The best fabrics to use for bed throws: bedroom throws 101

Bed throws are one of the most important things to think about come the cold months. It's important to make your home including your bedroom warm and cosy. Sure, it’s great to be lazing by the fire in the living room after a hearty evening meal, but come bed time, you want to cuddle up and be warm all night at home.  

Your bedroom is your home retreat, and in winter it’s your haven of comfort and warmth. So make sure this room is as inviting and relaxing as possible. Use colour and texture for luxury throws and other home furnishings and accessories to make your bedroom the warmest room in your home. All you have to do is add a gorgeous cover to your bed that’s beautiful and begs you to cuddle up in it. 

The secret to the perfect bed blanket is definitely in the fabric you choose. Let’s take a look at bed covers. We give you all the information you need on how you can shop for and choose the right one to transform your bedroom into a cosy retreat.

What is a bed throw? 

Yes, they are another layer on our beds to keep us warm when it’s cold outside. But what exactly are bed throws UK? Where do they fit on the bedding trail?

A throw is something you literally throw over you when you’re cold. You’ve got sheets over mattresses, followed by blankets and a duvet and you may also have a bedspread that doubles up as something on your beds to keep you warm. But if you feel an extra chill coming on, that’s when you toss over one of these handy home accessories and let them come into their own.

Bedroom throws are:

• That extra layer on your bed when the temperature drops.
• Smaller in size than a blanket and a king size bed cover, but larger than you’d expect. It has to keep you warm, so it can’t be miniscule. Around 50x60 inches is a good size to choose.
• A stylish addition to your bedding – so make sure you choose the right fabric, colour and pattern.
• A versatile option for a bed covering. Throw it over yourself while you’re reading on top of the bed, or leave it over the bed for extra warmth on a cold winter night.

The difference between throws, blankets and bedspreads

• • Bedspreads are usually lightweight covers. We often talk about quilted bedspreads, as these are one of the most popular coverings that we use to decorate a bedroom. This particular covering has to be a size that is large enough to cover the entire bed, pillows included. When you are ready for bed, you usually double bedspreads over at the foot of the bed before climbing in under the duvet. In summer you can use your bed spread instead of a duvet – people usually put it on their beds over a flat sheet.
  • A throw, whether you’re talking about one for the sofa or a bed throw blanket, is another super decorative element for your home. In the case of bed throws, they also double up as a great source of extra warmth. This décor item is a smaller size than your other covers for beds or blankets, and it’s perfect to toss over the end of the bed, too. If you prefer, you can drape it over a chair next to the bed so that it’s easy to reach for and put over yourself or put on the bed if you wake up feeling cold during the night. 
  • Blankets, on the other hand, are warm, smaller bedding accessories that are not used for decorative purposes. These are used as part of the bedding to keep you warm and snug.

New bed trends

Bed covers are right on trend for winter right now and it’s easy to understand why. The focus is on combining comfort, warmth and style to create a really cosy sanctuary. And these gorgeous home décor accessories give some extra panache. Let’s face it. People love to keep their home warm and inviting, especially when it’s cold outside. 

Colours and textures for bedroom décor are soft and nurturing. Fabrics are luxurious and comfortable – faux fur covers and those products made from cosy fleece are very popular right now for the winter months. 

Hues reflect our individual personalities – so when you’re considering what to use to decorate your bedroom, think about soft, soothing earthy tones and neutrals like white and grey. Greens are making a come back in the home, in natural shades that are calming and remind us of being surrounded by nature. 

If you need some more advice on colour choices, read our informative blog on colour, fabrics and emotions.

Other shades that offer extra comfort include orange, caramel, burgundy and moss green.

Patterns on fabric are also big in home décor currently, in a choice of subtle designs or experimental mixes of pattern on pattern. 

What to look for when you shop for a throw

• Make sure it’s easy to clean:  Shop for a new bed cover in a fabric that’s safe to machine wash and dries quickly. 
• Make it hypoallergenic: Even if you don’t have sensitive skin, hypoallergenic fabrics will also prevent dust mites and other irritations.
• Choose a fabric that is sustainable: We spend a lot of time sleeping, so we need to make sure our bedding is made from eco-friendly materials. When you shop, go for organic,sustainable fibres or recycled fabrics. And make sure they are globally certified (read our blog on certified fabrics).

The best fabrics for bed throws

Cotton

Believe it or not, we sleep better with this type of fabric cover-up than any other kind, wool included. That's because this fabric is thermal; it's warm in winter and cool in summer. It's also 100% natural, sustainable, hypoallergenic, durable and biodegradable. Best of all, shades and designs print vibrantly on cotton. This is why we use cotton for every type of product, from dresses to bedding and home accessories like cushions.

As they're lightweight, cotton throws aren't considered as heavy bedding for the home. They're not only light; they’re also breathable and don't shrink in the wash. Read all about this sustainable, organic fabric (ie organic fabric) here.

maake’s cotton choices

• Calico Plain Cotton: Plain woven lightweight 100% natural fabric
• Organic Calico Natural: 100% GOTS fabric. The organic version of our Calico above.
• Satin: Smooth, luxurious 100% natural material with a matte finish. 
• Organic Satin: 100% GOTS – organic, smooth, luxurious fabric.

Polyester

This lightweight synthetic fabric keeps us warmest of all the home and clothing fabrics that are available on the market. Polyester is comfortable and also breathable. As it’s 100% synthetic, it’s also completely cruelty-free. And it’s also hypoallergenic, smooth and doesn’t shrink after washing. Another plus: fabric shades print vividly on these fabrics.

maake’s polyester choices

• Dupioni FR: 100% polyester lightweight fabric certified to flame retardant (FR) standards.
• Heavy Satin: Flame retardant quality 100% polyester fabric.
• Velvet: 100% polyester fabric that is soft and matte.

Recycled polyester 

Recycled polyester (rPET) is the more sustainable choice when choosing polyester fabric, as it’s made from recycled plastic bottles. Like polyester, it’s extremely warm and comfortable. In fact, one of the home fabrics we’ve chosen as ideal to make throws out of is also certified safe for children. Find out everything about recycled polyester right here.

maake’s recycled polyester choices

Eco Velvet: 100% rPET (recycled polyester) ultra soft matte fabric. 

Eco Fleece: 100% rPET (recycled polyester) fabric that is warm, comfortable and certified safe for children.

Other fabrics to shop for 

The type of home fabric you choose will affect the throw’s durability and longevity, so take that into account when shopping for and choosing all your home fabrics. If you’re looking for a ready-made quality bed throw save item, make sure to check out the selection of beautiful throws/blankets we offer at maakeHome. They’re great for a baby gift guide as well a bedroom accessory. And if you prefer to design your own fabric for a throw/blanket – no problem. You can create your own fabric for your bed covering right here.

maake’s home fabric selection 

• • Wool: Wool is extremely warm. It’s also more heavyweight and 100% natural. It doesn’t crease or smell and is breathable, biodegradable and sustainable. Wool can be scratchy, however. If you’re comparing wool to fleece, remember: wool is warmer and more comfortable. 

  • Cashmere: Really warm but equally expensive, cashmere, made from goats’ hair, is luxurious and cosy. It’s softer, lighter and finer than wool.

  • Flannel: You can use different fabrics to make flannel, including wool, cotton and polyester. Wool flannel is particularly warm and cosy, but not as common as polyester flannel fabric, which is less expensive and more hard wearing. It’s not very breathable, though, so it isn’t ideal for warm weather.

Love Avocados Blanket by Andrea Lauren

• Down: Feathers from ducks and geese are warm and insulate us from the cold. But their production is not cruelty-free, which is why many people prefer not to use them. Goose down bedding is the warmest and lightest because of their excellent insulation properties.
• Acrylic: This fabric is less expensive than others, but not as warm. It’s also easy to keep clean, hard wearing and hypoallergenic. 

A touch of warm inspiration

Once you’ve chosen your home decor fabric and have checked out everything we’ve had to say about the best textiles to use for décor and design, why not take a look at the range of gorgeous designs we have to print on?

We have a treasure trove of well over 13,000 designs in our Design Library – or you can print your own. If you decide to choose one or more of the patterns in our extensive library for your order, remember: each of these creations was made by an independent artist, and when you choose one of them to print on your fabric, the artist gets paid. We hope that is incentive enough for you to take a look at the stunning selection of what’s on offer!

Upload Your Design

To give you an idea of what each fabric looks like when it’s printed on, order a sample book.

For an idea of all the colors you can use to print on fabric, make sure you get our Colour Atlas, which features an array of colors printed on 1m of fabric.