In addition to deciding on a color or pattern, you'll have to choose from a dizzying array of materials and sizes, including sheets tailored to suit today's extra-thick mattresses. We bought national brands like Springmaid, store brands such as Sears Colormate, and designer brands like Tommy Hilfiger. Black is becoming more common, especially in the upper price ranges. The bright colors on fashion runways translate into lighter shades for linens. All shades of blue and purple, as well as very pale green, are growing in popularity.
Deeper colors gaining favor include royal blue, deep purple, burgundy, and gold.
Patterns with subdued Asian motifs are popular, as are florals ranging from small, busy patterns to open, leafy looks. The range is wide, from 80 to more than 340. A thread count of 180 has been the mainstay of most lines for the past few years, but there's a trend toward a thread count of 200 for basic sheets and 250 to 300 for pricier lines. While a higher thread count is becoming a status symbol for consumers, we feel most users would be satisfied with a thread count of 180 or 200. Above that point, it's hard to detect any difference in quality due to thread count.