Imagine a sappy TV commercial for fabric softener or lemonade or life insurance. You're in the backyard. The sky is radiant blue. There's a kid on a tricycle, a glass of lemonade on a picnic table, and various family members talking and laughing in slow motion. A ray of sun bursts through the laundry that is drying on the clothesline and causes a charming lens flare on the camera. [Stick with me. I'm going somewhere with this, I promise.] Now... think closely about those bedsheets, blowing in the breeze. Get really specific in your imagination. Do those sheets look SILKY? Are they shiny and glossy? Do they look slippery? Nope. They just look like... linen. Or cotton. Crisp, clean, inviting. Those sheets you're picturing - they have a PERCALE weave, not sateen. For years I've been unhappy with the various bedsheets I've owned. Sheets are tricky bastards. I've been hoodwinked over and over. I go to the store, unzip a corner of the packaging, and shove my hand in as far as I can. I close my eyes and try to imagine lying on them. "Oooh, these are so silky and smooth! Oh my giggledy-goggledy-gosh! So soft! I just have to have them!" I giggle like a little girl and fling open my wallet. [SIDE NOTE: For what it's worth, I'm a long-haired straight dude who lives alone in an RV in the woods. But yes, I've been known to giggle.] I race home, wash the sheets, and dive headfirst into my newly made bed. Halfway through the first night, I'm already disappointed. They felt great for the first 2 minutes and then... something's just wrong. Sneaky sheet-bastards tricked me again! But how??? It took me until my 40s to figure it out. I don't want silky sheets. I don't want sateen. I just want sheets that feel like... sheets. I want PERCALE. I spent 20 years touring as an actor - countless nights in hotels. I always loved the feel of hotel sheets. Guess what? They're not sateen. They're PERCALE. Ninety-eight percent of the sheets I see in stores are sateen. I don't know why. PERCALE is the weave that feels like home, comfort, and rest. Say it with me... "Percale." One more time, a little louder... "Percale." Well done. I'm proud of you. As for this particular product by this particular company: California Design Den nailed it. The weight of these sheets is perfect. The fit is perfect. The elastic on the fitted sheet is robust and strong - the sheet stays put. The pillowcases don't fit my pillows quite right, but that's a reflection on my pillows, not the sheets. I love that the pillowcases have an envelope enclosure! The whole product feels like it will last. The price is terrific. PRO TIP: Buy plain white sheets. Trust me. (Remember those sheets you imagined in the TV commercial, blowing in the wind? What color were they?) It really adds to the clean, inviting, floating-off-to-sleep feel. I can't explain it. I've always bought dark-colored sheets before but I will never go back! Plus, you can bleach them if needed. So... Forget about thread count. Forget about "you need to spend 200 bucks to get a great set of sheets." Forget about silky, slippery, and shiny. Forget about "this amazing new micro-fiber bla-bla-bla blend." Forget about patterns and colors. Buy this great set of PERCALE sheets, made by a great company, in plain white, and GO. TO. SLEEP. You need it. Reading this review must have been EXHAUSTING. Read more
I love percale sheets and don’t want to have to pay an exorbitant price for a king set. I have returned many sets in the past when I’ve reached my hand inside the packages to feel rough and “sticky” polyester fabric. I didn’t even bother hoping to wash and dry them, thinking they’ll magically get better. I’ve been so disappointed so many times in the past that I no longer take the chance I can’t return them. Before I review an item, I always take plenty of photos to show how I formed my honest opinion. When I discovered California Design Den King Sheets Set - Soft 100% Organic Cotton Sheets with Deep Pockets, I anxiously read the reviews. I put a True Ivory set in my cart and waited for a sale. It arrived, passed my touch test, and felt crisp. I was tickled and excited and wanted to try them on the bed, but I asked my boyfriend if the slight packaging odor would bother him. He said it wasn’t that bad and suggested turning on the overhead fan and to put the flat sheet in the dryer to air dry for a little while. I still wanted to hold out not washing them just in case I decided to return them, after all. I measured the pillow envelope pockets that are 8” deep. Our mattress is 11” thick, so the product’s claim of 8-15” satisfies. The fitted sheet has a nice, thick elastic, and there are tabs that label “Head or Foot” for easier placement on the mattress. Undoubtedly, it will shrink some and fit a little better after washing. The flat sheet has plenty of length to tuck in as well as fold down the top with a blanket. It will probably shrink some in the wash, too. So far, we have slept comfortably in these cooling, crisp sheets. I can even slide a pillow between them for side and knee support and not have a hard time moving it like I do with other sheets that seem like sticky polyester that attracts lots of lint and other fibers. I still haven’t washed this set. I’m so afraid it will lose its percale crispness in favor of just becoming soft like another set of percale sheets made of combed cotton I recently ordered and had passed my touch test. Sure, California Design Den organic cotton softness is nice, but staying crisp is better. For now, I rate this product 5 stars but reserve the right to change my mind after I wash it and no longer feel percale cooling crispness. Read more
Impressed with the quality of these sheets. This is after the first wash. They don’t seem to wrinkle much at all after the dryer. Pretty soft, but not overly. Elastic is strong on the fitted sheet-a plus. True to color. Love the envelope closure. NOTE: like most sheet sets, the package contains one set of pillowcases. Nice thing about this brand is that you can order additional separate cases to match. Read more
These are pretty good, and for me the sheets are fine, but the pillow case is a little rough on my face, when I sleep on my side. I have to use a different pillowcase. I don't recall if the thread count was mentioned, but they did talk about the 2 different finishes they offer. I think the name of mine was the percale option, and this bit of roughness is typical of poly-cotton percales, but I guess I never tried a full cotton percale before and it's my fault for having a different expectation. If you are sensitive, you may want their other option. My mattress is 9" thick and the fitted sheet depth is perfect. There's a super-high quality elastic banding that holds the bottom sheet very securely. It was almost hard to manipulate. The depth of your mattress might influence this. Almost tempted to give 5 stars because of this. The most tight, secure fit I've ever seen. Are they the most perfect sheets? Maybe not, but they are good. It's such a personal, subjective thing. Read more
