Fine Egyptian Cotton Bedding from St. Geneve

We're proud to offer St. Geneve's new collection of fine bedding, made in Canada with the best fabrics. Shown here are Armande, a polished chenille jacquard available in duvet covers & shams, and Vintage Linen, a shabby-chic/rustic look collection available in shams, sheets, cases, and more.

St. Geneve's fabrics are made in Italy, at a mill that has passed down through several generations. There is a substantial difference in the quality of Italian spinning, weaving, and finishing compared to Asian and Indian fabrics. These Italian fabrics will remain colorfast, beautiful, and sensuous to the touch far longer than others.


Click here to see all new St. Geneve products at Laughlin Designs Fine Linens. 

Lush Floral Bedding from Schlossberg

The new Schlossberg Fall 2012 bedding collection is here! These Swiss-designed luxury linens come in a range of colors from strong to soft pastel. Shown here is Iris, a lovely floral design on a silvery beige background. Available in pillow shams, pillow cases, duvet covers, and bedskirts. Made in Italy from 100% Long Stable Combed Egyptian Cotton. Click here to see all new Schlossberg fine bedding at Laughlin Designs Fine Linens.

New Sferra Fall Bedding Collection

Lovely Italian bedding--what a way to start the fall! Sferra has released another gorgeous collection of jacquards, sateens, and percales to grace the bedroom. Shown here is Cora, a lovely floral yarn-dyed jacquard that comes in duvet covers and shams. It's made of 100% Egyptian Cotton for a lifetime of luxurious enjoyment. Click here to see all the new Sferra products at Snuggledown.

Napping Unto Greatness

I’ve written about naps before.  But I’m afraid I’ve made it sound like I advocate naps universally.  Not so.

Naps are not for everyone.

Naps are really just those who want to succeed, enjoy life to the fullest, and be great.  I’m talking about people like Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, Napoleon,Thomas Edison, and Batman*, all of whom were famous nappers.

Great companies also nap.   My son just visited Google’s Boulder, CO, headquarters, for instance, and noticed several official napping zones with pillows, cots, and dimmable lights.  Other storied companies like Time Warner, Hearst, and Yahoo! actually contract with napping companies like YeloSpa to ensure that their employees’ naps are professional grade. 

But, as I said, naps are not for everyone because not everyone wants to be great.  Greatness is a lot to take on.  So if you want to be mediocre, I understand.  Don’t nap. 

But I want to be great. And if you do, it’s important not to just nap willy-nilly, but to nap well.  Here is a pre nap, nap, and post nap checklist to make sure that your naps are optimized for personal greatness and the betterment of the world. 

PRE NAP

> If you have afternoon coffee, drink it now (it takes caffeine 15 – 45 minutes to peak—so the coffee will launch you out of your nap and into your afternoon just as your nap is ending)
> Remove all clothing but underwear; heck, remove your underwear too!
> Put on new age music.
> Close the blinds and turn off the lights.
> Set alarm for 15 – 20 minutes (too much nappage will interfere with your nighttime sleep, which defeats the purpose).
> Use a soft pillow that can be shaped to support your neck.

NAP

> Nap under a nice blanket
> Start on your back
> Don’t try too hard to sleep; 15 minutes of clear-minded relaxation is almost as good as actual Z’s

POST NAP

> Get up promptly to reduce grogginess
> Open the blinds for natural sunlight, if available
> Stretch to stimulate circulation and alertness
> Check in mirror for drool, messy hair, and other compromising evidence of slumber (remember that naps are your secret weapon)
> Put clothing back on (you don’t want to forget this in your grogginess and wander into a meeting naked)

Once you’ve completed your nap, there’s only one more thing to do: go out there and BE GREAT!

The world needs you.
 


* Robin, it should be noted, was not a napper.

Ultimate Gift Ideas

I was recently asked by a PR firm to provide some “extravagant gift ideas” for an article they are pitching to an undisclosed magazine with a wealthy readership.  Most of my clients—whether wealthy or not—want items that combine exquisite quality with at least some modicum of value.  I appreciate that approach and so I consider it part of my mission to get my customers the very best linens at the very best price.

But I have to admit that it was a fun assignment to be asked to think through only about extravagance.   It took me about 60 seconds to pick items gifts from SnuggleDown’s expansive inventory that represent the ultimate in luxury. 

So I thought I’d share the blurb the PR firm wrote so that you can take a peek at some of the premium items we have at SnuggleDown. 

Sandra Laughlin is the founder and proprietor of SnuggleDown.com, a luxury linens company that caters to discerning clients around the world.  She has sold linens to royalty, outfitted yachts and private jets, and has even sold eiderdown travel pillows to finicky world-class athletes. 

Some bedding items she suggests for anyone’s list of ultimate gifts includes:

* A lightweight silk eiderdown duvet for $8352
* Cashmere/silk sheets and duvet cover—about $15,000 for the set
* An Italian cashmere blanket for $2595
* A gorgeous, humanely raised and harvested fox throw (not featured on her site but available) for about $6000

Sandra is an expert on the subject fine linens and personally advises her clients.  Originally from Palo Alto, California, the active 70 year old now lives on a 600 acre farm where she raises chickens and cattle, hunts wild boar, and leads women’s leadership retreats that feature whitewater rafting, pistol shooting, and rock climbing. 

If you’re a customer looking for the ultimate in linens, contact me and we’ll discuss these and other ideas.  If you’re a friend or family member of mine reading this list, remember that it’s only seven months until my birthday…so start saving now!

Hint Hint.

How to Sleep when it’s Smokin’ Hot

I am very, very hot.

Wait. No. It’s not what you think.

I just mean, literally, I’m hot.  It’s 108 degrees outside and, as usual in Kentucky, the humidity is around 100%.  That means it’s like being in a hot tub all day.  One that’s too hot to enjoy.  With all your clothes on.  While you work.

Our air conditioner is straining and we really don’t like to run it all the time anyway.  So we are doing everything we can to give it a break—turning it off for periods of time, closing our shades, drinking lots of lemonade.

It’s not entirely working, though.  We’re still hot.

So before bed I’ve been taking hot showers to cool off.  I’m serious about that.  It’s so searing outside that the water in our pipes is hot even when you only turn the cold handle.  But it’s still better than nothing.

I know from watching the news that we are far from alone.  Chicago; Denver; St. Louis, Kansas City, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri, the whole heart of this country, in fact, is absolutely frying.  It’s so hot that a family in Coweta, Oklahoma, actually cooked their breakfast bacon on the driveway last week, according to the Huffington Post.

So, because it’s so terribly hot and because I am a sleep professional, as it were, I’ve decided to compile some tips to help you nod off even during this ferocious heat wave.  Since all of these tips do involve an expenditure, I have included the approximate cost of implementing each tip (based on a two week heat wave) so that you can create a strategy to fit your budget.

Here are my tips:

TIP 1  Make fresh iced lemonade, but be sure it’s not too strong or sugary (I recommend low glycemic agave nectar as a sweetener—Weelicious has a great recipe that’s appropriate for all ages).  Always have a glass in your hand and always be sure it’s well iced—it will keep you in a better mood during the day, making it easier to fall asleep at night.
Cost:  Two weeks of iced agave lemonade for a thirsty (six glasses per day) family of four:  $500 (really, I did the math)

TIP 2  Turn on your AC full blast; this will likely break your AC, but it might be worth it.
Cost: Full blast AC for a 3000 square foot home in 108 degree heat for two weeks: $300; air conditioning repair:  $1000

TIP 3  Visit your doctor to discuss the sleep aid that’s right for you.  Depending upon your physiology and medical history, this might include chamomile tea and melatonin, or perhaps something stronger, like Ambien.
Cost: Physician visit:  $180; Ambien prescription:  $42

TIP 4  Wear a cooling face mask to bed (the high quality cloth covered ones you refrigerate or freeze).
Cost:  Cooling face mask:  $30

TIP 5  Install a ceiling fan.
Cost:  Fan:  $200; installation: $85

The tips above should help your keep your cool and fall asleep during this heat wave.  As you can see, I estimate that the total cost for sleeping well during a two-week, triple-digit heat wave is around $2337.

But Bill and I have slept well without doing most of the things I describe above because, of course, the very best way to sleep in all conditions is to have excellent bedding.  Plus, one set of fine linens will last you indefinitely, keeping you well rested during every season for years to come—well beyond a two-week heat wave.

Of course, I’m a little biased.  But guess what?  I’ve just helped you rationalize a $2337 linens budget!  Think cool, eiderdown pillows or linen, silk, or light cotton sheets (like Celeste).  The key is natural fabrics which "breathe" not synthetics which do not.  The St. Dormeir washable wool mattress protector is a good addition, too.  It has a 'cooling" effect in that it will wick moisture away from your body as you perspire.

If you decide to pursue linens instead of my other tips, you can freeze your pillows all day long and take them out just before bed for a soothing journey to Sleepy Town.  You can or spritz your sheets with water to create a cooling evaporative effect. Since this tip works best with circulating air, you might have to adjust your linens budget to $2052 if you don’t have a fan installed yet.

Of course, as always, if you can’t make up your mind, just give me a call and I’ll personally help you navigate our huge selection of fine linens.  Together we’ll find exactly what you need to stay cool and make your bedroom look fabulous.

That’s way better than a fist full of Ambien (but the lemonade is actually worth a try--even with new linens)!

Pure Linen Sheets for a Light-Weight Summer Bed

The new Lin Supreme takes pure linen bedding to a new level. A range of pastel colors, all woven with a textured look, bring a fresh look to the summer bed. Linen is naturally cooling, absorbent, and low-weight, making it perfect for hot nights. Available in sheets, duvet covers, pillow cases and shams, and bed skirts. Made for Zimmer + Rohde by Schlossberg. Designed in Germany & Switzerland and made in Italy of the purest 100% linen. After handling this fabric, I can say that it is one of the highest quality linens that we've ever had at Laughlin Designs Fine Linens, and with all the nice products that we have, that's saying a lot!

Lovely New Schlossberg Egyptian Cotton Bedding

Make your bed a showpiece with these new bedding designs from Schlossberg of Switzerland! Lush and varied floral motifs in a wide range of colors, from fresh & strong to pastel, enliven any room. Shown here is Tilda, an iridescent display of colorful anemones splashed across a blue or white background. Available in duvet covers, pillow cases, pillow shams, bedskirts, and fabric by the yard. Designed in Switzerland and made in Italy of 100% long staple combed Egyptian cotton. Independently tested for harmful substances by TESTEX Zürich according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100. At Laughlin Designs Fine Linens we are proud to offer the full line of Schlossberg luxury bedding.

Press Release: SnuggleDown and Glenn Beck

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9:00 AM CST, June 9, 2012

Kentucky Entrepreneur Invited to Join Glenn Beck’s New Web-Based Business Enterprise.

Fine-Linens Retailer, SnuggleDown.Com, to be a Featured Business on Beck’s Curated E-Commerce Site. 
  
Bowling Green, Kentucky, June 9, 2012:  When Sandra Laughlin started her home-based fine-linens business ten years ago, she never dreamed that it would grow into an international concern or that the likes of media host and entrepreneur Glenn Beck would take notice.  But last month, Beck’s new “value and values” based e-commerce site, The Marketplace, invited Laughlin to be one of a handful of featured premium venders.

 “I’m thrilled,” said Laughlin from her home and SnuggleDown.Com headquarters in Morgantown, KY.  “Glenn is curating products for people who want the best but who value the kind of connection and service you can only get from a small business.”  Laughlin has grown SnuggleDown.Com from a small home-showroom to an international business with the largest selection of luxury linens available online.  “I’ve sold linens to my neighbors in Kentucky and to sheiks halfway around the world,” says Laughlin. “You’ll find our linens in homes, on yachts, and even on private jets.”
  
But according SnuggleDown.Com’s chief technologist, Nathan Kugland, the company’s success is largely the result of the personal attention Laughlin offers customers.  “She still picks up the phone herself and personally answers every customer email,” says Kugland.  “She knows her stuff and just wants to share that knowledge with others—I’ve seen her spend an hour on the phone with a client just to pick out the perfect pillowcase. Our customers love her.”
  
According to The Marketplace founder, Glenn Beck, the business provides “a place where I will be able to connect you directly with the products and retailers that I love.  From the best ice cream in America that you’ve never heard of, to a great summer beach read, to exclusive discounts (from) name brand retailers...”  But Beck says the best thing about The Marketplace is that it’s a web-based community of people who care about “value and values.”
  
To learn more about SnuggleDown, visit www.SnuggleDown.com.  To learn more about Laughlin or to arrange an interview, please contact Will Albrecht at (919) 428-0050 or info@monkeybranch.com. The Marketplace’s URL is www.markdown.com.

How to Get Great Customer Service

The first time I met my mother in law, Alyce, she swept me into her broad soft body with both arms and squeeeeeeezed me with crushing strength.  At first I almost panicked.  But when she wouldn’t let go I felt myself slowly melting.  The cocoon of her giant bosom was so warm, so cozy, so loving, that I thought I might just stay there forever.  Alyce was a bright eyed, big boned, mighty German who dispensed hugs, and food, and God’s blessing freely and without prejudice.  Any room she entered, any party she hosted, any person she met softened and glowed immediately in her presence. 

Most of the time, anyway.

One exception occurred early on in our relationship when Bill and I were newlyweds.  It was just after Thanksgiving 1965 and Alyce decided to take me shopping in San Francisco.  The department stores were already sparkling with Christmas décor and mobbed with holiday shoppers.  In the jewelry case at Neiman Marcus, Alyce spotted a broach that she thought I should try on.  So we stood expectantly and waited for someone to help us.
Finally, Alyce tried to get a clerk’s attention. “Excuse me,” she said, “we’d like to…”

“I’ll be with you in a moment, ma’am,” was the prim response as the tidy looking woman shushed by to help another customer, leaving us to choke in the effluvium of her cheap perfume.  We had arrived first, but what could we do?  So we watched patiently as she went from one customer to another.  And another.  And another.

Somehow, it seemed, we had become completely invisible.  

Eventually, I tried to get the woman’s attention again, “Excuse me but we’ve been waiting for…”

“Miss,” she hissed at me, “you will have to wait your turn like everyone else.”

I turned to look at Alyce, my mouth still wide open around the unfinished sentence.  Alyce’s familiar warm smile had vanished. She was staring intently at the clerk, her head down as if about to charge, a crease forming between her glowering, wolf-like eyes. It was a terrifying transformation from sweet old lady to ferocious shopping demon.

I watched in awe as Alyce slowly raised her hand in the air above her head and made a fist…which she smashed down on the glass case so hard that all the jewelry in it jumped, along with everyone in the store. 

“It is our turn,” she said calmly, “and we would like to look at this broach.”

Now it was the clerk’s mouth that was wide open.  She took out the broach and stood by in stunned silence while we held it up to the light, put it on, took it off, discussed its qualities and flaws, and finally handed it back.  “Thank you so much,” Alyce said, her face soft again, her voice its usual warm, wavering singsong. “I think we’ll keep looking. Merry Christmas.”

As we walked away from the case, Alyce noticed that I was staring at her with a combination of shock and admiration. “Oh, dear Sandra,” she said, squeezing my arm, “getting old has to have some privileges!” 

Of course, Alyce became my hero that day.  I’ve pounded on my share of counters since then and have thought of her every time.  But I also think of Alyce whenever a customer asks for my help.  And I think of that clerk.  I don’t ever want someone to feel ignored, put off, rushed, or neglected.  No one should ever have to pound on my counter. 

So if you have a question, a comment, or a request, please just pick up the telephone or email me.  Expect a quick and attentive reply.  And if you’re in a special hurry or feel I’m not providing what you need, just say, “Alyce sent me.” 

I’ll know exactly what you mean.