If you've ever slid into a hotel bed and wondered why those sheets feel impossibly smooth, you've already met sateen. Here's what actually makes sheets soft — and that Brooklinen does it better than anyone else.
Editor's note: Brooklinen recently relaunched the Luxe Sateen with upgraded specs — finer yarns, a higher thread count, and Portuguese manufacturing. Architectural Digest put the new Luxe head-to-head against the original and called it "the upgrade we didn't know we needed."
What Actually Makes Sheets Soft?
Before you can shop for the softest sheets, you need to know what "soft" is made of. Three things determine how a sheet feels against your skin: fiber quality, weave type, and thread count — in roughly that order of importance.
Fiber Quality: It Starts at the Source
The raw material matters more than anything else. Long-staple cotton — cotton with extra-long fibers — produces threads that are stronger, smoother, and less likely to pill than short-staple varieties. The longer the fiber, the less surface fuzz, and the silkier the hand-feel. That's why Egyptian cotton and Supima cotton have reputations they do: both are long-staple.
Bamboo-derived fabrics (usually sold as "bamboo rayon" or "bamboo viscose") are often marketed as ultra-soft. They can feel silky at first — but that initial softness comes from chemical processing, not the fiber itself. Over time, bamboo sheets tend to pill, lose their sheen, and break down faster than high-quality cotton. More on that below.
Weave: The Biggest Softness Variable
Two sheets can be made from the exact same cotton and feel completely different — because of how they're woven.
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Classic Percale is a crisp, one-over-one-under weave. It's breathable and cool, with a matte finish and a slightly textured feel — think of a well-worn button-down shirt.
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Luxe Sateen uses a four-over-one-under weave, which means more thread surface is exposed on top. That exposed surface reflects light (giving sateen its subtle sheen) and creates that signature buttery, silky-smooth feel.
For pure softness, Luxe Sateen wins. It's not even close.
Thread Count: The Most Misunderstood Number
Thread count matters — but only up to a point, and only when the other two factors are right. A 495 thread count sheet made from fine long-staple cotton will feel dramatically better than an 800 thread count sheet made from short-staple cotton with artificially inflated thread counts (a common industry trick involving multi-ply threads).
The sweet spot for high-quality sateen is typically between 300 and 600. Above that, you're often paying for marketing.
Why Luxe is So #@!&ing Soft
The sateen weave is essentially engineered for skin contact. The 4-over-1 structure means that four threads lie on top for every one that dips underneath — creating a dense, smooth surface with minimal texture interruption. Run your hand across a quality sateen sheet and it feels almost liquid.
This is also why sateen sheets get softer with washing, not scratchier. Unlike percale, which can take several wash cycles to break in, a well-made sateen sheet feels great on first use and only improves from there. The fibers relax and settle in over time without breaking down.
Sateen also drapes beautifully — it falls close to the body rather than holding a stiff shape, which contributes to that wrapped-in-softness feeling. It's warm enough for year-round use but not so insulating that it becomes uncomfortable in summer.
Luxe Sateen vs. Bamboo Sheets: The Truth
This comparison comes up constantly, and it's worth addressing directly.
Bamboo sheets are typically made from bamboo viscose or rayon — synthetic fibers derived from bamboo pulp through a chemical process. The resulting fabric can feel very soft initially, and it's often marketed as eco-friendly and temperature-regulating.
The reality is more complicated:
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The chemical processing required to turn bamboo pulp into rayon largely neutralizes any environmental benefit
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Bamboo rayon is less durable than long-staple cotton — it pills faster and loses its smooth finish within a year or two of regular use
Long-staple cotton sateen, by contrast, gets better with age. The fibers are inherently strong, and a good sateen weave holds up to hundreds of wash cycles. It's a better long-term investment.
If you run hot and prioritize breathability above all else, bamboo's moisture-wicking properties might appeal to you. But for sustained softness — the kind that's still there three years after you bought the sheets — high-quality cotton sateen is the better choice.
Meet the Benchmark: Brooklinen Luxe Sateen
Softness so indulgent, you’ll order room service at home. If you're going to understand what the best luxury sheets actually feel like, the Brooklinen Luxe Sateen is the place to start. It's the sheet that set the standard for direct-to-consumer bedding — and for good reason.
What Makes It Different
Your current sheets aren’t nearly smooth enough. Live the suite life with Brooklinen’s now luxier Luxe Sheets.
495 thread count (up from 480). The new Luxe uses finer yarns to reach a tighter, denser weave at 495 TC, adding weight and durability without sacrificing breathability. At 130 GSM (up from 120 GSM), the fabric has a more substantial hand — you notice it the moment you pick it up.
Finer long-staple cotton yarns. The fiber is still 100% long-staple cotton, but the new version uses finer individual yarns within that same high-quality cotton. Finer yarns mean a tighter weave, smoother surface, and even less surface texture to interrupt that buttery feel.
4-over-1 sateen weave. The Luxe Sateen construction remains — four threads on top for every one underneath — delivering that characteristic silky drape with a subtle luster that looks expensive and feels even better.
Now made in Portugal. The previous Luxe was made in India; the new version is manufactured in Portugal, which carries a strong reputation for premium textile production and tighter quality controls.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified. Tested and verified free from harmful substances — important if you're sensitive to chemicals or simply want to know what's against your skin all night.
AD's commerce director Rachel Fletcher, who has owned the original Luxe for over five years, put it plainly after testing both side by side: the new version is softer right out of the bag, with a smoother hand-feel and tighter weave that you can see and feel immediately. Read the full Architectural Digest review here.
How It Washes
The Luxe Sateen holds up remarkably well over time. Wash cold, tumble dry low, and pull them out slightly damp to reduce wrinkles. AD's testers found that both the old and new Luxe got noticeably softer after the first wash — but the new version came out feeling more pliable and smooth, with the weave relaxing in a way that felt "blended, not worn or thinned." These are genuinely sheets that get softer with washing, not sheets that start soft and degrade.
Luxe Sateen vs. Classic Percale: Which Is Right for You?
Brooklinen makes two flagship sheets, and the right choice depends on what you're optimizing for.
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Luxe Sateen |
Classic Percale |
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Feel |
So soft & smooth, you'll swear you live in a hotel |
Cool, crisp, and breathable |
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Look |
Luxuriously smooth and indulgent. Beautifully drapes |
Matt with a casual, yet clean finish |
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Temperature |
Great year-round |
Cooling |
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Best for |
All sleepers, all climates, and year-round comfort |
If you ever run warm or live in a warmer climate |
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Break-in |
Immediately soft |
Softens over a few washes |
If you asked most people what they picture when they imagine "the softest sheets," they're picturing sateen. The Luxe Sateen delivers exactly that: the experience of sleeping inside something smooth and weightless.
If you tend to sleep hot or you love the feel of a freshly starched shirt, the Classic Percale is an excellent choice — but it's a different texture category entirely.
Care Tips to Keep Your Luxe Sateen Sheets Feeling New
The right care routine extends the life and softness of your Luxe Sateen significantly.
Wash cold. Hot water weakens cotton fibers over time. Cold water cleans effectively and preserves the weave.
Use a gentle, liquid detergent. Powder detergents can leave residue in the weave. Less is more — a small amount of gentle liquid detergent is all you need.
Skip the fabric softener. This is counterintuitive but important: fabric softener leaves a coating on fibers that actually reduces their natural softness over time. Your Luxe Sateen sheets don't need it — the weave does the work.
Tumble dry low, remove slightly damp. High heat is the enemy of cotton. Low heat or air dry, and pull them out before they're bone-dry to reduce wrinkling and preserve the fibers.
Don't over-wash. Weekly washing is plenty. Over-washing accelerates wear without meaningfully improving hygiene.
Rotate between two sets. Alternating between two sets of sheets extends the life of both and lets each set fully dry between uses (important for preventing mildew in humid climates).
Complete Your Sleep Setup: Luxe Sateen Bundles
Once you've felt the Luxe Sateen, it's natural to want the full setup. Brooklinen makes this easy with their Bed Bundles and Move-In Bundle — curated sets that take the guesswork out of building a complete sleep system.
The Luxe Sateen Bed Bundle typically includes a fitted sheet, flat sheet, and pillowcases in a coordinated set. Buying as a bundle is more cost-effective than purchasing pieces individually, and everything is designed to work together in terms of weight, drape, and finish.
The Move-In Bundle is built for a bigger purchase — it's a full bedroom bedding package that can include sheets, a duvet cover, and pillowcases. If you're furnishing a new bedroom or doing a full bedding refresh, this is the most efficient way to get a cohesive, high-quality sleep setup in one step.
Both options come in a wide range of colors — from classic whites and neutrals to richer tones — so you can match your aesthetic without compromising on quality.
The Bottom Line
The softest sheets on the market share three things: long-staple cotton fibers, a sateen weave, and a thread count in the range where quality peaks rather than inflates. The new Brooklinen Luxe Sateen hits all three — and the upgrade to 495 TC, finer yarns, and Portuguese manufacturing makes an already excellent sheet meaningfully better. As AD's team found after months of real-world testing: if you loved the original, you'll like the new version even more. If you're buying for the first time, you're starting at the top.
If you've been tolerating mediocre sheets, or you've been shopping by thread count alone and wondering why they don't feel as good as the number suggests, the Luxe Sateen is worth trying. It's the kind of quality you feel the first night and appreciate more with every wash.
