Your comforter set serves several purposes. Not only does it keep you warm and comfortable, but it also serves as a primary component of your bedroom decor. If you're in the market for a new comforter, you want to ensure you get one that will last for years, look great, and keep you comfortable. Any comforter with these five qualities should do just that.

Versatile Colors

Your bedroom might be blue and green now, but do you want to keep that color scheme forever? By choosing a comforter set that gives you room to change your color scheme in the future, you prevent yourself from having to buy a new one so soon. In most cases, a solid-colored comforter works best, since you can change your color scheme while keeping that one single color. For instance, if your current color scheme is red and black and you buy a red comforter, you can easily change to red and blue in the future -- your comforter will still match. On the other hand, a patterned comforter with red, black, yellow, and green will be hard to match should you devise a new color scheme in the future.

If you do prefer patterns to solid colors, choose a neutral-colored pattern, such as beige and brown. This way, you can still coordinate the comforter with many color schemes.

A Lack of Embroidery or Pronounced Stitching

Embroidered comforter sets might look great when they're new, but they won't stay fresh for long. The stitching can get caught when the comforter is washed, folded, or tossed across the bed, causing it to fray and look disheveled. Plus, embroidered comforters often must be dry cleaned -- and you probably don't want to have to pay a dry cleaning fee every few months for the life of the comforter set.

Down Alternative Filling

Down filling might sound appealing, but many people are actually allergic to it. You may get a down comforter home and find that it makes you itchy, or if you have guests stay over, they may not be able to stay in your bed because they're allergic to the down. Thus, down alternative filling is a much better choice.

All down alternative filling is not created equal. When shopping for comforters, pinch a portion of the comforter between your thumb and forefinger. If the filling seems to clump together and stay compacted, this is not a good choice -- the filling will probably get clumpy and stiff over time. A good down alternative filling will get fluffy again as soon as you release your pinch -- and it will stay fluffy for years to come.

Baffle-Box Construction

Baffle box construction refers to a way in which a comforter can be stitched. If you look at a comforter with baffle box construction, it will look like it has squares stitched into it. This stitching will reach through the entire comforter -- both layers of fabric, and the filling. Inside the comforter, there are actual pieces of fabric separating the squares. Most baffle box comforters are advertised as such, since this is a major quality shoppers look for in a comforter. The reason you want this type of construction is that it will hold the filling in place so that, as your comforter is used and washed over the years, the fluff inside stays evenly distributed.

A High Thread Count

As with sheets, a higher thread count means a softer comforter. The softer your comforter, the happier you are going to be with it over the years. It will also stay softer even after years of washing. A thread count between 200 and 800 is wonderful, though you can certainly spring for an even higher thread count if you can afford it.

To get started, check out a company like King Linen.

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