Piglet in Bed: A British Bedding Brand Review

Humble, English Countryside Beginnings

Painting a near-idyllic picture, Jessica Hanley was tucked between a garden shed and wild garden, inspired by the rural heritage dotting Sussex and the surrounding towns as she founded Piglet. When she first started the business in 2017, the brand was created at the cross-section of sustainable materials and honest, two-way customer communications, acknowledging that housewares — as a category — was falling behind. 

“None of us were ironing our sheets,” she laughed over our Zoom interview. “There was a super unattainable version of a polished home, and we don’t take ourselves too seriously here,” she added. Bunking with her Mum, she started ideating on fabrics and patterns that honored heritage and were also environmentally friendly — before the ubiquitousness of linen flooded the direct-to-consumer bedding category.

“Linen was the dream — it’s a fantastic product that looks so effortless and laid back,” reported Jessica from her charming, sky-blue wallpapered home office. “It’s a great crop: the farming only uses rainwater, meaning there are no artificial pesticides and GMOs.” She also shared that linen is a rotation crop, meaning that the flax plant can be grown and harvested for one year, and the following will be rotated with potatoes or another crop, helping return nutrients to the soil without synthetic inputs to improve soil health. 

Sleeping In The Sheets: My First Night Test 

I’ve had some variation of neutral-colored bedding for a decade-plus, and Jessica inspired me to introduce some color into my room in a set of Piglet sheets. 

“Our customers are gravitating away from all neutrals and into saturated, grounding colors, and in the U.S., our most popular colors are Botanical Green Gingham, Sage Green, and Oatmeal,” a departure from their UK market, where Sage Green, White, and Raspberry are the most popular. I dove headfirst into color; I opted for the Warm Blue Gingham Bedding Set to bring blue into my beige and white apartment. 

Slipping underneath the freshly washed, new duvet cover is always a treat. I was surprised to feel immediate softness instead of that starchy feeling often familiar with new linen bedding. By morning, the duvet cover was still on, passing the hot-sleeper test — I usually kick out a leg or two. I liked that this linen weave seemed to regulate airflow to keep my core temperature down compared to a cotton alternative. The gingham pattern also camouflaged the bed wrinkles; I noticed a significant difference in less-visible wrinkles when comparing it against the other one-colored, plain linen bedding I’ve owned. 

Anecdotally, I felt a little cheery after making my bed — the everyday ritual now incorporated a hit of dopamine with the introduction of color into my bedroom — it was a nice shift from the all-white or neutral-colored bedding I’ve purchased throughout the years.