Both my husband and I are hot sleepers. And I don’t just mean we prefer a lighter duvet insert in the summertime: Even when it’s a frigid 30 degrees Fahrenheit outside, we will either keep the window open or have the fan on, lest we wake up sweaty and disheveled. To complicate things, I also need to be under the covers when I sleep, so I constantly feel like Goldilocks, looking for a comfortable middle ground between a bed that is too hot and too cold.
For a long time, neither my husband nor I wanted to spend a lot of money on bedding — in hindsight, this was foolish. All of the bedding we bought was either too heavy for our needs or just bad quality, and it certainly didn’t help us sleep well when we were already struggling to stay cool. Earlier in the year, though, I stumbled upon a viral TikTok video about the Silky Tencel Sheets from West Elm — the $150 price tag kept me from checking out immediately, but after months of deliberation, I finally decided to buy them and invest in my sleep.
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West Elm Silky Tencel Sheet Set
As a shopping editor, I buy a lot of things, but the West Elm Tencel Sheet Set is easily one of the best things I purchased this year. The sheets look sleek and lustrous and don’t wrinkle easily, but that’s not even the best thing about them: They feel like butter on your skin every time you crawl into bed. The true star of the show here is the Tencel fabric, which is a trademarked version of lyocell produced from sustainably sourced wood, according to West Elm. It’s silky smooth, moisture-wicking and doesn’t absorb heat, like cotton sheets do.
The sheet set’s silkiness does come with its drawbacks, though. Since they are so satiny and since I’m a side sleeper, I often find myself almost slipping off of my pillow at night. I may eventually invest in a different pillowcase — perhaps a silk one to help protect my curls — but for now, it’s not the biggest issue in the world and it doesn’t prevent me from falling asleep.
The West Elm Tencel Sheet Set currently comes in four sizes — Full, Queen, King and California King — and nine colors. I own the White set, but my husband and I are already thinking about buying a second set in Slate for some variety.
You can find highly rated Tencel bedding at some other Select reader favorite shops, too, including Brooklinen and Casper. For a more affordable option, consider the Luxury Tencel Sheet Set from Nest Bedding, which starts at $99 but has a lower thread count than West Elm’s. A fancier option is Kassatex’s 300-count Percale Sheet Set, which can cost up to $225 but offers a Tencel-cotton blend for added durability, according to the brand.
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