Essential for snuggling on winter nights, covers include quilts (filled with cotton or polyester batting; some are machine-washable and some aren’t, so it pays to check), decorative coverlets, and simple blankets. Not sure which material to choose? Cotton is breathable; fleece is plush (and often composed of polyester fibers made from recycled plastic bottles); and wool is dense, warm, and a natural insulator. (Virgin wool, which has never before been processed into a textile, is especially supple.) Look for blankets with borders; they tend to hold up the best. Comforters are usually filled with cotton, silk, synthetic fibers, or down.

If you’re considering down, ask about the product’s “fill power,” or the space an ounce of down fills (550 is good; more than 800 is considered luxury). Also ask where the down hails from. “Geese from cold regions have bigger tufts of fluffy down,” says Ursula Terrasi, owner of Scandia Down, a down retailer. For an ultrasoft option, Terrasi recommends eiderdown, which is collected from the eider, a Northern European sea duck. Opt for a lining that’s downproof, meaning it has a weave tight enough to prevent feathers from poking through. Wash duvet covers weekly, or once a month if you use a top sheet. Launder down comforters twice a year, or every three to five years if covered. Throw a few clean tennis balls into the dryer to prevent the down from clumping, and fluff the comforter when you make the bed to redistribute the down.

Shown from top to bottom:

Celine brushed-cotton throw by Sferra, $70
To Buy: www.sferralinens.com.

Suzani cotton quilt by Company C, $285 for full/queen
To Buy: www.companyc.com.

Dahlia cotton-sateen duvet by Calvin Klein Home, $350 for queen
To Buy: www.macys.com.

Chunky Knit wool throw in mist by Pine Cone Hill, $120
To Buy: www.pineconehill.com for retailers.

Chrysanthemum polyester-satin quilt in taupe by DKNY, $190
To Buy: www.dkny.com.

Bamboo basket-weave throw by VivaTerra, $79
To Buy: www.vivaterra.com.