Bedding

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:01:12 Hello and welcome to The Luxury Podcast. My name's Jonathan Vernon-Smith, and with me is William Hanson. This is the podcast that helps you live a more luxury life.

William Hanson 0:01:22 Hello, Jonathan and I are here to help you create the everyday moments of luxury that make life worth living. Whatever your budget.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:01:28 In each episode of The Luxury Podcast, William and I tackle an area of life that we think you should upgrade, sorting the ornslows from the hyacinths, advising the nation in gracious living. So, William, what are we going to talk about this week?

William Hanson 0:01:42 We're talking about bedding.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:01:44 I am unnaturally excited about this.

William Hanson 0:01:46 I felt when we did our bedrooms episode quite some time ago now, I felt we slightly skirted over bedding. And we did not go into bedding in as much detail as we could have done.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:01:59 No.

William Hanson 0:01:59 We didn't go into bedding as far as we could have gone into bedding.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:02 Bedding is one of the most important features of a bedroom.

William Hanson 0:02:06 It is.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:07 Isn't it?

William Hanson 0:02:08 Well, without bedding, it's not very comfortable.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:10 Exactly.

William Hanson 0:02:10 Have you ever slept in a bed with no bedding on it?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:13 No.

William Hanson 0:02:13 No, but if you get in and you haven't made the bed, and you thought you'd do it that day, and you've got a bit of a later—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:18 No.

William Hanson 0:02:19 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:19 No, I wouldn't do— No, I haven't either.

William Hanson 0:02:22 Have you?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:22 Well, you clearly have.

William Hanson 0:02:24 No, but I haven't—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:25 The scenario: you've got home, you haven't made the bed, you've committed it.

William Hanson 0:02:29 Because I'm worried it might happen tonight. So, I'm going out for a very late dinner tonight with some of my castmates from Thomas Lee. You are?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:36 You said you've got a table booked for 10.

William Hanson 0:02:38 Yep.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:02:38 10 PM.

William Hanson 0:02:40 10 PM. I'm tired already. But I don't think the evening's gonna go wild, because they've got a show tomorrow. But it's probably going to be midnight, half past midnight by the time I'm home. Where I'm concerned is that I don't want to disturb Mikey. But in our guest bedroom, we had guests last night, family. So the sheets are off and are washed, being washed. Do I just go and lie on the bed upstairs in order to not disturb him?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:08 With no bedding?

William Hanson 0:03:09 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:09 I wouldn't be able to sleep.

William Hanson 0:03:11 No, I don't think I would either.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:13 No.

William Hanson 0:03:13 It depends how many martinis I've had. Well, that is very true.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:16 If you've had one of your skinfuls, you'll be fine. Well, I mean, it's up to you. I think I would find it quite hard to sleep.

William Hanson 0:03:24 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:25 Even when, you know, I have had to sleep on a bed that has been set up fairly promptly for me, for whatever reason, I would still expect, you know, sheets and duvet cover and things like that, pillowcases.

William Hanson 0:03:40 Oh, back in the day when we used to sort of entertain people on air mattresses, if we didn't have proper guest bedrooms and we would have space to put an air mattress, I still did a mattress protector over the air mattress, then a little fitted sheet, then a proper duvet, 2 pillows. You know, still do it properly.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:57 Lovely.

William Hanson 0:03:58 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:03:58 Let's talk about our ideal bed then and ideal bedding.

William Hanson 0:04:02 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:02 You go first.

William Hanson 0:04:03 Well, in an ideal world, I would have a super king.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:06 Yes, of course. Zip and link. You don't like a zip and link?

William Hanson 0:04:11 Well, why do you need a zip and link?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:13 Well, because you can have 2 separate tensions if you and your partner—

William Hanson 0:04:17 I'm sure there's enough tension in my bed.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:19 If you and your partner like a different firmness.

William Hanson 0:04:22 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:22 I mean, do you like it firmer than Mikey?

William Hanson 0:04:24 I've recently told Mikey he needs to start listening to this podcast. I'm regretting that now.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:36 Yeah, you can have it soft, he can have it hard.

William Hanson 0:04:38 It's gonna be a long evening, isn't it, for me?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:04:53 You can have different— yeah, you can have— depending on who you get your bed from, you can have a variety of different options, and then you just zip it down the middle. But did you not feel the zip?

William Hanson 0:05:08 Do you not feel the divide? Because sometimes in hotels where they have their beds where, you know, they can make them into 2 singles or 1 double, you can sometimes feel that if you roll over to, you know, have a little cuddle, you can— and you're in the middle of the bed, you can sort of— you almost fall down the crack.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:22 But even if you roll over and have a cuddle, you don't sleep like that, do you, in a super king bed?

William Hanson 0:05:30 Sometimes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:30 You then roll back and go onto your own side.

William Hanson 0:05:33 I've been known to fall asleep cuddling.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:36 Really?

William Hanson 0:05:37 Yeah, not often, but it has been known.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:39 Oh, how irritating. No. Well, in that case, if you are a middle-of-the-bed sleeper, regardless of the size, then maybe Zip& Link isn't very good.

William Hanson 0:05:51 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:51 But the problem you have to think about with it— do you have a super king?

William Hanson 0:05:54 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:54 Okay.

William Hanson 0:05:55 We have a king.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:05:56 Well, the thing you have to factor in is getting the mattress upstairs.

William Hanson 0:05:59 Well, I guess with Zip& Link, easier.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:02 Quite. You've got 2 single mattresses, they go up, up to the top, and it's fine.

William Hanson 0:06:07 Maybe if we do go super king, we'll go zip and link.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:09 You'll have to, because if you get a super king size— firstly, super king size mattresses are enormous.

William Hanson 0:06:15 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:15 Secondly, they weigh a ton if they're a quality mattress. You know, it's like lifting a car. If you're then going to turn it over or rotate it, as you should do with most mattresses, You know, you're going to have to get a rugby team round to help you in the bedroom.

William Hanson 0:06:31 And your problem is?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:34 I was going to say— I saw your eyes light up. But, you know, you'll have to get some muscle in the bedroom.

William Hanson 0:06:44 And your problem is?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:06:53 Yeah. Yeah, okay. You'll have to get some big burly men to come round and help you turn it.

William Hanson 0:06:59 That's what I'm out.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:05 So, zipper link is just easier.

William Hanson 0:07:06 Okay, it is the way forward. And you don't feel the central sort of the divide?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:10 I don't think so, no.

William Hanson 0:07:12 I'm going to lie on your bed next time, and I'm going to see if I can feel the crack.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:15 Well, you're coming over— Oh, I was going to say you're coming over tomorrow. Yeah. No, Saturday.

William Hanson 0:07:29 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:30 You're coming over Saturday, but I'm not letting you lie on my bed and feel my crack.

William Hanson 0:07:34 Not your crack! Your bed's.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:40 Right.

William Hanson 0:07:40 Just with a hand to see if I can feel it.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:43 Okay.

William Hanson 0:07:44 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:44 Alright.

William Hanson 0:07:45 It's just at the foot of the bed. I'll just sort of— only because you do all that tucking in, don't you?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:50 Yes, I do. We're gonna get to that. Oh yeah. But, you know, I can unmake my bed for you if you feel it's necessary.

William Hanson 0:07:56 Talking of bedding.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:07:57 Yes.

William Hanson 0:07:58 And tucking in. Do you think it's— because I'm sort of a bit divided on this. So, when Freddie and I were in LA for work, in his room, he said, I'm going to tell reception when we check in, can they not tuck my sheets in? You know, like in hotels do, you know, they tuck his sheets. Yeah, I love it. Yeah, I do too. Can they not tuck it in? Because I hate that. And I went, oh, I'm not sure you can tell them that. He said, well, I'm going to. He did, to be fair. And they didn't tuck in his bed. I thought it looked very messy.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:27 Well, it would.

William Hanson 0:08:28 But was that a reasonable thing for him to ask or not?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:31 Yeah, of course it is. If I was the chamber boy, then I would just think that's less work to do.

William Hanson 0:08:37 Yeah, true. True, actually.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:39 Yeah. Because making a bed properly and doing all the tucking in, it is a bit of a faff, isn't it?

William Hanson 0:08:45 Yeah, but that's why you stay in a hotel.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:08:46 And it's so lovely. I mean, I love it. When I do my— I change my bedding on a Saturday, and I do it all properly, and then I just love that kind of, you know, Saturday evening, go into the bedroom, and I've always got the lighting on really nice, dim lighting in the bedroom. And I go into the bedroom, and I think, oh, how lovely. I've got a beautiful, like a hotel.

William Hanson 0:09:10 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:11 And you know my fully upholstered pelmet?

William Hanson 0:09:13 Yep.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:13 That gives the hotel look anyway in the bedroom.

William Hanson 0:09:15 It does.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:16 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:09:16 So, should we talk about what bedding we have? We've talked about the beds, You've got a Super King Zip and Lock. I'm just slumming it with a king, all one piece.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:24 Not Zip and Lock, that's for food bags.

William Hanson 0:09:27 What do you call it?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:28 Zip and Link.

William Hanson 0:09:28 Zip and Link.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:31 You're not going to sleep on a Ziploc bag.

William Hanson 0:09:32 So I have Yves Delorme bedding.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:38 I don't even know what that is.

William Hanson 0:09:41 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:41 It sounds expensive.

William Hanson 0:09:43 Well, yes, it's not— it's at the higher end of the market, but there is more expensive. Yves Lomme bedding, 500 thread count.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:52 Okay.

William Hanson 0:09:53 I think it's— say some terms at me.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:56 Sateen cotton?

William Hanson 0:09:58 No, Supima.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:09:58 Egyptian percale? Supima cotton?

William Hanson 0:10:02 I think it's Supima cotton. I've got it here.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:04 Okay, yeah, yeah.

William Hanson 0:10:04 Egyptian cotton percale. 100% Supima extra-long staple-combed cotton percale.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:11 Yeah, percale. So my new bedding is percale.

William Hanson 0:10:16 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:16 I prefer sateen, to be honest with you. I think sateen is the really luxury feel.

William Hanson 0:10:22 Nice.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:23 Got a slight, almost a slight shine to it.

William Hanson 0:10:25 Well, this has a slight sheen to it, but I don't like it when it's too—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:28 No, you don't want to slip out of the bed like a fish, do you? No.

William Hanson 0:10:33 Now, I don't— Why's Rodrigo laughing at that? I was trying to go onto the Eve Delorme website to actually look up specifically, because I've had to look that up. on another website, and it keeps telling me that I've got an error with a backend fetch.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:10:49 It's heard about you.

William Hanson 0:10:50 Yeah, shut up. But I think that's what we've got, Athena. And it's just plain white with just a little sort of almost satin or sateen sort of detail around the pillowcases and the square. So it's a square with— well, a rectangle or a square within a square.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:08 Can we agree that white is the only way to go?

William Hanson 0:11:12 Yes, in a city or a built-up area.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:16 Well, I don't live in a city.

William Hanson 0:11:18 No, but you live in a village.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:19 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:11:20 I think if you're in a country house in the middle of nowhere, and you're in a very country sort of environment, you could get away with some sort of floral.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:28 Well, yeah, maybe— But maybe if—

William Hanson 0:11:31 as long as the base colour was white again. Like, okay, hyacinth bedding. In Wainy Elm. I know it matches the walls and curtains. That's obviously ridiculous. The bedding itself, in the right setting, if that was in a country house, I think is fine.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:45 Do you? I do. I do. Okay. Yeah, but it's a bit granny, isn't it?

William Hanson 0:11:52 Well, hyacinth basically is one.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:11:54 Exactly. But I mean, I think if you— I would rather, even if I was in a house in the middle of nowhere, I'd still rather have crisp white bedding, and then if I wanted something a bit chintzy, a bit florally, I'd far rather do that with the cushions rather than the actual bedding itself.

William Hanson 0:12:12 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:12:13 But, you know, I get your point. If you were going to have floral-type bedding or something with a heavy pattern, the countryside is the place to have it.

William Hanson 0:12:24 Yes. Okay, fine. But white other than that.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:12:28 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:12:29 Should we cross live to our producer to find out what his bed looks like?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:12:32 Oh, yes, let's.

William Hanson 0:12:33 Rodrigo, first of all, How big are you in the bedroom? Are you king or super king or double?

Rodrigo 0:12:39 So, in my bedroom is queen size because that's what fits in there.

William Hanson 0:12:44 Queen? With the roommates.

Rodrigo 0:12:47 If I could, I would have the biggest size. Queen size?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:12:51 Okay. We don't really have queen. Ah, here there's no really queen.

Rodrigo 0:12:53 It's between double and king size.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:12:56 Oh, how do you get the bedding for that, Rodrigo? That's a nightmare.

Rodrigo 0:13:01 I don't know if it's any European size, so it's Whoever offers European-sized bedding.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:07 Oh, is it from IKEA?

William Hanson 0:13:09 No. What colour's your bedding?

Rodrigo 0:13:11 All the sheets, pillowcases, everything is white. And the duvet varies a little bit from white to very light cream.

William Hanson 0:13:21 Ooh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:23 Clench.

Rodrigo 0:13:24 Or maybe mint.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:25 Mint? Mint! Oh, Rodrigo, you were doing so well. Mint in the bedroom?

Rodrigo 0:13:33 I mean, all white is a bit too hospital, isn't it?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:37 No, no, no, it's not. It's a bit soulless.

William Hanson 0:13:41 I think when I was in hospital, famously, I think it might have been blue.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:45 Blue?

William Hanson 0:13:46 I think there might be a light blue bedding.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:13:49 Yeah, sometimes a blue blanket. Yeah. Mint, Rodrigo. Yes. Well… Well, we'll address that at a later date.

William Hanson 0:14:02 Is that a mint duvet?

Rodrigo 0:14:03 Yeah, duvet cover. Yeah.

William Hanson 0:14:06 Yeah, okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:14:07 I'm sure it's lovely, Roderick.

William Hanson 0:14:11 Yes, it just sounds horrid, but it probably is— it works.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:14:15 It is.

William Hanson 0:14:15 It probably works nicely in real life, in situ.

Rodrigo 0:14:19 It does. I chose it, so— You chose it?

William Hanson 0:14:21 Oh, that's nice.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:14:23 I like White, but I have just bought some new bedding.

William Hanson 0:14:28 Oh yes, is this from Dunnes?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:14:29 I've got it from Dunnes, and it's from the Francis Brennan Collection.

William Hanson 0:14:34 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:14:35 And it's got a bit of a line around the side of it, around the outside, and it gives, I think, a real hotel look to it.

William Hanson 0:14:44 Lovely. Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:14:46 I've lost the photo. Sorry, struggling to show you.

William Hanson 0:14:50 So, Rodrigo, whilst you're finding that, Rodrigo, how many sets of bedding do you have? So, if you— let's just If you had some horrific accident in bed, or you were ill, and you needed to change the sheets, how many horrific accidents could you have until you were— it was a problem in one night?

Rodrigo 0:15:07 I have 4.

William Hanson 0:15:08 4. Well done. Sensible boy.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:10 Oh, yes.

William Hanson 0:15:11 Yes. We have 3.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:13 Do you?

William Hanson 0:15:14 Although actually, the guest bed is the same size, so actually, I guess we have 6, because it's all white.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:18 That's my new bedding.

William Hanson 0:15:19 Oh, right.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:21 Do you like it?

William Hanson 0:15:22 Yes. Did it come with the tray?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:25 No, it doesn't come with the tray, you wally.

William Hanson 0:15:28 And what's the, um—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:29 it's white with a grey kind of piping squares around the outside.

William Hanson 0:15:34 300 thread count?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:36 Yes, the thread count is quite low, but it's very soft.

William Hanson 0:15:40 Now, it's saying here wash at 40 degrees. Please tell me you wash at 60 for your bedding.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:45 No, I don't wash at 60. Of course I don't wash at 60. For bedding? No, I don't wash at 60. I don't want to ruin it, do I?

William Hanson 0:15:51 For all your, you know…

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:53 What?

William Hanson 0:15:54 I know you shower before bed, etc., and you're a very clean person.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:15:57 What, my mites?

William Hanson 0:15:58 Yeah, and just general sweat.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:00 No, I put a laundry sanitiser in. Oh, fine. Yeah. So, and it also goes— my new luxury heat pump tumble dryer has a hygiene function on it. So you can press the hygiene button, and it hygienically removes anything through the top of the bed.

William Hanson 0:16:20 Yes, we do that for towels and bedding.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:22 Exactly.

William Hanson 0:16:22 Cotton's hygiene.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:23 I don't know that that's the same. Are you a murderer? Yeah, of course.

William Hanson 0:16:28 Yeah. Did you buy that recently?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:29 No.

William Hanson 0:16:30 Oh, no. Fine.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:30 No, no. I've had it quite some time. But I bought— I got that bedding, and then it looked so nice in the bedroom that I then bought the same bedding for the other 2 rooms in different colours.

William Hanson 0:16:44 Oh, nice.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:45 So, I kind of feel as if my upstairs now is going to resemble a small hotel.

William Hanson 0:16:50 Lovely. A small boutique hotel. A small luxury hotel of the world.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:16:54 Yes. Although I did buy one of the ranges of bedding that I bought, I did think when it arrived, I thought, that is a little bit Donald Trump. There's just a little bit something Trumpy about it. Have you ever stayed at the Grand Hyatt Hotel?

William Hanson 0:17:13 Where?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:14 In New York.

William Hanson 0:17:16 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:17 It's kind of quite gold. So, that's the other bedroom.

William Hanson 0:17:21 Oh, right. Yes, Mar-a-Lago, isn't it?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:24 If you zoom in, there's a little bit kind of how he's turning the White House.

William Hanson 0:17:30 It's a little bit of a gold ornate And is that for your big guest bedroom or your small guest bedroom?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:36 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:17:37 Wow.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:38 So, that's the kind of look that I'm going for at the moment. So, I think white, and you can just have a little bit of piping, but not much. And I also like, you know, the white bedding where you get the white kind of stripe?

William Hanson 0:17:52 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:52 Do you know what I mean?

William Hanson 0:17:53 Yes, a self-stripe.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:55 A self-stripe. Like, you know, like the grass at Wimbledon.

William Hanson 0:17:59 Lovely.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:17:59 That kind of look, but on white. I love that in a bedroom. I think that's very, very smart.

William Hanson 0:18:04 Nice. Okay. Yeah, no, that's right. I think I had that in Manchester. My beds were self-stripe.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:18:10 Yeah. But some of my bedding has been quite expensive, and not always— I don't think you always get more the more you spend on bedding.

William Hanson 0:18:22 No. And again, when people think the higher the thread thread count, the nicer it is. No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:18:26 No, that's true. I bought some bedding from— in fact, it was a company that I think you've bought bedding from before. It's very heavy. When you put it on, it's kind of thick. It's a very high thread count, but it's really heavy, and it's kind of thick and crunchy when you roll over. The duvet cover crunches because it's so thick in the fabric. So, I do prefer it a little bit lighter and Lower thread count, probably.

William Hanson 0:18:53 Tell us about your mattress topper.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:18:55 What, mattress protector?

William Hanson 0:18:57 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:18:57 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:18:58 Well, or mattress topper. You might have a topper as well.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:00 I don't need one because I have a very exclusive mattress full of beautiful fillings. So why would I then put something on top of that?

William Hanson 0:19:08 Yeah, true.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:09 So I just like a nice cotton mattress protector over the top.

William Hanson 0:19:13 Okay, nice. And how often do you wash that?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:15 Once a month. That goes in the washing machine.

William Hanson 0:19:18 Yeah, that's nice.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:18 And the tumble dryer. It's a bit of a faff to dry.

William Hanson 0:19:21 Yeah, they don't dry as quickly, do they? No. So, we have 2.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:24 Oh, do you?

William Hanson 0:19:24 We rotate, yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:26 Oh, that's good, because they're expensive.

William Hanson 0:19:28 They are.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:29 Mine was very expensive, which is probably why I only have one. But I love— on a hot summer's day, I love, you know, put the mattress protector in, hang it over the whirligig in the sunshine. It's dry in no time.

William Hanson 0:19:43 Pillow protectors, how often do you wash them?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:45 About the same.

William Hanson 0:19:46 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:47 Yeah, once a month. I change all the bedding every week.

William Hanson 0:19:51 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:51 But the actual protector, once a month.

William Hanson 0:19:53 I know I have a go at you sometimes for, you know, sometimes—

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:19:57 For what? Many things.

William Hanson 0:19:58 You have a slightly slapdash approach to the environment.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:03 Do I?

William Hanson 0:20:03 You do.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:04 I drive an electric car. Do you?

William Hanson 0:20:07 Hybrid.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:08 Oh, well, come on.

William Hanson 0:20:10 But when we're in hotels, you notice that in the last sort of 5 years, hotels now have this sort of thing by the bed saying, We change your sheets every third night, but if you want new sheets, pop this on the bed.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:22 Yeah. I put it on the bed.

William Hanson 0:20:24 Oh my God, thank you.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:25 Yeah, I do.

William Hanson 0:20:26 I was worried you were going to attack me.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:28 No, I want my bedding changed. I want fresh towels.

William Hanson 0:20:32 That's part of the fun of being in a hotel.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:34 Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm not, I'm not doing, you know, recycling of water when I'm on holiday.

William Hanson 0:20:41 I also think they're doing that. They're, they're plugging the environment, and that's good, and that's all very well. It's got nothing to do with the environment. It's to do with their bottom line.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:47 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:20:48 So they can do fewer loads. I think that's what it is.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:50 Exactly. I want fresh sheets on holiday.

William Hanson 0:20:52 So, Sadie has written a question for us here. Did you ever sleep with a cuddly toy as a child?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:20:58 Yes, and I vomited on it. Bunny was— Bunny was given to me—

William Hanson 0:21:06 Is this where your rabbit fixation came from?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:10 Well, I did always— my teddy bear was Bunny. In fact, I think Bunny might still be in the loft.

William Hanson 0:21:15 Oh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:16 Maybe we could go and dig him out on Saturday.

William Hanson 0:21:18 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:19 Yes. He is in the loft, and I had him from a baby, and I still kind of had him on my bed as a child. And one of my many cases of alcohol poisoning, I vomited on him.

William Hanson 0:21:35 Oh.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:35 And he had to go in the washing machine. And you were how old? I don't know how old. Was that when I was at 11?

William Hanson 0:21:41 Right. At the time.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:43 And he had to go in the washing machine, and his cheek fell off.

William Hanson 0:21:46 His cheek?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:48 Yeah, his cheek fell off in the washing machine. So he's a bit kind of threadbare on one side.

William Hanson 0:21:52 Jeez.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:53 He got a cheek missing.

William Hanson 0:21:54 Wow.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:55 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:21:56 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:21:57 Disfigured is old Bunny nowadays.

William Hanson 0:22:00 I had Leopard. Who was a snow leopard.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:03 Oh.

William Hanson 0:22:04 And Granny bought me Leopard.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:05 Oh.

William Hanson 0:22:05 Actually, no, I didn't have it from birth. I would have Flopsy and Bunnykins. I had bunnies too.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:11 Flopsy and Bunnykins?

William Hanson 0:22:13 Yes, 2 of them.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:15 So butch.

William Hanson 0:22:16 But Leopard was the one Granny bought me, maybe 4 or 5. What?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:22 Flopsy and Bunnykins.

William Hanson 0:22:24 They're bunnies in Peter Rabbit.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:26 Flopsy, Bunnykins. Bedtime!

William Hanson 0:22:30 I think they were Flopsy and Bunnykins, or was one of them called Cottontail? Flopsy and Bunnykins? I'm going to have to ask my parents what my rabbits were called. Anyway.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:43 You are the epitome of an English child, aren't you? Flopsy, Bunnykins! What was the other one?

William Hanson 0:22:52 Cottontail.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:22:53 Cottontail?

William Hanson 0:22:55 Well, they are rabbits in Peter Rabbit. I know! From Beatrix Potter. But I don't know which ones I had. Flopsy was definitely one of them. Anyway, tune in tomorrow. I'll let you know.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:03 Do you still have Flopsy in bed now?

William Hanson 0:23:05 Yes, but there is a pill. William! Should we go to the break?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:23:40 I bet you get that. It's got to be someone very important.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:25:23 Welcome back, Bucketheads. We've been discussing bedding, and it's now time for your questions. So let's check out our heaving bags of post. If there's something on your mind that needs a luxury touch, do remember postman@luxurypodcast.co.uk is the place for your queries and your questions. Also, a reminder, you can watch these episodes on Patreon if you join our Luxury Members Club. Just head over to luxurypodcast.co.uk to join.

William Hanson 0:26:08 This first one is from Charlene. Hello, you devilishly handsome men. I'm writing to get your opinion on separate bedding. Now, I don't mean separate beds, but my fiancé and I have been together for some years now, and as with most couples, we share a bed and therefore a duvet cover, and in the winter a thick warm throw.

William Hanson 0:26:28 Almost every night I wake up to a mound of duvet cover on top of me after it has been thrown off my fiancé due to him getting too hot. I have suggested separate duvets so that when it happens again I can just throw his on the floor or back over his side. However, he says absolutely not. Do you think separate duvets are luxury? I know some members of the royal family have separate bedrooms, but what about bedding?

William Hanson 0:26:47 I'm hoping to persuade him with your argument. Many thanks, Charlene. I've stayed in— I remember Mike and I years ago were on holiday in Amsterdam, and we stayed at an Airbnb, and it was a double bed but with 2 separate single duvets.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:27:02 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:27:02 And it's quite European, or certain parts of Europe. Possibly they do it in Japan as well. I didn't like it. It was weird because you get cold.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:27:10 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:27:10 Because I'm used to sleeping with a— I wouldn't mind it if it was like a 3/4 duvet, but then it would sort of look a bit odd on the bed.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:27:18 Yeah.

William Hanson 0:27:18 So, I sort of get it, but I don't like it.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:27:23 I think the fundamental point about bedding is it has to be practical. Yeah. You have to be able to get good sleep with it and then work backwards from there.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:27:35 But I think the main thing is that If you're going to decide to have 2 separate duvets, which is fine if that's what works for you, you need to have a way of dressing the bed that it doesn't look like that. So I would say maybe a bedspread that then goes over the top of the 2 duvets during the day, so you don't see the 2 individual duvets. Mm-hmm. Because I think if you went into a bedroom and you saw just 2 duvets, That would look very common.

William Hanson 0:28:04 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:28:05 Don't you think?

William Hanson 0:28:06 Yes. No, I think it would. But I do get it sometimes, yes, when one throws the duvet off, then it, you know, then it's— then you get extra hot, the other person, because it's then flopping onto you.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:28:19 Yes. Although if you get a bigger bed, if you were to get a super king, Charlene, you've got that— She might not have the space. No, well, that's true. And a super king does take quite a lot of room. But you might then have that gap in the middle where the extra duvet bunches up. But this is— And then it's all being on you.

William Hanson 0:28:35 I've talked about this before. Now, since we moved, we have the space to have 2 duvets this summer. And in fact, actually, we have 3-strength tog. We have the standard 10, we have a 4.5, and actually the upstairs bedroom that gets very hot in the summer until we have air conditioning eventually, 2.5.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:28:50 2.5?

William Hanson 0:28:52 That's just cheap! It is, but it's actually still on there. Our family that stayed last night, 2.5.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:28:59 They said it was fine. Really?

William Hanson 0:29:01 We have other blankets in there, but it's quite a hot room up there.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:03 My bedroom's been so cold.

William Hanson 0:29:05 Yes, that's because you've got AC.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:07 No, no, that's not been on for quite some time now.

William Hanson 0:29:09 Oh, okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:10 No, I went, I went into the bedroom last night. I've got a little— I put a little thermometer in the bedroom so I can monitor the temperature of the room. And I went in there, 17 degrees.

William Hanson 0:29:21 Oh. It was chilly.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:23 Very chilly.

William Hanson 0:29:24 Yes. Wow. Okay, you don't want a 2.5 tog then.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:27 No, I definitely don't.

William Hanson 0:29:28 What's your normal tog?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:29 13, I think. Or is it 11? Can't remember.

William Hanson 0:29:33 Okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:29:34 I think it's 13. Harriet's been in touch, William. Dear Jonathan and William, are electric blankets luxury? I really look forward to the colder months when I can switch it on and feel toasty in bed. Mine is machine washable for improved hygiene. Obviously, you do have to unplug it first. Thank you so much for your fabulous podcast. Warmest regards, Harriet.

William Hanson 0:30:00 I can see the appeal, but again, I get— I like to be quite cold in bed and then warm up naturally.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:05 Me too.

William Hanson 0:30:06 As opposed to going into a hot bed.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:09 Yeah, I'm with you.

William Hanson 0:30:10 I guess, but it depends where you live. I guess if we lived in Siberia, we'd be very grateful for a heated blanket.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:15 No, I love when you get into a freezing cold bed in the winter, you kind of get in and do you have to do the dance?

William Hanson 0:30:22 No, you do a dance.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:23 I do a dance and my legs, I get my legs going and I have a dance under the duvet until I get all nice and they're all lovely. Hey, perfect temperature. My bed does. I don't think I'd want to get into a hot bed.

William Hanson 0:30:34 No, no, no, no, definitely not. No, no, actually one of the nice things when you go to the loo in the middle of the night, if you just peel back the duvet and you go to the loo, you come back and the bed's cooled down a bit.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:30:44 It's cool again. That's nice. I like that. My mum used to love an electric blanket, and I just, I have happy memories of, you know, of an evening you'd be watching the television and she'd lean over and touch my father on the head and say, Trying to put the blanket on. In hindsight, that might have been a good choice. You think it was gauche? Oh my god. As a child, I thought that was innocent. Now— Oh my god.

William Hanson 0:31:14 Oh. This is from Horatio. Him with the lyric. Chaps and lads. Ooh, are you more of a chap or a lad?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:31:25 Chap.

William Hanson 0:31:26 I'm definitely a lad.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:31:27 Of course you are.

William Hanson 0:31:28 Yeah. I'm sure you have already touched upon what the appropriate level of flair or chintz to have on one's bed, complete with executive headboard— oh, I need to talk to you about mine— and mattress topper.

William Hanson 0:31:38 My question is how to bring this sophistication to the other side of the bed, the sheet. My partner is a sucker for a bright pop of colour or a geometric pattern, whereas I'm of the staunch opinion that often a crisp white sheet is all you need. Should I accept that he is dulling my shine? Are there better things to worry about, or is this the sort of difference that can only lead down the single-track road to what is known as a bed divorce, patiently awaiting your response. Horatio.

William Hanson 0:32:01 Just purely white. White. I mean, I've sometimes seen it in showrooms or hotel— you know, not hotels, department stores, where they have a made-up bed and the duvet pulled back a bit to show the fitted sheet or the flat sheet, where it's a sort of a— that's a contrasting colour. Maybe a light blue, duck egg blue, with white. And that can sort of look okay.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:32:23 Well, I'm kind of surprised you don't like that, because you do like a pop of colour.

William Hanson 0:32:27 I do love a pop of colour. I just think it's easier. But then you see, from a— I'm going— I'm coming at it from a practicality point of view. If it's white, it can just all go in the same wash.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:32:35 All goes in the wash, yeah.

William Hanson 0:32:37 Otherwise, you've got to wash it separately, and it takes longer.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:32:39 And I think you can, if you want colour— because we haven't talked about dressing the bed.

William Hanson 0:32:44 No.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:32:45 Because I like— I've got 2 square Oxford pillows, And so, I have those. They are white as well.

William Hanson 0:32:53 Yeah.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:32:54 But then I have, on my bed, I have 2 tones of grey for the 2 cushions on each side, and then I have a grey kind of runner that I tuck in under the bed at the bottom. So, it brings in the grey with the white. Okay, nice. Which I think looks smart and manly.

William Hanson 0:33:14 Lovely. I— talking of headboard, guess what's happening tomorrow?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:19 You're having it cleaned?

William Hanson 0:33:21 We're having the carpets cleaned, and I will, as per, say, you just give the headboard the once-over.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:26 The annual clean.

William Hanson 0:33:27 The annual clean.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:28 How lovely.

William Hanson 0:33:29 Because Jonathan has laughed at me for getting my upholstered headboard cleaned, because it gathers dust and dirt.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:36 I dread to think what they're gonna get out of it this year. They're gonna need a backup vehicle.

William Hanson 0:33:50 Well, they won't need one for yours. With a new tank.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:33:54 No, they definitely won't need one. Oh well.

William Hanson 0:34:00 Do you know what they're also gonna do whilst we're at it?

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:03 What?

William Hanson 0:34:03 The stain on the sofa.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:05 Don't blame me! Okay, it was my hand that was holding the glass of red as it was slop to one side.

William Hanson 0:34:14 Yeah, see, one of the benefits of having a floral sofa is that it took me a while to discover that there was red wine on it because I thought it was a flower. Yeah, well, it's fading, to be fair. I think it'll come out very easily for them.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:24 Oh, for a professional, they have exactly the right chemical for wine.

William Hanson 0:34:29 Great.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:29 Get that straight out. Yeah.

William Hanson 0:34:30 Okay, good.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:31 Absolutely. Don't worry about that. That will go. It won't be noticeable.

William Hanson 0:34:36 Phew.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:37 Well, William, haven't we been useful this week? Have we? I'm not sure we have. Have we?

William Hanson 0:34:42 I don't know. I can't remember much.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:44 No, I can't either. We'll leave it there for now. We will, of course, be back tomorrow for one of our bonus episodes.

William Hanson 0:34:50 I've still got so much to talk to you about.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:52 Exactly. We've got to mop up all the stuff we missed out last week.

William Hanson 0:34:55 Yes.

Jonathan Vernon-Smith 0:34:55 But for now, goodbye.