Mix-Up Monday: Duvets

Bed. A place where you spend a good amount of your day (ok, night really, but you get the idea). We don't have any deep insights on the beds in the USA and Germany. Really they are basically the same thing. Rectangle, comfy (if you are lucky), and otherwise pretty dull. The part that gets us talking is what goes on the bed...the blankets, or in Germany the duvet(s).

Single duvet on an American bed (duvetpalace.com)

She grew up using a duvet on her bed so it was nothing new when she moved to Germany. Duvets are quite common in the USA but definitely not as common as they are in Germany. Americans have stuck by the traditional bed making method which includes a fitted sheet, a regular sheet (perhaps it has a fancy name but we do not know it) and layers of blankets.  This combination is more time consuming to make each morning but is great for bedrooms that constantly vary in temperature because you can throw the blankets on and off as you sleep.

She has not yet seen this method in Germany and instead has only seen the fitted sheet with a duvet (even in hotels). This is great for mornings when all you have to do is throw the duvet over the bed and it is "made." Duvets are not as great as blankets for changing temperatures but the one leg out from under the cover method works quite well.

Anyways, that was a lot of talking just to get to the strange part (to both of us)...the number of duvets on the bed.

Duvets in a German hotel (apartmenttherapy.com)

In Germany, each person gets their own duvet which means when there are two people in bed (and we assume this is the maximum number typically for a bed ; ) ) there are two duvets. She found this crazy and completely unromantic when she first moved to Germany. Two separate duvets on the bed? Why not just sleep in separate beds? He, on the other hand, finds the American method of one large duvet for two people just as crazy. Why would you want to spend the night fighting over who gets more blanket he wants to know!?


After time both in the USA (with a single duvet) and in Germany (with two duvets) we have come to see the benefit of both methods. He admits that sharing a duvet is not as bad as it seems and there is enough space for both people. She has grown fond of having her own duvet she can tuck around her when cold and not worry about taking too much blanket. Also, having your own duvet means that when you are hot you can use the stick two legs out methods, impossible when sharing a duvet.

For now we use two duvets on our bed. Why these differences exist we have no idea but that is what cultural understanding is all about...living and sleeping with understanding :)