My first desire in the morning – still in bed – is usually to turn back the clock a couple of hours. Brooklinen’s August bedding collection? It goes back decades. The lineup is full of mid-century cues and touches that feel right on trend for the summer of 2025.
And even if, like me, you don't like to stray too far from your classic neutral sheets, this new collection is subtly nostalgic rather than in-your-face retro. It proves that the best bed sheets don't have to be boring.
The Matelasse Quilt might be the most era-specific of the bunch, its Harbor Check a high-contrast, high-impact nod to '60s interiors. Mustard yellows and burgundy walnuts reappear in familiar favorites – the Chunky Waffle Knit Throw, the Classic Percale Sheets – pulling off their own sidequests to bedding's past.
Low-slung silhouettes defined the era, which explains accents like the linen-cotton blend lumbar pillow cover, especially in woven checkerboard. It’s among the more subdued of many punchy patterns – stripes, checks, violet-blues, orangey reds – that hit an early pre-fall bedroom spot, where muted meets saturated.
And because Brooklinen’s in a generous mood, the collection is part of the brand’s Summer Bed Refresh Sale: 20% off select bedding, up to 40% off when you bundle through Sunday, August 17. Not exactly a common occurrence – and like any good time warp, this bedding sale won’t last long.
Remember awnings? Once upon a time, they were everywhere. I'm not necessarily advocating for their full comeback, but the stripes? Those are worth reviving – especially when they’re reimagined in Brooklinen’s Washed European Linen. In blues, browns, and the faintest orange tinges, the palette feels lived-in, garment-washed from the start (à la your favorite rumpled linen button-down) and destined to soften up with time.
Plum, meanwhile, taps into a different kind of nostalgia: collegiate Americana. In pillow sham form, it has the charm of something you might have unearthed in your parents’ or grandparents’ linen closet, but without the dust or the must. These are 100% cotton, made in Portugal, and ready to play nicely with autumn plaids.
The Dreamweave Waffle Weave Throw is exactly what it sounds like – a weave so soft it should be illegal – here in a punchy Coral Windowpane that cuts through the otherwise time-worn tones in the collection. Brooklinen calls it a take-anywhere piece, and, indeed it is: light enough to fold into a tote, substantial enough to make the couch (or your lap, or a too-cold flight) feel like home.
Dune – a mustard yellow that sits somewhere between gently aged book pages and Dijon – lives up to its fullest potential in Brooklinen’s best-selling Classic Percale bed sheets. Over 18,000 reviewers have sung their praises, which is frankly a lot of effort for a product this effortless: hotel-level crispness that somehow runs cool in August and cozy by September.
The Ribbed Matelasse Quilt Set in Abyss Harbor Check is the undisputed hero of this drop. The bold contrast channels a graphic 50s mood you almost never see in bedding nowadays – instant attitude for otherwise all-white sheets. And while it could coast on looks alone, the matelasse stitching adds a dialed-down dimension that keeps even the beige-on-beige crowd interested.
Lumbar pillows are always in rotation, but this season, I have a feeling they’re destined for more of a moment than usual. This one, in a sandy tonal check, slips easily into any scheme – retro or right-now – and happily, the back is crafted of Brooklinen’s iconically crisp and cool percale. You might want two.
