A question for my Brit friends:

[xiphias]

Lis is reading a book about the history of various rooms in the house, written by a British author. And she keeps saying things about modern living that sound so completely alien.

First: do British houses lack closets? Are closets basically an American thing?

Second, and more weirdly: this author appears to claim that everybody stopped using top sheets after the introduction of the duvet. If we're interpreting it correctly, she seems to claim that a bed goes, from bottom to top, mattress, fitted sheet, duvet, and that's it. No blankets, no top sheet.

Now, our beds in this house go mattress, mattress pad, fitted sheet, top sheet, from zero to two blankets depending on season, then a top layer which could be a bedspread, a comforter, or a duvet. In cases where the nighttime temperature is likely to be unpredictable, an extra blanket, afghan, or something like that may be folded up on the foot of the bed. You can kick it off, or leave it as an extra layer (well, two layers since it's folded) over your feet, or pull it up as an extra blanket.

The "just a duvet" thing seems unsanitary. Am I reading it wrong?

Comments

[happybat.livejournal.com]

Summer duvet and winter duvet. In Glasgow at least, there are so few days that are really warm, and so few days that are really cold (-5 C is really cold, +25 C is really warm) that you can easily work two duvets and be comfortable nearly all the time. In the depths of winter I do use a feathery mattress topper, and will drag through a few blankets to sit on top of the duvet.

By the way, I wash all my bedlinen every week for preference, or fortnight at the outside. I'd consider throwing on a new duvet cover once a week MUCH easier than making a bed with a flat sheet every morning. I think it must be practice.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

There was one time last month that we went from -5 C to +25 C within forty-eight hours. . . I wouldn't say that's common, but it wasn't weird enough to be worth significant comment.