Perhaps like many adherents of the finer life, you’ve decided to “hotelify” your bedroom with a full set of down bedding. Now, your bed looks worthy of five stars, and you’re ready for the best sleep of your life. But something’s off.  Maybe it’s a spiky quill that can’t be fluffed away, oddly lumpy pillows, or worse, an unexplained odour.

Recreating that perfect sleep from a paradisiacal Balinese resort or stylish city hotel has its share of pitfalls. But it doesn’t have to, say luxury bedding specialists Ploh.

Founded in 2002 by the affable duo Richard and Charlotte Loh (the name blends their surname and “pillow”), Ploh is the “if you know, you know” brand revered by well-rested connoisseurs worldwide. Based in Singapore, the brand began with luxurious goose-down pillows and has since expanded to include equally exquisite duvets, mattress-toppers (or featherbeds), bedlinens, robes and towels, each using the finest fabrics, fillings and finishings.

Where to experience Ploh

Ploh is found in over 250 luxury hotels globally, including Aman, Mandarin Oriental and Raffles and boutique stays in Cambodia and England. Remarkably, it’s built its presence mainly through word-of-mouth, with no advertising or social media. The Lohs have been discerning in partnerships, starting with the equally selective Aman Group.

“We ask ourselves if they’re serious about their intentions, and willing to do things like they mean it,” says Richard, of the many requests they receive weekly. Ploh’s latest coup is its collaboration with Marina Bay Sands. Its fluffy duvets and pillows now take centre stage in the integrated resort’s spectacular new Paiza Collection, part of its far-reaching US$1.75 billion transformation.

Duck, duck, goose

The Lohs focus on what they identify as the five high-touch elements of the luxury guest experience: bedding (like pillows and duvets), bedlinens, robes, towels and even bedroom slippers. “We only do a few things, but we aim to do them really well,” says Richard. Take down pillows, most of which are made with duck, not goose, as duck feathers comprise approximately 80% of the market. While duck down is less expensive, it’s also smaller, oilier and can smell “foul”, quips Richard. (The exception is eiderdown, a rare, exceptionally fluffy and prized down that’s carefully picked by hand from eider duck nests. Ploh sheathes these in fine German silk and retails eiderdown pillows and duvets at S$5,500 and S$18,000 respectively.)

Fill power, the amount of down required to fill a pillow, also matters. “Down is like a dandelion with many legs,” explains Charlotte. “The longer the ‘legs’, the higher the fill power and the fluffier the pillow.” Ploh sources the best goose down the way top chefs vie for the season’s finest tuna: from Hungary, the Czech Republic or Poland, depending on where conditions have yielded the best quality.

Taking the guest’s perspective

Ploh’s approach contrasts with hotels that once viewed pillows as mere “inserts”, says Charlotte. “Some had budgets of $15 a pillow.” But Ploh is about elan, not just economics.

“We asked hotels about their guest psychographics, which focuses on values and motivations,” says Richard. “We asked them what kind of experience they hoped to deliver, taking a guest-centric approach that started with the end in mind.” This means the Lohs shy away from logomania and are judicious when it comes to decorative details like embroidery.

“A good bedscape is like a Savile Row suit,” says Richard. “You can see and feel the difference with the very best ones.”

“We’re not about sleep, we’re about living.”

— Richard Loh, Ploh

A custom creation fit for royalty

“When we visited the new Paiza suites at Marina Bay Sands, we immediately loved how they felt very welcoming and residential,” says Charlotte of the ultra-luxurious accommodations that have received royalty and celebrities. Working with the hotel, they crafted an ideal combination of two soft and two firm pillows, along with a custom-made duvet.

The firm pillow, featuring down-filled panels for softness, strikes a balance between firmness and comfort. Double-stitched seams keep the down in place, while Ploh’s signature khaki piping adds reinforcement and a crisp finish. The soft pillow, predominantly filled with white goose down, offers extra resilience. “When you hug it, it hugs you right back,” adds Richard.

Ploh’s custom-made duvet for the Paiza suites is tailored for all-season comfort. It blends white goose down and feathers and drapes luxuriously, like a plush waterfall, off the bed. “We wanted it to look generous, inviting and overflowing,” notes Richard.

The team also ensured it was as quiet as it was plush. “Turning over in bed shouldn’t sound like you’re reading the newspaper,” says Richard. The solution was a superlight, custom-made duvet with 530 thread-count cotton-sateen ticking. Weighing just 2.7kg for a super king, compared to the typical 3.8kg, it’s exceptionally light and almost weightless. Wrapped in one, you feel utterly cosseted, asleep or awake.

“This is what a duvet should feel like,” says Richard. “We’re not about sleep, we’re about living.”