I Tried The Citizenry Bedding For An Artisan-Made Refresh (2025 Review)

Summary: In a world of too much consumption, few companies show as much transparency as The Citizenry about who makes their products and how. I love how the brand’s storytelling about the makers of their products shows their respect and love for the artisans. They go above and beyond a typical fair-trade model to honor ancient handmade techniques from around the world, and have certifications including GOTS, OEKO-TEX, and Fair Trade to back them up. You can feel the care poured into each product.

Pros

The Citizenry makes their products in small batches using traditional techniques using Fair Trade practices.
I love how they honor the origins of their products with their “Shop the country” tab.
I feel a sense of peace sleeping in The Citizenry’s bedding, knowing it’s nontoxic, sustainably made, and cruelty-free with certifications to ensure that.
I love envisioning the artisans who made their bedding. You can feel the love and time poured into making each product.

Cons

Their products are handcrafted, so they are delicate. This means they need gentle care, which may not suit every home.
Higher ticket bedding costs than many brands.

Since buying our first home 2.5 years ago, I’ve learned it takes time to truly make a home your own. That’s especially true when you’re a conscious consumer on a budget — so my favorite motto is “it’s all about the find.” My husband and I love exploring our local ReStore and thrift shops. We look for furniture and home items that help shape our home’s story, woven from our years of creating spaces together. We love to look around our home and feel surrounded by things we truly love and took the time to find. Yet, as we’ve gotten older, we’ve started to invest in higher-quality items that we use every day and want to last a long time, like our couch or dining room table.

“As we’ve gotten older, we’ve started to invest in higher-quality items that we use every day and want to last a long time.”

This has also been true for our bedroom. As parents of two little ones, we want our bedroom to be a sanctuary. It should be a place where two tired parents can rest and feel embraced by the space. I adore textures that connect us back to the earth, like wood, linen, and wool. Using these materials in soothing grays, whites, and earth tones, we’ve created a really special bedroom we feel proud of. So, when we needed a bedding refresh, I was excited to review The Citizenry. Their artisan-made bedding embodies our values of being special and a keepsake.

About The Citizenry

The brand was founded in 2014 by two friends, Rachel and Carly. They shared a love of travel and sourced home goods from their journeys. They noticed the goods they loved most were the ones made with love and by hand, not the products they saw mass-produced in markets or stores. They aimed to build a marketplace that celebrated these skilled makers and their craft. The brand’s name honors artisans worldwide who create heirloom-quality home goods.

“The brand’s name honors artisans worldwide who create heirloom-quality home goods.”

The Citizenry is taking Fair Trade to the next level. They’re the largest U.S. retailer that uses 100% fair trade labor practices. This is guaranteed and audited by the World Fair Trade Organization. They work alongside 3,938 makers from across the globe. Together, they design exclusive collections and pay 2x the fair trade requirement. They have put $40 million into artisan communities. In addition, 61% of their makers are women entrepreneurs.

Because of where their products come from, all of them are naturally sustainably made. Traditional techniques and local sourcing in these communities lead to low carbon emissions and zero waste — that’s along with being nontoxic, sustainably made, Organic Textile Standard Certified, and cruelty-free. Impressive.

Here’s the Citizenry bedding I tried:

After selecting my choices with the Citizenry team, I waited for my bed makeover. One day, a giant box of bedding arrived at my doorstep. We later turned it into a fort for our 3-year-old. I was so impressed by how minimal the packaging was, with only a small amount of plastic to protect each product. I also loved how a cloth ribbon adorned each item. As a gift wrap collector, I definitely saved them alongside my other supplies for wrapping gifts and will be using them the next chance I get.

La Duna Lumbar Pillow | $229
Stonewashed Linen Curated Bed Bundle, Queen | $647
Alegria Organic Cotton Quilt, Queen | $299
Celeste Chunky Wool Throw | $499

An open cardboard box containing a wrapped pillow, packaging paper, and plastic-wrapped items. — *The packaging was minimal and beautiful; I especially loved the ribbons tied around each bundle, which I saved to reuse for future gift wrapping.*

Three folded cream-colored blankets with tags and ribbon ties are placed on a textured cream bedspread in natural sunlight. — *The packaging was minimal and beautiful; I especially loved the ribbons tied around each bundle, which I saved to reuse for future gift wrapping.*

Stonewashed Linen Curated Bed Bundle (Sandstripe/Ivory, Queen) | $647

We picked this bed bundle for a few reasons. First, we wanted to test a linen sheet set for the warm spring and summer months in Colorado. Second, we loved that this bundle is complete with everything you need for a full bed refresh.

The set includes:

1 sheet set (1 flat sheet, 1 fitted sheet, 2 pillowcases)
1 duvet cover
2 matching pillowcases for the duvet

I love that this bundle curates options for those with choice fatigue. The sheets and duvet cover colors are already made to mix and match! We went with the Sand Stripe-Ivory bundle. The sheets are a creamy ivory color, while the duvet has a slight stripe pattern in a warm grey tone. I adore the way they look together.

A person in a brown sleeve holds up a light, sheer fabric near a window with sunlight streaming through. — *Airy, light, and worn in the best possible way, this beautiful bedding feels (and looks!) like floating in a cloud.*

A person wearing a brown sweater holds up a large white sheet or fabric in a sunlit room. — *Airy, light, and worn in the best possible way, this beautiful bedding feels (and looks!) like floating in a cloud.*

Loomed from French flax in the oldest family-run mill in Portugal, it’s the softest, most lightweight bedding I’ve ever felt. The duvet cover and matching pillows are a thicker linen. While the sheets are so soft, they almost don’t feel real. Sleeping in them is like nothing is on your body, as though you’re floating in a cloud.

Because of how light the sheets and duvet are, making the bed is super easy. The blankets float onto the mattress. The only thing that’s taken some getting used to is the wrinkles that are inevitable with linen. This wrinkled style might not suit everyone. I often wish I could grab an old iron and an ironing board to smooth it out — but it’s the nature of linen, and it gives the room a soft, earthy feel.

A neatly made bed with cream-colored linen sheets, pillows, and a comforter, set against a dark headboard in a softly lit room. — *Linen has a naturally wrinkled-look, which may not be everyone’s style. The feel, however, is super soft and cozy!*

A hand wearing two rings rests palm-down on a cream-colored textured fabric background. — *Linen has a naturally wrinkled-look, which may not be everyone’s style. The feel, however, is super soft and cozy!*

Alegria Organic Cotton Quilt (Oat, Queen) | $299

Never in my adult life have I had a gorgeous quilt to call my very own. This one is a precious keepsake we’ll have in our lives for many years to come. Each quilt is loomed over the span of weeks by multiple generations of local artisans in one of the oldest mills in Portugal. You can feel the love and attention that was poured into it. A typical quilt is heavy and stiff, but this one is 100% organic cotton and has a remarkable softness and lightness. It’s the perfect finishing touch for the linen bed bundle.

“Each quilt is loomed over the span of weeks by multiple generations of local artisans in one of the oldest mills in Portugal.”

We wanted to add a lightweight quilt because it still gets cold at night here in Colorado during the warmer months. The linen set wouldn’t have been enough to keep us cozy. But I love that the quilt isn’t too heavy, so it’s versatile. I also love the pattern and texture it brings to the bed and our room. The only worry I have is that the handmade quality means it’s delicate. With multiple kids, a dog, and a cat in our house, I do worry it might get damaged over time. We’re now very cautious of who’s on the bed!

A folded cream-colored quilt with a stitched pattern, tied with a beige ribbon and a tag, placed on a textured light beige surface. — *The craftsmanship and artistry in this quilt is evident in its quality and feel. It’s a keepsake we will treasure for decades!*

A hand with two rings rests on a textured, cream-colored surface with horizontal and vertical lines. — *The craftsmanship and artistry in this quilt is evident in its quality and feel. It’s a keepsake we will treasure for decades!*

Celeste Chunky Wool Throw | $499

I adore a throw blanket accent for a couch or the base of the bed. This one adds a gorgeous texture and an immediate feeling of soft coziness to our space. It’s thick, so you might not wrap up in it. Yet, the heavy wool gives our feet a cozy, weighted blanket feel at night. It’s made from Merino wool and handwoven by 10 master artisans in Montevideo, Uruguay. Each artisan grew up in the countryside and has a family tradition of working with wool. Every Celeste wool throw takes a full day to complete.

A neatly made bed with cream-colored pillows, a textured quilt, and a thick, fringed knit throw draped at the foot. — *For added warmth and additional texture, this throw blanket is sheer perfection.*

A close-up of a textured cream-colored woven throw blanket with thick yarn, a fringed edge, and a visible label reading "THE CITIZENRY. — *For added warmth and additional texture, this throw blanket is sheer perfection.*

It’s incredible to imagine the artists creating this blanket. It’s like a work of art, and we now have the honor of displaying it in our room. You can tell how much love and time went into making it. Thanks to its hand-woven design, it will be a cherished family heirloom for years.

La Duna Lumbar Pillow | $229

I’ve been on the lookout for a lumbar accent pillow for our bed. This one caught my eye as a way to bring the texture from the Celeste throw up to the pillows. Crafted from Peruvian highland wool, it’s the perfect blend of sturdy and thick while also being soft.

“It’s the perfect blend of sturdy and thick while also being soft.”

A team of 26 master artisans in Lima, Peru crafts each pillow. The handmade, braided detailing is eye-catching. The pillow comes in two sizes, which is helpful depending on bed size and/or if you have other pillows to go with. We opted for the smaller size, which is perfect for the look we were going for.

A long, ribbed white pillow rests on a bed with three large, white linen pillows and a white duvet. — *Crafted from Peruvian highland wool by 26 master artisans in Lima, this pillow is as high quality as it gets.*

Close-up of a textured, cream-colored woven pillow in front of similarly colored, quilted pillows on a bed. — *Crafted from Peruvian highland wool by 26 master artisans in Lima, this pillow is as high quality as it gets.*

My final thoughts on The Citizenry’s bedding

The Citizenry is for those looking for a long-term investment in their bedding. So, investing in The Citizenry won’t necessarily be a quick choice. Instead, think of it as a meaningful spend on a Fair Trade, exceedingly sustainable company that prioritizes artisans. Alongside that, for those with animals and kids, it may not be a good fit. In our home with both, we must be careful about who gets on the bed. We want to keep our bedding safe so this can feel stressful at times!

“The Citizenry is for those looking for a long-term investment in their bedding.”

The Citizenry offers a free 30-day return on bedding and bath items, but note that the products must be unused and unwashed in their original packaging. For most other orders, there’s a $10 restocking fee. Just something to keep in mind when deciding to keep their products or not!

For us, our bedding now holds a story that you cannot get from other bedding stores online. This story is felt through the incredible heirloom quality of these pieces. The bedding not only enhanced the look of our bedroom but also the quality of our sleep. It feels completely different to sleep in bedding made with deep love and care. Along with the earth-conscious materials it’s made from, it creates a synergy that brings an added sense of peace that, with the quality, will last for years to come.

A neatly made bed with textured cream bedding and a long pillow, positioned near windows and a closed closet in a simply decorated bedroom. — *The Citizenry bedding is heirloom quality, and therefore an investment; each piece is a work of art created by master artisans using traditional techniques and only the best materials.*

A neatly made bed with a beige quilted blanket and a white linen top sheet, positioned in a softly lit bedroom. — *The Citizenry bedding is heirloom quality, and therefore an investment; each piece is a work of art created by master artisans using traditional techniques and only the best materials.*

Courtney Jay Higgins is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She has a BA in Visual Communications from The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and is the founder of Coincide, a subscription-based yoga platform focusing on inclusive, sustainable yoga rooted in ancient Eastern practices and spirituality. Her 10+ years of experience in yoga include a 200-hr YTT certification in a Hatha-based yoga practice and a certification in prenatal yoga. She has been featured in Shoutout Colorado, Voyage Denver, and Cora’s Blood & Milk. Since 2017, she has been reviewing sustainable fashion, natural makeup, organic wellness, and safe pregnancy products for The Good Trade’s readers.

Source link