BEDDING GUIDE · 29 OCTOBER 2026 · BY LAVE STUDIO

Silk vs down duvets: choosing drape or loft

Start with the feel you want on the bed. If you love a lofty duvet, down is worth considering. If you prefer a slim insert that settles closer around you, a layered silk filling offers a different starting point.

Two different filling structures

Down is not simply a small feather. The testing laboratory IDFL describes down as three-dimensional clusters, while feathers have a shaft and a flatter structure. Check the declared down and feather proportions when comparing products: “down duvet” is not a complete specification.

Lave’s insert uses long-filament mulberry silk drawn into broad layers inside a cotton shell. It has a close, low-profile drape rather than the puffed appearance associated with lofty down bedding. The removable cover is separate; silk filling does not mean that the fabric touching your skin is silk.

Compare the measurements that matter

Questions to ask when comparing silk and down inserts
Check	Silk	Down
Filling	Composition and filling mass per square metre.	Down/feather proportions, filling mass and fill power.
Feel	Look at the layering and finished drape.	Look at loft and the finished duvet’s construction.
Care	Read the specific insert’s care label.	Read the specific insert’s care label.

IDFL’s fill-power testing measures the volume a specified amount of down occupies under a specified load. That is a different measurement from grams per square metre, which describe how much filling is spread over an area. A fill-power figure and a silk filling weight cannot be compared as if they were the same scale.

Lave offers 150, 250 and 400 g/m² silk fills. Those figures describe filling quantity, not a tested TOG rating. Our fill-weight guide explains how to calculate the silk in your chosen size. Do not assume that equal filling weights in silk and down give equal warmth.

If you often feel too warm

Changing the material alone is not enough to predict comfort. Look at the amount of filling, your removable cover and the bedroom conditions together. A slim duvet can still be too much bedding for your preference.

The FAO’s silk reference describes silk’s moisture uptake and release as humidity changes. This is a fibre property, not evidence that a finished silk duvet prevents sweating. It also does not remove damp from a room or prevent household mould. Choose bedding for comfort and address building moisture separately.

Check the care routine before buying

In its independent tests of several duvet fillings, Hong Kong’s Consumer Council assessed washing and care as well as filling composition. Its practical advice includes using a removable cover, following the care label and ensuring the filling is dry before storage. These tests were not tests of Lave’s insert.

Neither “natural” nor the filling name tells you whether a particular duvet can go in your washing machine. If frequent machine washing is essential, choose an insert whose label explicitly allows it. For Lave, follow the supplied care label and see our airing and storage guide.