Everything You Need to Know About Monogramming

Whether you’re searching for the perfect personalised gift or want to enhance the natural beauty of your favourite pieces, monogramming is a fantastic way to create truly bespoke homeware that captures the essence of your individuality.

At Gilly Nicolson, we offer a fully customisable embroidery service across all our luxury bed linen collections, towels, bathrobes and napkins. Our skilled artisans can create anything from gorgeous initialled monograms to family crests, corporate logos, flowers, animals and more – the only limit is your imagination. Moreover, our colour library boasts over 400 unique tones and shades, meaning you can create perfectly personalised pieces to match your current interiors or brand colour palette.

In our latest blog, we’ll cover everything you need to know about our embroidery service, from position and sizing to the process, our prices and colour options – but first, let’s find out a little bit more about monogramming.

What is Monogramming?

A monogram is a decorative motif that combines two or more letters to form one symbol. Typically a person’s initials or company name, monogramming is a fantastic way to effortlessly elevate a simple piece and create instantly memorable branding that seamlessly ties in with your home or business’ decor.

A Brief History of Monogramming

The art of monogramming has a rich history that can be traced back to some of our earliest civilisations. In Ancient Egypt and Rome, such embroidery was a symbol of status and wealth, reserved for the highest members of society, whose initialled clothing marked them as someone of importance. Later on, in the Middle Ages, monogramming became a popular way for artisans to sign their work, while monarchs and the nobility used the designs to distinguish themselves from the general population. The Renaissance period saw more complicated designs flood the scene as embroidery became a common clothing accessory among the elite. However, it wasn’t until the 18th and 19th centuries that monogramming began to appear on an assortment of linens, handkerchiefs and more personal items.

The Industrial Revolution welcomed an increase in monogramming’s accessibility, widening its reach to the middle classes as embroidery machines enabled mass production of even the most intricate designs at more affordable prices. Since then, the practice has continued to grow, blossoming with the evolution of technology – nowadays, skilled craftsmen around the globe use modern machines to add a personal touch to everything from clothing to bags, accessories and (to save the best till last) home decor.

The Monogramming Process at Gilly Nicolson

At Gilly Nicolson, creating beautiful bespoke pieces begins with the customer journey. Our team will work with you to find the perfect design, whether from our huge selection of customisable options or something new – there’s no limit to what you can embroider! Simply send us your ideas and we’ll do our utmost to create something truly unique that matches your vision.

You can monogram 1, 2 or 3 initials and even a first name to any of our bed linen, towel or bathrobe collections. We have a huge selection of fonts for you to choose from or, if you would prefer something more personal or desire specific branding, you can choose something more specific to your needs. Once we have all the information we need, we’ll produce a digital mock-up of your design.

Once you’re ready to proceed, we’ll produce a sample within two weeks to demonstrate the position and placement. After signing off on this stage, production will begin for your brand-new monogrammed pieces, with bulk orders taking approximately 5-6 weeks depending on the complexity of the design.

All monogramming is undertaken by our incredibly skilled, family-owned Portuguese mills with whom we’ve worked for over 12 years. We’ve been delighted time and again by the unrivalled attention to detail and premium quality produced by our talented artisans and can’t wait for you to experience it for yourself.

Monogramming Positioning

• Pillowcases – monogramming is usually positioned at the closed end of the pillowcase or in the centre. If you’re ordering different initials for the same bed (for example, Mr & Mrs), choose ‘Left’ or ‘Right’ hand side (when looking at the bed).
• Duvet Covers – duvet cover monogramming is positioned down from the top edge of the duvet cover, in the centre.
• Top Sheets – the monogram on our top sheets is positioned centrally when the top sheet is folded back over the duvet cover.
• Towels – our towel monogramming comes in two options: if you like to fold your towels in an easy ‘1 fold’ half, the monogramming is positioned on the bottom left-hand corner. If you prefer a ‘2-fold’, so you can’t see the towel’s edges, the monogramming is positioned at the bottom of the towel in the centre.
• Bath Robes – for our bathrobes, you can choose to have the monogramming on the left or right-hand chest or even on the cuff.

Monogramming Sizing

Below you’ll see how large your customised monogramming will be, depending on the pieces you choose. To discuss sizing options further, please get in touch with our team.

Monogramming Colour Options

We pride ourselves on providing customers with an unrivalled breadth of choice when it comes to our premium bespoke pieces. Our colour library boasts over 400 distinctive tones and hues – meaning you can find the ideal shades to match your branding, home interiors and personality.

Choose one or more stitch colours to create beautifully complementing or contrasting monograms that are wholly unique to you. You can find inspiration in our Colour Library archive or speak to us for personal colour-matching service. Our interior design experts can help you discover the perfect colour combination to make your monogramming truly special.

Discover Bespoke Luxury, with Monogramming from Gilly Nicolson

Start your embroidery journey today and experience elevated luxury with our fully bespoke collections. From brand logos to your favourite childhood characters, there’s no limit to your customisation options – only your imagination. Speak with our expert team of interior designers for inspiration, colour advice and more. We’re on hand to help.

Why not browse our customisable collections to get started? Explore our fully bespoke bed linen, towel, bathrobe, napkin and throw ranges, or find out more about our monogramming service here.

What’s Causing My Nighttime Allergies?

Common irritants such as dust mites, mould and pet dander can aggravate the nasal passages, leading to stuffy noses, watery eyes, sneezing and general itchiness for those who suffer from allergies (particularly children, the elderly and the immuno-compromised). Unfortunately, many of these triggers can be found in our bedding.

Dust mites, in particular, can cause a whole host of unwanted issues. These microscopic creatures often take up residence in our mattresses, pillows and duvets and not only interfere with our comfort and sleep but potentially trigger more serious reactions like eczema, rhinitis and asthma.

It’s essential to note, however, that the presence of these allergens is not related to cleanliness. Even the most immaculate bedroom is likely to fall prey to these pesky critters, and no amount of hoovering, changed sheets and boil washes can prevent it for long.

So, What’s the Solution

Traditional advice for fighting allergens suggests avoidance and antihistamines, which in this case, can be difficult to follow. For many of us, nasal congestion is worse at night and many anti-allergen medications can disrupt sleeping patterns resulting in insomnia and sudden middle-of-the-night awakenings.

More sources suggest washing your bedding regularly at the hottest temperature it can withstand. However, while this is a good suggestion (and one you should heed if possible), it’s not a simple solution for families and businesses with multiple bulky duvets and pillows to wash, nor do many of us have the storage space necessary to keep spares tucked away for laundry day.

Anti-allergen bedding may be the solution.

What Does Hypoallergenic Mean?

Hypoallergenic is a term used to describe products that contain, or are made with, fewer allergy-producing substances (or allergens) than standard.

Hypoallergenic bedding is specifically designed to reduce the chances of an allergic reaction while you sleep. Typically made with high-quality, synthetic fibres, anti-allergen bedding creates a hostile environment for allergens to live and works to prevent dust mites and other irritants from moving around so freely.

Particular types of hypoallergenic bedding, such as mattress covers, act as a physical barrier between mites and you, preventing existing bugs from feeding off your skin cells and reducing the number of new critters setting up shop in your bedding. Research indicates that adding a hypoallergenic mattress cover, duvet and pillows is an effective way to decrease your exposure to dust mites and other irritants.

Hypoallergenic Bedding by Gilly Nicolson

If the above has you feeling itchy (apologies) and eager to transform your bed into a hypoallergenic heaven, we’ve compiled our full range of anti-allergen bedding below. Made right here in the UK with the finest, high-quality materials and zero harsh chemicals, each piece from our luxury bedding collections uses fully-traceable fillings sourced only from accredited and reputable European suppliers. A great night’s sleep is on the horizon…

Hypoallergenic Mattress Topper

Our Hypoallergenic Dacron Comforel Allerban Mattress Topper is designed to perfectly mimic the luxurious feel of feather and down while being completely synthetic. The 100% pure cotton filling boasts great loft and recovery properties, while the high-quality cassette construction keeps the filling in place, eliminating cold spots and irregular padding for a comfortable night’s sleep, every time.

The filling and casings in our hypoallergenic mattress topper are OEKO-TEX® Standard Certified. Machine Washable. All orders take approximately two weeks. For bespoke sizes, contact our team.

Hypoallergenic Duvet

An incredibly popular option for our hotel and boutique clients, the synthetic filling in our Hypoallergenic Comforel Allerban Duvet has the same sumptuous feel as our feather and down bedding while remaining 100% non-allergenic. Developed with a piped and double-stitched edge construction, each duvet boasts a baffle wall box design and individually filled pockets to prevent inconsistent padding and distribute warmth evenly throughout the night.

The filling and casings in our hypoallergenic duvet are OEKO-TEX® Standard Certified. Easy-to-wash. All orders take approximately two weeks. For bespoke sizes, contact our team.

Hypoallergenic Pillows

Our Hypoallergenic Comforel Allerban Pillows come with a 100% pure cotton, 233 thread count casing for a premium, extravagant feel. Like the other pieces in our hypoallergenic collection, the high-quality synthetic fibres gather in soft, malleable clusters to perfectly match the feel of real down and feather filling – for a deep and restful sleep without irritation.

All orders take approximately 2-4 weeks. For bespoke sizes, contact our team.

Discover Whole-Home Luxury from Gilly Nicolson

Gilly Nicolson is a British-born luxury homeware brand for premium pieces that last a lifetime. Our collections are designed right here in the UK with our bed linen and homeware ranges hand-crafted by our talented partners in our trusted artisanal Portuguese mills. We count the finest boutiques, hotels and private homes among our satisfied customers, offering unlimited customisations of many of our iconic pieces. Explore our fully bespoke bed linen and table linen collections and full bedding range now. Discover the essence of the individual with Gilly Nicolson.