals may never have even heard of an Olympic queen bed, but this uncommon queen bed size is the same dimension in length as the standard queen, 80 inches, with an additional six inches in width over the standard queen (60x80), making it 66x80 total.   

Again, a third of a person's life will be spent in bed.  Whether buying a luxury mattress or something of lovely luxury to place on top of it, Elegant Linens encourages consumers to do their due diligence and research well before they buy.  When purchasing luxury bedding and sheeting, one always wants the best possible fit, and understanding that clients will often have a variety of bed sizes to accommodate, Elegant Linens also feels that customers would do well to double check the width, length and height of their mattresses at least twice prior to placing a luxury bedding or sheeting order to ensure getting the best fit possible for their luxury beds.  One could modify the carpentry maxim – “Measure twice, cut once!” – to “Measure twice, buy once!”   

Are you about to invest in a bed or luxury bedding?  For a very useful site with information regarding mattress shopping, click here:  http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/