Today's luxury featherbeds are not your Grandma's featherbed. In her day it literally was a bag of feathers. There are many featherbeds available, the majority are made of 95% duck feather 5% duck down (not considered luxury). Feathers are flat with a hard quill, down is the soft undercoating from the bird's breast. Goose down is better than duck down, the down clusters are larger, and at least 50/50 down/feather is better than mostly feathers, which are hard and "crunchy", and they tend to leak out of the best feather-proof casing over time.

There are some truly luxury featherbeds available using white goose down and feather, with larger percentages of high fill-power goose down, and even all down. The fill-power is the measurement of the down cluster's ability to loft up after compression. The higher lofting downs make puffier featherbeds. 650 fill-power or higher goose down for a featherbed is luxury quality. More down in your featherbed means a more luxurious look and a higher level of comfort. A down bed with all white goose down would be softer and the puffiest.

The most common styles are baffle box, 3 compartment, or channel . It is better to have a baffle box to keep the filling from unwanted shifting, and at least a 3" - 4" baffle.

Always use a featherbed cover to protect your featherbed or down bed. Choose one that will accommodate the baffle construction to allow the filling (especially if it is a high percentage of down or all down) to loft up, and with zippers on 3 sides for easy removal. Fluff up, and turn over your featherbed weekly when you wash the cover. Send your featherbed to a down bedding specialist for cleaning every 3 or 4 years and for renovation after 7 - 10 years. Another good idea is to invest in some extra deep fitted sheets so that you get the full loft of your featherbed. A too tight fitted sheet will pull the featherbed down making it flatter. This would defeat the purpose of having a high down content featherbed.

An investment in a quality featherbed or down bed is well worth it if your mattress is too firm or you just want a luxury mattress topper. You will find more choice from a down specialist plus their expertise in cleaning/renovation.

Lisa Stevens is a Comfort Specialist at The Down Store, 238 E.58th St. New York, New York 10022. Since 1973 she has been offering her expertise in the selection and care of luxury down bedding to all who visit or call 1-800-USA-DOWN. Look for future articles on down comforter care, choosing the right down pillow, luxury mattresses. http://www.thedownstore.com