The quest for the perfect pink blanket

I have a new favorite image every few days, but one that I've returned to more than once is this picture of a canopy(!) bed draped in pink, white and gray blankets. They're not just any blankets, either. They are just the right thicknesses for layering and draping - the blankets hang and fold in a way that you can't emulate with a duvet.

After staring at this bed for sometime, I decided it wouldn't be that hard to duplicate in my own bedroom. I already have white sheets and a white blanket, but I needed to find that perfectly plush yet plain pale pink layer, and at a low price to boot - criteria henceforth referred to as the 6Ps.


I did not get very far.


I checked Pottery Barn, Overstock.com, Garnet Hill, Land's End, SmartBargains, and so many more, and nothing met all six Ps. Some blankets were just the right materials and weave, but they weren't available in pink. Others were pink, but were acrylic, or lightweight cotton.

The Sferra St. Moritz blanket from NeimanMarcus.com, above, came the closest, racking up a total of 5 of the 6 Ps. But the one it misses? Price. $220 for a queen sized blanket! But ahh, take a nice long look at it, anyway. It is just the right shade of pale pink, and is a sumptuous blend of natural fibers.

Then I went to the other end of the spectrum and found the blanket pictured above at Target. It is Simply Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell, a line I have seen in-person at Target and have no real problem with. So, hopes set high, I ordered the pink blanket. What I like about the pink one in the inspiration picture is that even though it is pink, it is not frilly at all. It actually looks kind of like a plain military blanket that just happens to be pink instead of the standard grey or green. As in, "oh, what a lovely twist to an old standard!"


The Target blanket had shiny satin trim, and looked almost like it was made from faux fur. It is far from being classic ... it's pink furry polyester! So, back to Target the blanket went.


Frustrated that I couldn't find an affordable and nice-looking pink blanket, I decided to instead buy some pale pink sheets from Homegoods. I started with white sheets and two white pillowcases as my base. I added dark grey alpaca blanket I have from the Company Store on top of the white flat sheet, followed by a cream coverlet. On top of that, I layered the pink flat sheet. I folded them all at different points to show the layers.

It works, I guess. It doesn't have that same casually elegant look that my inspiration picture has, but it does fill my craving for subtle pink. I'm still searching for a pink blanket, though, so let me know if you find a good one that hits all 6 Ps!