The short answer: for practical purposes, nothing. A duvet and a comforter are both a soft, filled blanket for the top of the bed. “Duvet” is the word in Britain, Ireland, most of Europe and the Commonwealth; “comforter” is the word in the United States and Canada. An eiderdown duvet made from the down of our own colony at Lækur is what an American would call an eiderdown comforter.
Where the two words differ a little
In North America a “comforter” is often a quilted bedcover that lies on top of the sheets and is used on its own, while a “duvet” is an insert that goes inside a washable cover. In Britain and across Europe the duvet is always used inside a cover. That is also how we recommend using an eiderdown duvet: the cover is what gets washed, and the duvet itself almost never needs it.
And what about “eiderdown”?
Eiderdown is the down of the eider duck. In older British usage the word also came to mean a quilt filled with that down, which is why you will still see “eiderdown” used for the bedding itself.
Sizes: centimetres or inches
European duvets are sized in centimetres, width by length – our standard single is 140 × 200 cm. North American comforters are sold by bed name (Twin, Full, Queen, King) and are often cut larger so that they hang over the sides of the mattress. We sew in the sizes in the table on our duvets page. If you want another size, including one matched to a US bed, tell us the dimensions you sleep under, or the bed size and your country, and we will quote it.
What matters more than the name: the fill
With eiderdown the real choice is how much down goes in – and how your duvet is made. Every duvet we make is made to order; we keep no stock. You choose the size, the fill weight and the cover, and we sew, wash and certify it for you. Our three standard weights – Summer (400 g in a standard single), Classic (600 g) and Arctic (800 g) – are a good place to start, but any other weight, size or combination is possible (silk covers are in preparation – ask us). If you are unsure, choose Classic, or write to us first and we will advise you before you order. Within 60 days of delivery we can also adjust the weight if it turns out too warm or too light.
Every duvet comes in a down-proof cotton shell, and every kilo of down is inspected and certified under Icelandic Act no. 52/2005 by a government-licensed down assessor.
Read more: frequently asked questions · what an eiderdown duvet costs · how to care for it · see the duvets and prices.