I’ve always got at least half a dozen home projects going at once, and one of my current projects is to redo my guest room a bit. We ripped up some old carpeting and tore down some very old wallpaper, and now we’re in the process of picking paint samples and adding some personal touches. Unfortunately, as anyone who’s gone through them will tell you, home renovations can take a long time. And a lot of that time is spent on the not-so-fun stuff (like the aforementioned wallpaper ripping). So I decided to give myself a little break with a low-stakes “fun” guestroom upgrade in the form of new bedding. I bought cotton sheet sets from Parachute and Brooklinen and thought it would be a nice idea to compare them here.
Bottom Line Up Front
I liked the sheets I got from both of these companies, but I preferred the brushed cotton sheets from Parachute over the organic cotton sheets from Brooklinen. The parachute sheets have a lived-in softness that almost feels like a super lightweight (but breathable) flannel. I think they’re the perfect balance of soft and crisp, and I only wish they came in more colors. The Brooklinen sheets were surprisingly comfortable, even though they felt stiffer and a little papery compared to the Parachute ones. If you prefer percale weaves or want something cooling, Brooklinen’s organic cotton sheets might be best for you.
Parachute vs Brooklinen Compared
If you’re anything like me, there’s a very good chance you’re at least a little familiar with both of these brands. Chances are you’ve seen them in a targeted Instagram ad or on a friend’s wedding registry. They’re both on my short list of modern bedding companies. Our parents had Laura Ashley, we have Parachute and Brooklinen. While the brands may be similar in a lot of ways, there are several factors that set them (and their products) apart.
Parachute
Parachute is an LA-based brand that nails the breezy, California, relaxed luxury style. Their bedding and bath towels are responsibly made from sustainable materials like GOTS-certified organic cotton, TENCEL lyocell, flax linen, or recycled polyester (for filling). Even their packing materials are made from FSC-certified cardboard and 100% recycled polyester. Their products are OEKO-TEX certified, which means they’re free of harmful substances.
Parachute’s designs are minimalist, and they seem to favor a neutral color palette for most styles, which is right up my alley. Most of their bedding products are produced in a family-owned factory in Portugal, and they’re working on circularity, starting with a Recycled Down Pillow made from sanitized down from returned Parachute pillows, and replacing all of their down-alternative fill with recycled polyester.
Fabrics
- Percale: 100% long-staple Egyptian cotton in a percale weave for crisp coolness. Available in 13 colors, mainly neutral solids and monochromatic stripes. $259 – $299/set.
- Linen: 100% European flax. Available in 13 colors: solid neutrals and bold jewel tones. $349 – $389/set.
- Brushed Cotton: 100% cotton that’s been brushed for a softer, lived-in feel. Available in five colors: white, bone, moss, dusk (a colonial blue/gray), and evergreen. $259 – $299/set.
- Sateen: 100% long-staple Egyptian cotton in a sateen weave, which gives it more drape and a bit of sheen. Available in six colors: white, bone, dusk, evergreen, light grey, and cream. $279 – $319/set.
- Heirloom TENCEL Linen: Made of 58% TENCEL and 42% linen. Available in four colors: white, bone, sage, and warm grey (which looks like a medium grey/brown). $349 – $389/set.
In addition to sheets, Parachute also sells blankets, duvets, quilts, baby linens, pillows, a mattress, towels, shower curtains, and all kinds of home decor and accessories. If you’re someone who sleeps without a top sheet (I’m looking at you, Gen Z), you can even buy sheet sets that don’t include them.
I purchased the brushed cotton sheets in white (I’m a sucker for the crisp, clean, spa-like quality of white sheets, especially for my guest room, which is where these are going).
Brooklinen
Booklinen favors a bolder, more modern aesthetic. Maybe it’s an East Coast vs. West Coast thing, but they give off more of a boutique hotel luxury vibe. I know they also carry GOTS-certified organic cotton sheets, but I had a bit more trouble finding the sources of some of their other fabrics. That said, they’re clearly also committed to sustainability. Their packaging is also recyclable, and they offer a take-back program for recycling old textiles, which I really appreciate. Their sheets come in a variety of neutrals, patterns, bold colors, and limited-edition prints, depending on the product. Like Parachute, Brooklinen’s fabrics are OEKO-TEX certified.
One pet peeve I have about Brooklinen is that some of the photos on their site are a little moody/vibey with dramatic lighting, which looks nice and works with their brand image, but makes it challenging to pick a color. Luckily (I guess?), the sheets I wanted only came in four colors, and one was already sold out in the size I wanted. Some sizes only had one or two colors available.
Fabrics
- Luxe Sateen: 100% long-staple cotton in a sateen weave. Available in 19 colors, including neutrals, stripes, bold colors, and coastal and nature-inspired patterns. Note that at the time of this writing, anywhere from two to seven colors are sold out in the sheet set, depending on the mattress size you choose. $159 – $239/set.
- Classic Percale: 100% long-staple cotton in a percale weave. Available in 17 colors, currently a lot of neutral and coastal colors (maybe their summer collection?), stripes, and patterns. At the time of this writing, this fabric is completely sold out for a few mattress sizes. $159 – $239/set.
- Washed European Linen: 100% European flax linen. Available in 17 colors, mainly neutrals, blues, greens, and stripes. $349 – $419/set.
- Organic Cotton: 100% organic cotton. Brooklinen doesn’t offer a lot of information about the weave of these sheets, but an infographic on their site places it about halfway between percale cotton and linen in terms of crisp vs. smoothness and cooling vs. warming abilities, leading me to believe it would feel like a slightly less starchy percale (spoiler alert: I was right). Available in four colors: solid white, vanilla, blue marina, and moss. Note: although the moss wasn’t available in the size I wanted anyway, it was the color I was most confused about in the pictures (see my pet peeve above). If anyone has these sheets and can give me a hint as to where they fall on the green to yellow spectrum, I’d love to hear it! $229 – $259/set.
- Heathered Cashmere: 95% cotton and 5% Himalayan cashmere in a brushed twill weave. Available in five colors: white, cream, fog (a warm light grey), charcoal, and driftwood (a warm grey/brown). $325 – $385/set.
- Brushed Flannel: 100% cotton. These are currently available in three colors, all of which are sold out except for a few clearance sets in white. Since I’m writing this in the summer and flannel tends to be very warming, I’m guessing these are stocked seasonally. $179 – $249/set.
One thing that I really like about Brooklinen’s sheet sets is that, in addition to a normal sheet set, they also sell “hardcore” sheet sets, which include a core sheet set plus a duvet cover and two extra pillowcases. Ok, that’s not that uncommon, but they offer a few colorways that combine two or three of their fabrics into one coordinated but not entirely matching set. It’s a nice touch that allows you to purchase a well-coordinated set with a few clicks—great for those who don’t want to think about their bedding aesthetics more than they need to.
In addition to sheets, Brooklinen carries comforters, pillows, duvets, quilts, blankets, baby linens, towels, bath accessories, laundry care, and home decor.
I purchased the organic cotton sheet set in vanilla, a warm off-white hue.
Ordering, Shipping, and Packaging
Both companies’ websites are modern, straightforward, and easy to navigate. I appreciate the amount of information they each give on their different fabrics—it made it really easy to choose which set of sheets I wanted.
Both companies also offered three-day standard shipping for free. Surprisingly, I came home to find my Brooklinen sheets waiting on my doorstep the day after I placed my order (on a weekend, no less). I’m on the East Coast, so I’m guessing it might take a bit longer the further you are from their headquarters in New York. My Parachute sheets arrived four days after I placed my order.
My Parachute sheets arrived in a waterproof plastic bag with the sheets individually packaged and labeled. It’s maybe not necessary to package everything separately like this, but I kind of liked it. At any rate, it makes it easier to show you what I ordered!
My Parachute order
The Brooklinen sheets were packaged in a drawstring bag inside of a cardboard box. Their packaging is a bit more aesthetically pleasing than Parachute’s. They also included a free tote bag with my order!
My Brooklinen order
The drawstring bag is made out of the same material as the sheets. It would probably be a convenient way to store them!
Free tote bag!
Now the Important Stuff: Material, Look, and Feel
Like I said before, I bought both sheet sets for my guest room, so I slept in there for a few nights to try out each sheet set.
Parachute Brushed Cotton
The Parachute sheets are super soft, velvety, and just a little bit thicker feeling. They’re softer than percale, without any of that stiff starchiness that new percale sheets can sometimes have, but still super breathable and cooling (I slept in them during a heat wave and stayed super comfy). They’ve got the softness of flannel, but without the weight or extra warmth. Honestly, when I think of cotton sheets, this is what I think of. They’re among the most comfortable sheets I’ve ever slept in, even on the first night.
Just look at that pillowcase and imagine how buttery soft it feels. It’s really nice.
Even though they’re super soft, I like that these sheets are sturdy enough that they look neat on the bed. I’m not a huge fan of jersey or bamboo sheets that get all stretched out after a few washes and end up looking sloppy. I could get neat corners with these if I wanted to, and the pillowcases stay in place without sliding around. The sheets did wrinkle a bit, but they were those lived-in tiny wrinkles that a lot of natural fibers seem to get. Since they’re cotton, you could iron them if you wanted to (I don’t particularly care to).
Back envelope closure
My set came with envelope pillowcases that have an opening down the back center, rather than on one side. Most of the pillowcases that I own are side open, and I think this style looks a little cleaner and more polished. I guess the one downside is that it’s less comfortable to flip the pillow over and sleep on the other side, since your head will be resting on the seam. Something to keep in mind if you’re a pillow flipper. Some of Parachute’s sheets (like the linen) come in both back envelope and side open styles. You’ll have the option to select which you want while choosing your color and size.
Brooklinen Organic Cotton
The Brooklinen sheets are crisp and cool, with some of the starchy, structured feel of percale. They’re nice and light, which is great for hot sleepers, but they felt almost a bit too thin and papery for me right out of the package. Once I slept in them, though, I was surprised at how much I liked them. I was seriously skeptical, even up until I was getting into bed. They’re not nearly as soft as the Parachute sheets, but they’re still pretty comfortable.
These Brooklinen organic cotton sheets feel a little stiffer and papery compared to the Parachute brushed cotton, but they’re still light, cool, and comfy.
As I said before, I don’t really care if my sheets look wrinkly, but if that bothers you, these might not be the best choice for you (unless you’re ok with setting aside some time to iron each week). Of all of the many (seriously…very many) sheet sets I’ve had in my lifetime, these might be one of the wrinkliest. Again, they’re cotton, so you could iron them if it bothers you.
I swear this was right out of the dryer, though…
One of my favorite things about the Brooklinen sheets is that they label the fitted sheet so that you know which sides are the short sides (top/bottom). It’s a small touch that not everyone includes, but it makes making the bed so much easier. I know there are a lot of Target sheet die-hards who cite these labels as one of their favorite features, so it’s nice to see other companies doing this as well. It really is the little things.
I’m almost ashamed to admit how much frustration this tiny square of fabric saves me while making the bed.
Parachute Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Incredibly soft, almost flannel-like, but lighter
- High-end, lived-in look
- Sustainably made, family-run facilities
Cons:
- Several fabrics aren’t available in twin sizes
- I wish they had more colors for the brushed cotton
Brooklinen Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Crisp, light, and breathable
- Wide range of colors and patterns
Cons:
- Many colors were sold out in various sizes/fabrics
- Might feel too stiff for people who prefer softness
- Can wrinkle easily
Some Alternatives to Consider
Boll & Branch: Boll & Branch is another boutique bedding and bath company similar to Parachute and Brooklinen. They carry 100% organic long-staple cotton sheets in several types and weaves (percale, Supima, flannel), as well as 100% European flax linen. If you like the idea of the Parachute brushed cotton sheets that I got, but want to try something different, check out their signature vintage washed cotton.
Quince: Quince is a go-to for affordable luxury clothing, bedding, home goods, and more. If you’re looking for a budget alternative to the two brands I compared above, definitely check them out. Just know that the quality might not be quite as good, and while their flax and cotton may be grown elsewhere, the sheets are made in India and China.
Final Thoughts: Which One Would I Buy Again?
While I didn’t dislike the Brooklinen sheets (I actually liked them more than I thought I would after feeling them straight out of the package), the Parachute ones were just way more comfortable. Their brushed cotton sheets strike the perfect balance between soft and crisp for me, and they’re slightly sturdier than the Brooklinen sheets, which makes me think they’ll last longer. That said, if you like a super lightweight, crisp sheet set, you’ll probably love the Brooklinen organic cotton sheets. I’ve currently got both in rotation.
As far as the rest of their selections go, it’s a little bit of a toss-up. While Brooklinen has slightly more fabric options and several more colorways available, I found it frustrating how many of them were sold out. Parachute has a more curated selection of colors (and only one fewer fabric choice), but I actually prefer a lot of their color options to Brooklinen’s. What can I say? I love a warm, natural color palette. If you tend toward coastal blues and patterns, you’ll love what Brooklinen’s got right now.