Let me share my latest little peeve. My hubby and I have a king-sized bed. Our Kingsdown mattress is certainly deep, but not exceptionally so. I'm only 5' 3" and it certainly doesn't feel like I have to hurdle to get into bed. So here's the rub; I have never been able to find bedding that fits correctly. I'm fine with the sheets. I've written before about my affinity for the Land's End 400-count No Iron Supima (Cotton) Sateen Sheets. (Preferably in white, and don't forget to add a monogram.) Their fitted sheet is more than deep enough to accommodate my mattress. I'm even OK with down comforters or blankets, thanks to The Company Store's supersized versions.
The problem comes when I look for a coverlet (my preference), duvet cover or decorative comforter. Everything that I like is too small, mainly in the width! Just as an example: A king-sized mattress is approximately 76" wide by 86" long. A "standard" king-sized comforter is approximately 100" wide by 90" long. That leaves 24 inches total for the "drop," or 12 inches on each side of the bed. No way is that sufficient! Today, the average mattress width - without a mattress pad - is 14 inches, which means you are at least 2 inches short on each side. Lovely!
Of course, it is true that certain styles are longer than others (e.g., coverlets longer than comforters) ... and also that certain brands (like The Company Store) offer products that are wider and/or longer than the standard size. Unfortunately, I have yet to find one that I consider satisfactory both in style and in size. So I've stuck with my perennial favorite diamond matelasse coverlet, and I always make the bed up so that the coverlet is sufficiently long on the side of the bed that faces the bedroom door ... which means the coverlet is even more absurdly short on the opposite side of the bed. I'm feeling especially perturbed about this today because I just retrieved my newly cleaned bedding from the dry cleaner. Of course, the bedding shrunk, making the problem even more egregious. The dry cleaner is, by far, the best in Charlotte, so I'm certain it's not their fault. Instead, an already too short coverlet became even shorter. Tell me this isn't the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen.
I know I'm not the only one with this problem. The Bachelorette's absolutely beautiful Italian embroidered duvet cover also falls short on her totally normal-sized mattress. Why can't bedding manufacturers offer more choices in larger sizes to accommodate today's mattresses? I simply don't understand. If money were no object, I'd have Leontine Linens custom-make my bedding (available in any size you fancy!). Which do you think I should choose - the Addison monogram or the Baxter applique (a la Aerin Lauder)? Too many choices! Unfortunately, that won't be happening any time soon ... so just don't look at the wrong side of my bed.
Am I missing something? Have you found a better option (without going custom)? If so, please clue me in! I think I need to get back on the search.