6 Vintage Bedding Brands to Look for While Thrifting
I love vintage bedding brands, if only for their florals. I don’t know about you, but I find that floral bedding currently sold at retailers like Home Goods and Target just don’t come close to Chintz made in the 80s and early 90s.
They are generally sparse. The florals are not very detailed and are often lacking in bright, bold colors. Ditsy florals can be cute. But, if I’m going to use patterns in a room I definitely want it to have some impact.
I guess some may refer to chintz as “grandma florals” to imply its outdated style, but that’s what I keep my eyes open for every time I go thrifting.
Tablecloths, curtains, bedsheets, coverlets. I look for florals in all the linens.
So I’ve put together a good list of some of my favorite vintage bedding brands that I love to hunt for. I typically look for brands that I’ve found have quality products and awesome floral patterns. You can use this list both in-person when you go second-hand shopping or when browsing online.
Vintage Ralph Lauren
I made the distinction here – and other places in this post – to include the qualifier “vintage.” Ralph Lauren manufactures bedding and linens to this day, but produces significantly less floral patterns than they used to.
Their vintage florals are some of the best that they have designed, so I prefer to look for these when thrifting. They came in a variety of unconventional colors like bright red and yellow as well as the usual florals on a white background. Regardless of whether you’re searching for florals with a punch or something more simple, look for Ralph Lauren on the tag.
Below are some vintage Ralph Lauren floral patterns you can find bedding items for:
- Allison
- Kimberly
- Sophie
- Danielle
I recommend hunting for vintage Ralph Lauren bedding in-person. Ralph Lauren has a great resale value, so you’re likely to pay more online.
Vintage Cannon
Cannon still manufactures bedding, but if you prefer a Grandmillennial aesthetic vintage Cannon is superior.
Currently, Cannon sells simple bedding options, but their older designs include tons of florals and other various patterns. You can readily find florals from the 70s through the 90s so you’ll have to do some sifting.
To narrow your search online, make sure to include to include nouns like “bedsheet” or “bedding” when searching for “vintage cannon.” Otherwise, you’ll get listings for literal cannons.
I’d use the terms below to narrow my search:
- Bedspread
- Bedsheet
- Quilt
- Coverlet
- Duvet
- Comforter
These will work for all of the brands on this list.
Springmaid
You can find tons of new and sealed Springmaid bedding on sites like Ebay. This is a great brand for those who feel queasy about purchasing used bedding.
I like Springmaid for its bright colors. Though I will say that their products can be a bit stiff when brand new. So you may find you’ll need to wash them with fabric softener a few times.
Vintage JC Penney
JC Penney has been around for a while now so you can imagine that you’ll find a vast inventory of past bedding collections on Ebay, Etsy, etc.
You’ll find a wide variety of patterns from this brand. Florals, plaids, gingham. Everything. And given JC Penney’s long history, you’ll find florals in all kinds of styles.
And a lot of these vintage bedding brands will have products composed of 50% cotton and 50% polyester. So that’s something to keep in mind when deciding what to purchase.
Lady Pepperell
I haven’t encountered tons of Lady Pepperell at the thrift, but I’ve included it anyways because they did design some great florals.
Vintage Croscill
Like Ralph Lauren, Croscill is still an active brand, so a Google Search for “Croscill Bedding” will mostly produce results for new designs.
However, marketplaces like Ebay and Etsy will produce good results when you search for vintage Croscill.
Croscill produced really lovely floral bedding in the late 80s to the early 90s. These are great for Grandmillennial interiors as they are more Chintzy in design.
Some of my favorite Croscill floral patterns include Princess and English Garden. The florals are large-scale and beautiful and the ribboning throughout is a great touch.
Also important to note is that Croscill also ventured into drapery, tablecloths and decor accessories. So you might find a matching lampshade or tissue box with a particular print.
