Time for a new mattress? Is a queen or double bed the right size for you? Buying a new bed is as important and intimate as buying new underwear. While your personal preferences may be comfort, style or health focused, there’s no denying that your purchase can affect your mood the whole day long. If you share a bed with a partner, buying a new mattress is even trickier… Do you rock and roll through the wee hours or quietly spoon your way to sunrise? He snores, she doesn’t. She’s hot, he’s cold. One wants supportive cushioning but the other says the harder the better. Being disturbed by a partner is the number one sleep complaint from people who share a bed. Thankfully mattresses (like underwear) come in smorgasbord of shapes and sizes. If you’re struggling with mattress size – and yes, size matters – pull up a chair and let’s talk about your next great mattress. During the 60’s and 70’s, double beds ruled marital bedrooms, even though they were only 15″ wider than twin size beds.
Back then, our homes were smaller (and we were shorter). A queen size mattress gained popularity in the 80’s and is now the most popular size mattress for people who share a bed with a partner. Here’s why – the 6″ difference in width and length make for a more comfortable and non-disturbed sleeping environment. For many couples, a queen size bed is the idea choice as it fits well into most bedrooms and is larger enough to give both people the space they need to sleep undisturbed. If you and your partner are less than 5’5″ tall and sleep in a smaller bedroom, a double bed may still be a good choice for you. Sheets are also less expensive than with larger or specialty mattresses. King size mattresses have come into vogue in the last decade, offering couples as much space in bed with their partner as if they were alone in a twin. In fact, if you push two twin mattresses together, you’ll have a king size bed – in width at least. King size mattresses come in two popular lengths – standard and California king, which is the longest mattress available.
Because of the size of king size mattresses, they’re not a viable option for some couples. During delivery, they can be challenging to maneuver around corners and up stairs and they’re heavier than other mattresses. Some smaller bedrooms simply won’t accommodate the mattress and allow for walkability around it. Bedding can also more expensive and extra long pillows are needed to accommodate the extra width. On the flip side, king size mattresses offer sprawlers an opportunity to move freely throughout the night with disturbing their partner. In fact, many sleep doctors recommend a king size mattress for the best undisturbed sleep. And when kids and pets pile into the bed, there’s more than enough room for everyone. If you have the space and your budget will allow, a king size mattress will deliver a better night’s sleep for most couples. To know if a bed is the right fit for you and your partner, get yourself to a mattress retailer first. Then lie beside your partner on the bed with your arms tucked behind your head.
If your elbows barely graze each other or don’t touch at all, you’re on the right size mattress. But there’s more to buying a new mattress than elbow room. Buying a new mattress is a big decision and you might find these posts helpful as well: If you’re ready to shop, find an authorized Restonic Retailer near you.The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase. As part of an ongoing series, Insider Picks features products or stores poised for big things. The subject of this spotlight is a direct-to-consumer bedding startup called Brooklinen. I've waxed poetic on why everyone should own a high-quality set of bed sheets before; they look great, they feel even better, and they can genuinely offer you a better night's sleep for the third of your life you spend doing just that. The only real argument to be made against them is their price. Luxury bedding doesn't come cheap.
Even in the direct-to-consumer space — which is leaps and bounds more affordable than traditional retailers like Frette, which marks up its sheets by as much as 220% — finding genuine "deals" and "good values" is next to impossible. You still end up spending somewhere around $300 or $400 on a new set of sheets from startups like Parachute and Cultiver. The missions of these companies are steps in the right direction, and their products are excellent, however, their price points are still pretty high for most shoppers. Launched on Kickstarter in April 2014 by husband-and-wife team Vicki and Rich Fulop, Brooklinen is quickly gaining a reputation for its high-quality products and reasonable price points. "The outcome of the [Kickstarter] campaign was extremely successful," Vicki Fulop told Business Insider. "We set our goal at $50,000, and we wound up selling $237,000 in sheets. we couldn’t believe it." In 2015, the company brought in $2.5 million, and 2016 is already pacing to quadruple that number.
Inside a span of 18 months, 20% of their customers (myself included) have also reordered from them. That's the kind of meteoric success you just can't argue with. The reasons for Brooklinen's quick rise in the bedding industry are simple — customers love their sheets — how they feel and how they look — and they love the value they're getting from them even more. As someone who's been sleeping on their sheets for over a year now, I'm comfortable saying they are hands down the best sheets I've ever put on my bed. Perhaps more importantly, they didn't cost me a small fortune to do so either. I like Brooklinen's Luxe Hardcore Sheet Bundle. For queen beds like mine, the bundle retails for $228 and comes with a duvet cover, a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, and four pillowcases — i.e. everything you need. They also sell a Classic Hardcore Sheet Bundle that retails for $179 and includes the same items, if you're looking to save a little extra. Price aside, though, it's the look that really sold me on them.
Vicki Fulop says it best: "The sheets are simple, classic, clean, and timeless." I don't know about everybody else, but that's exactly what I want in my sheets. Brooklinen's plain whites, grays, and navys look mature and understated. I'm also happy to report that after over a year of use, my Smoke Stripe and Windowpane sheet bundles (these are both primarily white) have yet to yellow in the wash; they're still as crisp white as they were the day they were shipped to my door. They've only gotten more comfortable over time, too. Further, Brooklinen's practices sit right with me. "We do not have a store-front, we don’t pay slotting fees, licensing fees, or distribution fees, and we are trying to put as large a percentage of the cost into the materials and construction of our sheets as possible," Vicki Fulop told me. "We have also chosen to work with partners who are located in developed countries that have free trade agreements with the US. This enables us to avoid paying tariffs on the sheets we import, while also ensuring that our partners manufacture responsibly and treat their workers fairly."
I'm of the mindset that it's small businesses with values (and products) like Brooklinen that we, as customers, should be supporting. But that's just me. If your bed sheets could stand to be upgraded (and they probably can), head over to Brooklinen and have a look. Your living space should complement the thoroughly grown-up achievements of your daily life, and this brand is a good value every way you look at it. Brooklinen's bedding is available for twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king-sized mattresses. My recommendation is to go for one of the company's all-inclusive sheet bundles, but you're also free to buy just a duvet cover or couple of pillowcases. Brooklinen Classic Hardcore Sheet Bundle (Queen), $179.25Brooklinen Luxe Hardcore Bundle Set (Queen), $228 This article was originally published on 5/5/2016. Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Business Insider's Insider Picks team. We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners, including Amazon.