Creating a luxurious sanctuary seems only natural, considering experts say we spend a third of our lives in bed.

"We hunger for comfort and beauty," says Deborah Gottlieb, manager of Yves Delorme in Woodburn, Oregon. The French company has been manufacturing fine textiles since 1845. "We need a place of peace and harmony. The bedroom is that place."

Shopping for exquisite bedroom linens is like embarking on a grand tour of Europe or a world cruise with layovers in ports of call in France, Italy, Switzerland, Egypt, or the Far East.

Anichini, Peacock Alley and Yves Delorme are a few fine linen manufacturers whose sheets, pillows, throws and duvet covers are first rate. Using Egyptian cotton, Italian yarns, Nepalese cashmere, Indian silk, French jacquards and embroidery, Lithuanian macramé and Portuguese matelassés, these are truly over-the-top linens for people who take their bedtime very seriously.