Bonjour of Switzerland 2006 collection of European linens is available at Aiko Luxury Linens and www.italianfinelinens.com.

In India painted cottons (colored by hand or stenciled) were developed in the 14th century. Subsequently, block printed fabrics were introduced and enjoyed enormous popularity both in the near East and in Europe. By the 18th century, Europeans had perfected the art of block and copperplate printing on fabrics, and although most of the fabrics were still imported from India, textile mills in England, France and Switzerland began to produce their own versions of these colorful, printed designs.

Fast forward to the 21st century and witness an explosion of color and contemporary bedding designs by Bonjour of Switzerland (Schlossberg).

If silk, wool, and linen were the most popular textiles in the 18th century, pure cotton is king today. Only 10% of the world’s cotton harvest meets the high quality requirements of Schlossberg. Their luxury bedding is printed on long-staple cotton which remains silky smooth to the touch and colorfast despite repeated washings.

Bonjour of Switzerland has introduced over a dozen new luxury bedding designs, but here are some of our favorites (brush up on your high school French to decipher Bonjour's color names):

PEONIE: An oversized floral that is available in strawberry pink (fraise) or sky blue (ciel) and printed on white. The duvet cover and shams provide instant drama in the bedroom.

JIL: Elegant, long-stemmed lilacs are printed on a soft blue background. We can see this design in combination with chocolate or nutmeg (muscade) color solid sheeting.

MARVIN: For something more contemporary, Marvin features elongated ellipses that are reminiscent of the 60’s lava lamps that were so popular in mid century – available in warm tones of red, pink and burgundy (feu) or cool tones of blue, aqua, and sage (riviera).

LOOM: Abstract flower blossoms and pomegranates are printed in classic silhouette style on white cotton for a crisp, contemporary look. LOOM is available in black (noir), red (feu) or nutmeg (muscade).

In addition to luxury bedding, Bonjour has also introduced a new color palette for their ROYAL collection of highly absorbent, cotton terry towels and robes. These are available in 40 vibrant hues and suitable for home, poolside or yacht.

Bonjour of Switzerland bed linens are all custom made to customers’ specifications with a delivery date of approximately 4 weeks. The entire 2006 collection of bedding and bath may be viewed at Aiko Luxury Linens in Miami, Florida with selected patterns featured online at www.italianfinelinens.com.