About Bed Linen

Duvet Quilt Doona

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

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 bright coloured atlas is often used for top and bottom cloth.

A duvet is sometimes confused with a comforter, although comforters go on top of the traditional sheets and blankets and are primarily decorative while duvets are used alone.