Finding luxury bedding for less common sized mattresses can be challenging. I’m currently sourcing luxury bedding for a master bedroom and a guest room in a new build project. I’ve specified XL twins for the guest room, for reasons I’ll explain in a minute, and the homeowners have ordered a split king for the master bedroom.

Extra long mattresses are a bit of an anomaly in bedding. Twin beds and full beds are really not sized for adults - at 75” long, they are 5” shorter than queen and king beds. But twin beds are an efficient use of space in a smaller room (think dorm rooms or studio apartments, for example), SO enter stage right: the XL twin. This is the length of a queen or king mattress (80”) but the width of a twin (39”).

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NY guest room by the incredibly talented Alexa Hampton, photo by Scott Frances via AD

An excellent use for twin XL beds is in a guest room. A pair of these allows for the ultimate flexibility for two beds when you need them OR you can push them together to create a king bed when you need that! You can even make it up just like a king mattress with this special bridge that eliminates the gap! Voila…Presto-chango your two beds are now a king! PRO TIP: choose headboards that will look good pushed together!

Crane and Canopy bordered shams and scalloped edge sheets

There are also SPLIT KING mattresses. These are the ultimate “have it your way” bed for a master bedroom for two people. These consist of 2 XL twin mattresses fastened together into a standard king size bed, so each person can have the mattress style and firmness they prefer. These split king mattresses are also available as adjustable beds - kind of like a hospital bed - where you can use a remote to adjust the height and pitch of various parts of the mattress for the ultimate comfort. This can be really nice for reading or watching TV in bed, or even for just elevating your head while sleeping which is helpful for some medical issues. Unlike a hospital, YOUR adjustable mattress doesn’t need to be covered in crinkly plastic and scratchy sheets!

It used to be the only time XLong twin sheets ever appeared was during dorm room set up season in the fall, AND they only appeared in the lower end sheets available at big box stores. But now, with the advent of the split king, some luxury bedding companies have started offering some options. For a split king, you can either buy your sheets as separates - you’ll need 2 extra long twin fitted sheets, one king flat sheet (or duvet cover, if you’re feeling European), and 2 king pillowcases. Or look for a split king set that comes with those components.

Luxury sheets come in percale and sateen weaves and a variety of thread counts, but the most important determining factor of the longevity and softness of luxury bedding is the length of the cotton fiber that is used. I’ve written about what to look for in luxury bedding before.

I’ve found three companies that make nice quality split king sets and XLong Twin sets.

The first is Peacock Alley. My favorite is the sateen weave because I love the weight and the silky feel, but that is just a personal preference. I personally own Peacock Alley sheets that I adore (the style with scalloped embroidery, which is, sadly, discontinued). I’m completely smitten by embroidered designs or monogramming on the borders, both of which they offer. The styles below come in dozens of thread colors.

The second is a '“new to me” company called Boll and Branch. They are slightly less expensive than Peacock Alley and are 100% organic cotton, 100% sustainably sourced, and 100% fair trade. I like their commitment and mission and they have some very pretty options.

Both companies offer fabric samples, both have extra deep (17”) fitted sheets for deeper mattresses, and both have 30 day satisfaction guarantees and free shipping and returns.

Crane and Canopy bedding (peach bedding pictured above) is also a nice quality, well priced, long staple cotton, high thread count, deep (16”) fitted sheets, ethically and sustainably sourced. They have some very pretty patterns and swoonworthy embroidered edges and offer monogramming. They do sell fabric swatches. They do not offer free shipping and have a limited free return/exchange policy. They have the nice flexibility of both separates and sets. NOTE: they do have XL twin sets and some limited options for split king sets, but those can also easily be assembled with separates in any of their patterns. I have purchased the scalloped edge (of course they were!) sheets from here and they are lovely, but I find they do need a bit of ironing to look their best.