Better Homes & Gardens Blue Feather Velvet Throw Blanket
A beautiful throw blanket is a small way to infuse a little luxury into your day-to-day, adding style to a room but also providing the perfect wrap for a snooze. We spent 70 hours researching and testing 35 throws—in a variety of styles and materials—to find the eight most comfortable, good-looking ones to curl up in.
If you're going to buy a throw, we think it should be in a material and style that makes you smile. We found that the best throws are made from natural fibers such as sheep's wool, alpaca, cashmere, fine cotton, and linen. Many of our recommendations would make great gifts—either for yourself or for a loved one. Here you'll find recommendations for a lightweight cotton gauze, a beachy woven cotton, a designer alpaca throw, a cozy cable knit, a supersoft cashmere-wool blend,a brand with several great wool choices, and a plush and cotton quilt. Some of these come from small, boutique makers and artisans using high-quality construction methods, which means they might be more expensive than mass-produced blankets, but the quality is worth it.
Why you should trust us
A warm, family-friendly throw: Garnet Hill Plush-Loft Throw
Our pick
How it feels: Quilted like a comforter, with plush faux fur on one side and cool sateen on the other.
Why it's great: We think the Garnet Hill Plush-Loft Throw is perfect for family life—it's the warmest throw we recommend and plushly soft, but it's sturdy enough for kids and pets to knock around. It holds up beautifully to heavy use and multiple washes. It's the absolute favorite of our picks with my 7-year-old and my Maltipoo, and the most fun for making blanket forts. The Plush-Loft has a layer of polyester fill sandwiched between a shell of smooth cotton sateen on one side and polyester plush (like a stuffed animal) on the other. We recommend the blanket size in our guide to the best bed blankets, and the throw size was just as universally popular with testers and even easier to wrap around the body.
We also tested L.L.Bean's Ultraplush Down and Ultraplush PrimaLoft throws, two very similar versions of this blanket, but they didn't compare to the Garnet Hill—they were thinner, the plush wasn't nearly as soft, and the sateen was rougher.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: This blanket is one of the thickest we tested (although none of our picks felt overwhelming to testers), but that hasn't stopped my family from using and loving it. If you have pets that tend to destroy things, this blanket isn't immune. Our dog chewed through one of our samples. However, we've tested and owned enough Plush-Lofts to say they hold up better than most.
Listed size: 52 by 70 inches
Size of our test sample out of the package: 56¼ by 73 inches
Materials: cotton, polyester
Colors: seven solid colors
The coziest winter throw: Brooklinen Pure Wool Throw
Our pick
How it feels: Dense and warm; fuzzy and soft, not scratchy.
Why it's great: Many throws we tested were warm, but the all-wool Brooklinen Pure Wool Throw feels snugglier and cozier than any other. It's the most hygge of our picks and what you want to wrap up in on a chilly day. It's thick but also the lightest and fluffiest of the six wool throws we tried and a unanimous favorite with our testers. While it doesn't drape as well as more delicate throws we tried, we were impressed by its gentle texture, which has no hint of scratchiness. My skin is very sensitive—sometimes even linen makes me itch—and the Brooklinen never caused me irritation. One tester noted, "If it had no fringe it would be almost perfect." (That was a common theme with our testers, half of whom disliked the fringe as a fussy extra.)
We looked at three of the four throw blankets Brooklinen offers, and they were all popular with our testers (confusingly, all appear on the same product page, so choose the specific model you want by selecting from the color options). The Brooklinen Cashmere and Lambswool Throw and Brooklinen Baby Alpaca Throw also had fantastic feel and quality. Our Competition section has more detail about them, but generally we think you can't go wrong with a throw from Brooklinen.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Because all of Brooklinen's throws are made from animal fibers and are dry-clean only, they may not be the best choices for kids who could spill on things or for pets who like to chew on things. We also found that, as with many of the throws we tested, the advertised sizes varied greatly from the sizes of the actual blankets we received by anywhere from 2 to 5 inches.
Listed size: 59 by 83 inches for all
Size of our test samples out of the package: Pure Wool, 64½ by 78 inches; Cashmere and Lambswool, 60 by 81 inches; Baby Alpaca, 54¼ by 63½ inches
Materials: wool, lambswool, alpaca, cashmere
Colors: seven solid colors, two prints
A stylish cashmere blend: Garnet Hill Wool & Cashmere Throw
Our pick
How it feels: Luxurious, soft, very warm, and very light.
Why it's great: The crowd-pleasing Garnet Hill Wool & Cashmere Throw was one of the most popular in our testing because of its drape and softness, and, as one tester noted, because "it's thin but doesn't feel flimsy." A chic, classic throw, it's made of a blend of 95 percent wool and 5 percent cashmere that feels cozy yet light on the body. It's very lightweight, but it's also one of the warmest blankets we tried.
Testers preferred the lightness of the Garnet Hill over other wool and cashmere blends we tried, like one from Brooklinen, although some slightly preferred the thicker, heavier Brooklinen Cashmere and Lambswool because "it doesn't have tassels." We also think the Garnet Hill's thinner fabric looks less bulky draped over a sofa or chair, and its nine color options (including two prints) make it a better choice as a decorative accent than other throws we tested that come in only one or two hues. One Wirecutter staffer has owned a version of this Garnet Hill blanket for several years and said it has held up nicely and still feels warm and substantial.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: This throw is the second shortest one we tested, and we wish its length were more generous. We still think it's an elegant, classic throw, even if it is a bit short for many people.
Listed size: 50 by 70 inches
Size of our test sample out of the package: 52½ by 76 inches
Materials: wool, cashmere
Colors: seven color options, two prints
A smooth, sweater-style throw: Boll & Branch Cable Knit Throw
Our pick
How it feels: Smooth, heavy and warm, with a bit of stretch.
Why it's great: The Boll & Branch Cable Knit Throw felt unlike any other we tried—it's smooth to the touch and weighty so it hugs the body better than other styles. Unlike wool or woven blankets that simply rest on top of you, the Boll & Branch hugs the body like a fluid chunky sweater. Considering its intricate cable-knit design, we were especially impressed by its flawless knitting that sustained no visible damage after a round with our very active dog. Its chunky texture also looks lovely draped on a couch.
Breathable, weighty cable knits like the Boll & Branch make versatile year-round blankets, but we've noticed that most are only sold around the holidays. We initially researched 14 knit blankets, but after eliminating those with poor user reviews or designs, all the remaining blankets worth testing were sold out by the end of December. For that reason, this was the only knit blanket we tested, but it's an absolutely gorgeous one that's consistently available.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: It feels heavier than our wool and alpaca picks, but we think it's still a very comfortable blanket to use. Also, because it has so much drape we think it might stretch or lose some of its shape over time, and it was hard to measure its dimensions before and after a wash. We've been long-term testing it for almost a year, and it has held its shape.
Listed size: 50 by 70 inches
Size of our test sample out of the package: 60½ by 92½ inches
Materials: cotton
Colors: three solid colors
A silky alpaca blanket: Area Home Liam Throw
Our pick
How it feels: Delicate and soft, with a hint of woven texture when you run it through your fingers.
Why it's great: If you're looking for a throw that's more delicate and luxurious feeling, we like Area Home's Liam Throw. Alpaca feels soft and downy and very similar to cashmere, but the texture of the Liam is much silkier, finer, and more delicate than any of the cashmere-wool blends and the two other alpaca throws we tested. It's whisper-thin and drapes like a shawl, but it's as warm as much thicker wool throws. We love that you can see the subtle weave pattern in the Liam's fabric and feel its texture through the soft fuzz of the blanket. Most of the other throws we tried had a texture that looked and felt flatter with less depth.
The Liam comes in two sizes—the only throw pick to offer size options, although at the time of testing the extra-large 70-by-90-inch size was nearly sold out. We tested the smaller 50-by-70-inch version and found it was plenty big to comfortably wrap up in and more generously sized than the alpaca throw we tried from Brooklinen. The Liam comes in nine colors. Anki Spets, who gave us her insight for our guide to blankets, is the owner and designer of the Scandinavian-inspired Area Home boutique in New York City, and she told us she's been selling the Liam for years. We don't think it will be discontinued any time soon (a constant concern for us with all blankets). It's the most expensive throw we recommend, but we think it's worth it if you're looking for a high-end throw with beautiful design that's also lovely to use.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Our testers noted that this throw felt very thin, and some preferred the fuzzy softness of the Brooklinen Baby Alpaca to the silkier feel of the Liam. We liked both but think the Liam is more of a splurge-worthy, heirloom blanket. The Liam Throw is also dry-clean only, like several of our picks, so we don't recommend it around kids or pets.
Listed sizes: 50 by 70 inches and 70 by 90 inches
Size of our test sample of the smaller version out of the package: 53½ by 72¼ inches
Materials: baby alpaca
Colors: nine solid colors
A stylish woven throw in lots of colors: Brahms Mount Monhegan Cotton Throw
Our pick
How it feels: Thick, textured, and slightly ruglike, but much softer than it looks.
Why it's great: The Brahms Mount Monhegan Cotton Throw had a more distinctive style than any other throw we tested. It stood out for its eye-catching pattern and its sturdy woven texture. Its oversize herringbone, ropy fringe, and coastal vibe make it look like something the gang from Beverly Hills, 90210 would wrap up in at every beach bonfire. It also comes in 27 colors, more choices than any other throw we found. We researched 13 thick woven throws and tested four, and the Monhegan was far and away our favorite. Made in Maine, it's one of the more expensive throws we recommend, but it's created with a level of care and design that seems unique rather than mass-produced.
The Monhegan looks tough, but its brushed cotton feels surprisingly smooth, and its roped texture is satisfying to run between the fingers. The densely woven cotton is as warm as throws we tried made of wool, but it's still very breathable. That makes it a great option if you live in a place with mild winters. It's also smoother than other woven cotton and wool throws we tried from Faribault and Sferra, and it withstood every wash-and-wear test, just getting better—softer, plumper, more distinguished looking—the more we abused it.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: While the Monhegan is soft, it's still a big and substantial blanket—it has a heavier, more rigid drape to it than finer throws. If you're looking for something fuzzy or cozy, it might not be the best choice.
Listed size: 48 by 70 inches
Size of our test sample out of the package: 53¼ by 78 inches
Materials: cotton
Colors: 26 two-tone colors and solid white
The perfect summer wrap: Hay Crinkle Stripe Plaid
Our pick
How it feels: Soft, crinkly texture that's cool and airy.
Why it's great: Hay has replaced the Crinkle Throw we've been recommending since 2018 with the Hay Crinkle Stripe Plaid, which is basically the same blanket but in stripy, two-tone patterns instead of solid colors. Hay's fabric is a double-layer gauze that's breathable and cool on the skin, and its crinkled texture makes it visually stand out. In our original testing, all of our testers agreed that this lightweight cotton gauze fabric was thicker and more comfortable than that of the other gauze throw we tested, The Company Store's Emmett Throw (now also discontinued). The Hay Crinkle throw is the best of our recommendations for warmer climates and seasons. It doesn't provide the kind of heavy-duty warmth of the wool and knit cotton blankets we like, but the Crinkle throw is substantial—as one tester noted, "It's not as thin as it looks."
Although its fabric is light, the Crinkle was one of the sturdiest throws in our wear tests. After a playful round with our dog and kid testers, it held up better than many other throws we considered, and it shrank less in our wash tests than the Emmett (about 1.5 percent compared with almost 2.5 percent). It's also one of the biggest throws we've tried, and we love when companies don't skimp on size. We think the Crinkle throw is wide and long enough to comfortably envelop most people (our testers ranged in height from about 5 feet 2 inches to 6 feet).
Flaws but not dealbreakers: In testing, we've found that the look of gauze-style throws is a love-it-or-hate-it thing. It's a personal preference, and we don't think this is a dealbreaker. Not every throw will work for everyone's style, but if you like the look, this throw is comfortable to use.
Listed size: 82¾ by 59¼ inches
Size of our test sample out of the package: 97½ by 74 inches
Materials: cotton
Colors: four patterns
How we picked and tested
In 2018, we spent about 25 hours researching high-quality throws—we read user reviews, talked to staff, and checked the offerings from reliable bedding companies whose products we've tested before. I also looked for brand and design inspiration from Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, The Strategist, Cosmopolitan, and Real Simple. We came up with a list of 83 blankets, and we used these criteria to help narrow down our test list:
Luxurious feel: A throw should be inviting for people to use and luxurious to wrap up in. Unlike bed blankets, which are often sandwiched with other layers, a throw is used right up against the skin so it must feel soft and comfortable. We considered options in all fabrics, including synthetics, if we thought they'd provide that lush experience.
An appealing look: We looked for throws that made a visual impact while also being enjoyable to use, and we paid attention to design details and how these blankets could fit in a variety of different homes. We feel that it's as important for them to be gorgeous pieces of home decor as it is for them to feel great to use.
Size: We talked a lot about feeling cheated when you crawl under a throw and find it's too short to cover your toes. My editor, who is 5-foot-9, has had this experience more than I have at 5-foot-2, but we both felt that a throw worth its salt should be generously sized for all body shapes and lengths.
Color choices: Wherever possible, we looked for throws that came in multiple colors to provide options for different room styles and palettes. One of our picks comes in 27 colors, and another only two, but we worked to find as many choices as we could.
Ease of washing: Many wool blankets (including cashmere and alpaca) are dry-clean only, but we made sure to also look for blankets that are machine washable.
We focused on models that seemed like reliable, year-round choices. In 2018 we narrowed the list down to 29 throws for testing, and in 2019 we tested six new fleece throws. I noted each blanket's softness, design, and overall construction, and I measured every blanket and compared it against its listed measurements. I found that across the board, the throws were bigger than their specs stated, something we also noticed with our guide to bed blankets (and bigger blankets are almost always better). I eliminated a few throws in this first round.
I washed and dried every throw that wasn't dry-clean only, measured them again, calculated shrinkage, and noted the feel and construction after some wear tests that included tug of war with my dog. A few excellent blankets became picks at this stage, like our cable-knit pick and our linen pick. We eliminated several more, including matelasse and faux fur options.
In 2018 I ran the remaining 15 blankets past my panel of testers—six adults (including myself), a 6-year-old, and the family Maltipoo. For 2019, when we added a fleece throw, I had the family Maltipoo and my now 7-year-old help with the testing. From their feedback and my own notes on the availability, construction, and overall quality of these throws, we narrowed it down to eight picks.
Care and maintenance
Following the care label on your throw is the best way to take care of it. Even though some wool is washable, if the care label on a wool, cashmere, or alpaca blanket says dry-clean only, we don't think it's worth risking a trip through the washer and dryer. Cotton and linen blankets can tolerate washes at higher heats than washable wools and synthetics, which makes them a good choice for heavy use from pets and young kids, or if they'll be subject to spills. Wools will shrink in warm or hot temperatures; synthetics won't shrink much, but hot washes may shorten the fibers' lifespan.
The competition
Wool, cashmere, and alpaca
Brooklinen's Baby Alpaca Throw and Cashmere and Lambswool Throw were both softer than the company's Pure Wool blanket, and we think they're great for different reasons. The Baby Alpaca Throw was the softest of the three alpaca blankets we assessed, and testers noted that it felt thicker and more substantial than the Area Home throw we recommend—about half of our testers preferred the Baby Alpaca, in fact (the other half liked the wispy quality of the Area Home). It's shorter than the other throws, though, and it only comes in one checked print compared with the nine solid colors of the Area Home. The Cashmere and Lambswool Throw was one of our tester's favorite wool-cashmere throws for its soft feel alone. Some of our testers preferred this throw's heavier feel and no-fringe design, but the Garnet Hill Wool & Cashmere Throw edged ahead—it looks more elegant and timeless, and it comes in more colors. One tester loved the Brooklinen Cashmere and Lambswool Throw so much, though, that while fighting a cold he settled in with it to watch The Great British Bake Off and fell asleep before the signature challenge had even been announced. If that's not a test of a good throw for couch naps, we don't know what is.
We tested four wool and cashmere-wool blend throws from Snowe. The Snowe Striped Throw, a wool-cashmere blend, and the Snowe Edge Stripe Throw, an all-wool blanket, were both warm, lovely, and beautifully made—they just weren't as soft as our picks. Our testers felt that the Snowe Fringed Throw, also a cashmere-wool blend, was too lightweight to be comfortable or useful. The Snowe Checked Throw, the company's thinnest blanket, didn't survive any of our wear tests—it shredded like paper with a small amount of vigorous use.
The Faribault Ashby Twill Wool Throw is well-designed and comes in lots of colors, but I was the only one of our testers who liked the feel—it's rougher than our picks, but there's something cozy and comforting about it. It's washable, and it felt softer and fluffier after a trip through the laundry, so if you like the feel of a classic wool blanket, this is a good one. We also tested the Faribault Scout Wool Throw, now discontinued, which felt too rough for around-the-house use
We considered a few throws made by Woolrich, but we've noted that many of the Woolrich throws were made of a wool-nylon blend. We've tested blankets made of a similar blend in the past, and we didn't like the way they felt.
The Solid Alpaca Throw from The Company Store (now discontinued) looked similar to the Area Home Liam Throw, and it was also made in Peru. Anki Spets, owner of Area Home, told us that's probably because this type of blanket is a staple of Peru, made by many different vendors in varying levels of quality and finish.
Fleece
The Lands' End Plush Fleece Throw, our former fleece pick, is now unavailable. Lands' End brings their throws back seasonally, though, so we'll be keeping track to see if it returns.
If you want to get your kids, teens, or college students a soft, snuggly throw blanket, look at Kohl's the Big One Supersoft Plush Throw. This was by far the most popular fleece blanket with our kid and dog testers in our 2019 tests, and at the time of publication it was available in almost four dozen prints, from simple plaids to dinosaurs in Santa hats to Frozen II and Star Wars options. It's not elegant, and it's not the absolute warmest throw we tried, but it's affordable and a definite crowd-pleaser. My 7-year-old hasn't let this throw out of her sight since she tested it.
The warmest throw we tried was L.L.Bean's Wicked Plush Throw. It's a gorgeous fleece blanket, and it comes in two sizes (50 inches by 70 inches—which is standard for most throws we've tested—and 60-inches by 80-inches). It's so soft, but it's heavier than the Lands' End Plush Fleece, and the color choices are darker and less cheery. It was a close decision between the two, but we went with bright, fun, and giftable over this one.
The Company Store's Company Plush Throw was almost as soft and almost as warm as the L.L.Bean, but after a wash it just felt a little less velvety, and it costs twice as much. I've tested enough fleece throws that I really don't think it's worth paying more than $30 for one.
The Target Threshold Oversize Primalush Throw was nice but not the softest we tested in 2019. It's very affordable, though it didn't feel as luxe as the fleece throws mentioned above, and Target's inventory is a little less reliable for things like throws—they sell out quickly and don't always come back.
We looked at the Lands' End Sherpa Fleece Throw Blanket (no longer available) and the Lands' End Sorrento Double Face Reversible Blanket, but the Sorrento comes only in bed sizes, and the Sherpa Fleece was just too heavy compared with the others we tried. It was definitely warm, but it didn't feel as cozy or as soft as the others.
Quilted
Matelasse
We found Coyuchi's Cozy Cotton Organic Throw to be too heavy (we ended up with a full-bed size for testing but think the smaller throw would still be too overwhelming) and not attractive enough to be a nice piece of home decor.
Fur
Walk into any mainstream home furnishings store in November and December, and you'll find a sea of faux fur throw blankets. Pottery Barn's Faux Fur Alpaca Throw was the most promising we found to test, but it is way too heavy to be useful. Also, one side is faux fur, the other is a much lighter-weight fleece, and the two sides are stitched together only around the edges (they're not quilted). This makes for an awkward, floppy blanket that doesn't keep its shape.
Woven cotton
The Surya Troy Smooth Stripe Throw from Hayneedle had a pleasant design and cost less than most of the blankets we tested. But it looked a little like an area rug, and it wasn't very soft.
Sferra's Celine Throw, one of the company's most affordable blankets, was promising until we washed it. Laundered the exact same way as the Surya Troy Smooth Stripe and Brahms Mount Monhegan throws, the Celine shrunk by 10 percent, more than any other blanket we tested (the Suyra throw shrunk 4.9 percent, and the Brahms Mount shrunk 4.6 percent). It also felt rigid and rough after a wash.
Gauze
The Emmett Throw from The Company Store was reversible and came in some nice, subdued colors, but our testers much preferred the softness of the Hay Crinkle Throw. (The Emmett is no longer available.)
Linen
The Company Store's Linen Fringed Throw is a former pick, and it was just as cool and fluid as much pricier linens we tried, but it's now discontinued.
Flannel
The Garnet Hill Brushed-Cotton Throw was soft but not as soft as the Garnet Hill Wool & Cashmere Throw, and it was also too short—about 3½ inches shorter than the Garnet Hill, which, some of our taller testers noted, was already a little stingy for length.
Sources
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Sara Hall, innkeeper for The Inn at Kitchen Kettle Village, phone interview , February 9, 2018
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Anki Spets, owner-designer of Area Home, phone interview , February 13, 2018
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Fran Kozen, associate director of the Cornell Institute of Fashion and Fiber Innovation, phone interview , February 16, 2018
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Nicole Lund, The Best Throw Blankets, Apartment Therapy , February 22, 2018
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Brittney Morgan, 10 Throw Blankets That Are So Cozy You'll Want to Wear Them, House Beautiful , June 21, 2018
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The Best Throw Blankets on Amazon, According to Hyperenthusiastic Reviewers, The Strategist , June 28, 2019
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Charles Manning, 12 Cozy Blankets You'll Wanna Snuggle Under All Year Long, Cosmopolitan , September 5, 2017
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Christina Yeotsas, 6 Cuddle-Worthy Throw Blankets, Real Simple , August 29, 2014
About your guide
Jackie Reeve is a senior staff writer covering bedding, organization, and home goods at Wirecutter since 2015. Previously she was a school librarian, and she's been a quilter for about 15 years. Her quilt patterns and her other written work have appeared in various publications. She moderates Wirecutter's staff book club and makes her bed every morning.
Better Homes & Gardens Blue Feather Velvet Throw Blanket
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-throw-blankets/
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