When I got married, I knew I was ready to graduate from buying inexpensive linens, and upgrade to bedding that I would not only love, but also own for forever. I was tired of replacing my inexpensive, scratchy bedding every year after holes would form, or a seam would come undone. When the time came, I immediately knew that I wanted said bedding to be from Leontine Linens. If you aren’t familiar, Leontine Linens is a New Orleans based company founded in 1992 by Jane Scott Hodges. They’re known for their incredible high quality designs and fabrics that will truly stand the test of time. The designs are traditional, without being too stuffy, and made by some of the best needleworkers in the country. When I recently received my duvet in the mail, a card was signed by the three women who had worked on the piece. How special is that?! I love that Jane Scott connects us to the brand in this way. Having grown up in New Orleans, I felt proud to have a company like this highlight the artisans that create these beautiful and intricate designs. When I finally crawled into my bed, with all my new Leontine, I not only felt a sense of comfort, but I also thought of home, and I think there is something really special about that.
To back up a bit, when it came time to pick out my own pieces, I actually didn’t go into the showroom in New Orleans. Abbie, who works at Leontine, was traveling through Dallas for one of their many trunk shows, and we made an appointment for her to come to our house. I was, of course, overwhelmed with the many options, but Abby was so great in helping me narrow down my ideas and helping build a bed that made sense for us. I knew I wanted to keep the light greenish/blue of the walls in our master the same, so I nixed any green/blue thread option when deciding on colors. I ended up deciding on grey because it felt soft, and subtle but not overly feminine or masculine. I knew my husband would like the way it looked in the room and it just blended so nicely with the colors already there. I chose my married initials – BRB – because, well, in the south, that is just the way it is. According to southern tradition, women get monograms in the bedroom, and men get theirs in the bar! 🙂 However, had my married initials not looked right together {sometimes, depending on a monogram style, certain letters can lay poorly next to each other} I would’ve chosen our married monogram. I was open to all ideas – but settled on BRB because it is also what looked best in the monogram style I chose.
Did you know that if you live to be 75, then you spend over 25 years of your life asleep in bed? Isn’t that insane to really stop and think about? I know the bedding is expensive, but I find so much joy in coming home from a long day and crawling into my beautiful, crisp sheets. I would rather spend my money on this luxury than any Chanel or Hermes bag of the moment, or even a pair of shoes or a dress. What I loved most about when I first shared my bedding with my Instagram followers, was that so many people came out of the woodworks to share with me their own Leontine story – many had been gifted a baby blanket when they were born that they still had on the end of their bed some 20 years later. Others had sheets or a coverlet, or even shams they had bought right when Jane Scott opened shop almost 30 years ago. To hear firsthand from so many, how durable these bedding items really were, only solidified the thought that these sheets were truly a very special investment that I will enjoy for many years to come.
Without further adieu, I wanted to hand the post over to Abby who is going to help answer some of the many questions you all had in regards to Leontine Linens! But before I hand it over, let me say one last thing – I know it can be difficult to get a feel for pricing, due to the nature of their custom business, so I made sure to have Abby include the pricing of my own bedding below. I am a little nervous of the backlash this may cause due to the high prices, but please know that I am only sharing this to help any of you who are interested in owning Leontine for yourself. I want you to have an honest and transparent understanding of what my bedding cost piece by piece so you can make educated decisions for your own bedding from there.
Ok. That’s it from me….Enjoy!
What piece {or pieces} would you suggest to someone just starting out?
1 or 2 shams and a blanket cover or duvet cover.
What would you suggest for a first time buyer? What is a great starter item?
For the bed- a monogrammed sham or two, or a monogrammed blanket cover from Sleep Essentials LLC. For the bathroom, two monogrammed terry hand towels make a statement.
Can you order online? Or do you need to visit New Orleans to buy? What do you do if you
can’t make it to New Orleans?
Due to the custom nature of our linens, all orders can be placed over the phone or via email. Please reach out to get your project started. info@leontinelinens.com OR 504-899-7833. We have a showroom in New Orleans, but we also travel to markets, please see our travel schedule here! We are headed to a city near you!
NEW ORLEANS SHOWROOM
3806 Magazine St. Suite 3
Monday through Saturday – 10am to 5pm
What items does Bridget have on her bed? Styles/sizes/colors/monogram type
Pillows:
– 3 European (26×26) French Case in Quartz Linen with White Linen trim. Piped edge. No Flange. 1″ Bands. No monogram- $185 each
– 2 King French (20×36) Case in White Birdseye with Quartz Linen trim. Piped edge. No Flange. 10″ Frances Embroidery monogram in Swiss Fill Raindrop #9095. Initials: BRB – $660 each
– 2- 5×16 Neck Roll in White Birdseye with White Linen trim. Scalloped Bind Flange. Ties one end. 3″ Frances Embroidery monogram in Swiss Fill Raindrop #9095. Initials: BRB – $265 each
– King Polyester Pillow Insert- $50 each, Euro Polyester pillow Insert $50 each
Sheets:
– King Flat Sheet in White Percale with Quartz Linen trim. Straight Bind. No monogram – $300
– King Fitted Sheet in White Percal – $280
– 4 King Pillow Cases in White Percale with Quartz Linen trim. Straight Bind. No monogram – $90 each
Coverlet/Duvet:
– King Blanket Cover in White Birdseye with Quartz Linen trim. Scalloped Bind. No monogram – $425
– King Duvet Cover in White Birdseye with Quartz linen trim. Piped edge. No Flange. White Percale on reverse. Button Closure. Frances embroidery monogram in Swiss Fill Rain Drop #9095. Initials: BRB
How long does it take to receive an order once placed?
Linens of this nature take time. We have an 8 – 10 week lead time for most of our collection. Our accessories and bed clothes have a 4-6-week lead time.
Price ranges from what to what?
We have designs to fit all budgets. Due to the custom nature our pricing structures reflects the intricacy of the designs. We are happy to provide pricing over the phone or via email.
Does Leontine make mattress pads?
We do make a variety of mattress pads!
How many pillows should a proper bed have? Let’s do two examples – a king and a twin
There is no set way you have to arrange your pillows, but typically your sleeping pillows will go behind your shams. On a king bed there are several options for pillow layout. Three euros with two kings in front is pretty common, or you can skip the euros altogether and have just two king shams. Neck rolls or boudoirs are good accent pillows for in front of these shams if you want another layer. We also offer body pillows that look nice in front of three euros on a king size bed. For a twin-size bed, a king sham will fit across the width of the bed and works well, or you can do a euro sham either for the main accent pillow or with a standard or boudoir sham in front of it.
Does Leontine preview monograms? Can they help you pick which monogram is best for your initials?
We can definitely guide you, and we do offer hand drawn sketches of the monograms once you have selected one or two options.
Does Leontine offer double thread colors?
Yes! Our embroidered monograms and borders can be done in 1-3 colors. Our applique can be contrast stitched in a complimentary thread color so that your monogram is in two colors.
Can you register for Leontine Linens?
Due to the custom nature of our items, we do not have a traditional bridal registry program, however we would love to assist you in creating your linens for your new life together as a married couple. We recommend gift certificates and ordering your linens when you are ready. We do have a wonderful line of accessories that make beautiful bridesmaids and bridal gifts.
Does Leontine have gift cards?
We do! Give us a call or send us an email and we can help you order one. We can send you a beautiful gift certificate via USPS (wrapped up with ribbon in a Leontine box) or email.
What fabrics do you offer? Bridget often mentioned that her sheets were ‘crispy’ – what does this mean?
Available sheeting material options are percale or sateen. Our percale has a crisp yet soft hand, and our sateen is extra-soft with a slight sheen. Our sheeting is American Supima cotton milled in Italy and is the recommended base fabric for sheet sets, duvet covers, and shams. Bridget has the percale sheets.
Classic Pique is recommended as a base fabric for blanket covers, shams, duvet covers, bed skirts, and shower curtains. We offer two pique styles: Dakota, a diamond pattern, and Birdseye, a pointelle pattern. Bridget has the classic pique in white birdseye on both her coverlet and duvet. Click here for example images.
Does Leontine do sales?
Due to the custom-made nature of the items, we do not run sales.
What is the process for choosing what you want?
Please click here to see our design process!
How does one go about choosing a monogram? There are so many options!
Typically, a good start is to decide whether you want an applique (done out of fabric) monogram, or an embroidered (done out of thread) monogram. We can guide you based on style, whether you are looking for traditional, or more modern or you want simple or more embellished and send over our suggestions also based on your initials. Here is a complete list of the monograms we offer, as well as our monogram guide.
Do you create table runners?
We do! We can do them in white or ivory hemstitch or in colored linen, with a monogram or border, or just simply plain. We can do them in any size as well.
How does one care for your Leontine?
Our care guide is linked on the website
Thank you Abby! And thank you to everyone who sent in questions, and to all of you who were so sweet about my bedding. It truly is one of those things that just makes me feel good – and I’m so happy I am able to share that with you all. If we missed any of your questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below and I will make sure either Abby or I answers them ASAP! xx
Love – so pretty! How much was the King Duvet Cover? I only see the blanket cover price. thank you!
What a Great Article!!