What makes up a bed? Pillows, sheets, and a duvet? Not in the world of Oni. We love to sleep and sleep well, so we have created a range of bedding for different seasons, moods and home decor. Here’s the lowdown on bedding through our eyes.
Firstly, it’s time to ditch the duvet. As we wrote in our last blog on creating ethical and non-toxic bedrooms, duvets are not the best choice. Both polyester and down-filled duvets are treated with chemicals and then there are the poor ducks to think about. Duvets are also breeding grounds for dust mites and bugs, as while the covers might get washed often, the duvet itself doesn’t. And who hasn’t woken up in the night in a sweat from overheating under a duvet? Instead, go for a set a 100% pure organic cotton bedsheets and cover them with any of the following:
Quilts
Lightly-padded, quilts are perfect for Dubai’s cooler months November – February. Although as Dubai residents know, when summer hits and humidity soars, it’s near impossible to sleep without aircon, making a light quilt ideal for protecting against the a/c chill. They also look stunning folded at the end of the bed, as a decorative comforter.
Dohars or Dhurries
Anyone who grew up in India will have fond childhood memories of dohars, or dhurrie blankets as they are called in Maharastra. They are super-fine quilts, made with the softest of cottons known as voile. They add a gorgeous accent of colour and texture to a bedroom and our top recommendation for sleeping well in the transitional seasons such as Spring and Autumn.
Kanthas
Kanthas are traditionally made from old saris, restitched to create stunning light-weight bedspreads. The main feature of the Kantha is the intricate hand-stitching, truly an artisanal craft. While hand-block printing and textile dying is often the preserve men, it is women who are renown for their stitching handiwork. Stitching kanthas is a way for many village women to earn an income, by being able to do piece work in their own homes. They are the lightest of all our bedspreads, well suited to the warm seasons.
We think your bedroom should look beautiful and your body to be in complete comfort. It’s also great to sleep well knowing that your bedding is the best choice when it comes to environmental sustainability and ethical business.
We recommend choosing bedding made with 100% pure organic cotton, which is not only a wise choice for your health, it is one of the best things you can do to minimise the use of chemicals in farming and keep waterways clean.
No person should have to suffer in the making of products that you and your family use in your home. Unfortunately, cheap mass-produced products often come at a cost to the people who make them. But there are alternatives. Look for products made by artisans who are paid fairly and treated ethically. By supporting these brands you are not only empowering these artisans to earn a living from their craft, but also helping preserve age-old textile-making traditions.
We use the term “earth-kind” when it comes to our bedding. Kind to the earth, kind to the people who make our products and kind to the people who use them.
We believe that the world is intimately interconnected. We want everyone to sleep well.
