Dreamland Hygge Days Faux Fur Luxury Heated Throw review: Will warm even the chilliest of reptiles

Stylish and toasty, the Dreamland Hygge Days heated throw could be the winter warmer you’re looking for. If you live in a house that never seems to get warm, or you’re just a natural reptilian like I am, then you’ve probably already invested in one of the best electric blankets to keep your bed warm overnight. But what’s the easiest way to keep warm when you’re sitting on the sofa or working from home?

One solution is heated throws: large blankets that you can drape over your lap or round your shoulders to keep you warm when the heating simply isn’t enough. In fact, some heated throws are so cosy that you might be able to save money by turning off the heating entirely. The Dreamland Hygge Days Faux Fur luxury heated throw is a case in point: I found it incredibly warm and snug, even before I’d switched on the heating element. But is it worth the outlay and did it keep even this chilly reptile warm all day?

Dreamland Hygge Days Faux Fur Luxury Heated Throw review: What do you get for the money?

At 120 x 160cm, the Dreamland throw is large enough to easily cover you from head to toe. You could even fit two people under it, providing you’re happy to cuddle up together. The brand makes a range of heated throws, some in faux fur and others in a velvety material. Prices range from around £75-130, and the Faux Fur Alaskan Husky throw that I tested falls somewhere in the middle of this range at £90. The back of the throw has a velvety feel, yet the whole thing is 100% polyester.

The throw comes with a single digital detachable control, which can be removed for washing. There are six heat settings – 6 is fast preheat, 4-5 are medium pre-heat and 1-3 are designed for all day or night use (the throw can be used overnight safely). The preheat settings allow the blanket to warm up quickly – with 6 being the highest temperature. You’ll also find three timers, where you can set the throw to stay on for one, three or nine hours.

Helpfully, the throw is also washable, meaning you don’t need to worry if you’re a clumsy clot like me and prone to throwing coffee and tea all over the place. Once the control has been detached, you can machine wash the throw at 30°C, and it can also be tumble dried on a low heat. You can’t iron it though, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering its faux fur construction. I am always a little worried about washing heated throws, but the Dreamland bounced straight back to its original fluffiness and still worked perfectly.

At £90 it’s not cheap, but it’s not the most expensive heated throw on the market either. The quality is excellent too, so if you have the budget, I’d say it’s worth the investment.

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Dreamland Hygge Days Faux Fur Luxury Heated Throw review: Comfort, performance and test results

I really liked the design of the Dreamland throw. The faux fur continues over the edges of the throw, meaning there are no “jagged edges” where the velvety backing starts. It feels lovely and soft to the touch and the velvet is a great fabric choice. I immediately felt how warm the throw was before even turning it on and, as such, it could be enough to keep you warm on its own on slightly warmer winter evenings. Performance wise, the throw heated up incredibly quickly. Dreamland claims that it reaches its full temperature within five minutes, but my testing suggested it took 10-15 minutes to reach full capacity.

I tested the throw with a temperature probe: first placed underneath the throw near the heating elements, then on top. On its maximum setting, the underside of the blanket reached 41.7°C after ten minutes (from a starting temperature of 22°C). Testing on the top of the throw gave lower temperatures: it was warmest towards the centre, reaching averages of 28°C, whereas the corners reached an average of 22.5°C. This is perhaps to be expected, as the heating elements are concentrated towards the middle of the throw, where it will be draped over your body.

I also ran power consumption tests using a power meter plug, to see how energy efficient the throw is. The Dreamland used 48W while heating up, and accumulated 0.045kWh after 30 minutes of use on its highest setting (6). I should mention that the higher temperature settings are designed for pre-heating the throw, so you probably won’t be keeping it running at max regularly: even I found that it got too warm at these settings. I kept the throw on level 3 and found this was more than warm enough, even when our heating went off in the late evening. The combination of faux fur and velvety backing does an excellent job of retaining heat, and helpfully the throw is big enough to cover the body from the shoulders down to the floor. At level 3 the throw isn’t as hot but it’s important to take body heat into consideration here, as this will make things warmer. Tests showed that the throw still reaches an average of 24°C in the centre, dropping to 20°C at the edges. The underside of the blanket reached 32°C and I think these temperatures will still be high enough to keep you comfortable throughout the day. Power consumption wise, the throw used 0.021kWh after half an hour on this lower setting.

I also liked the throw’s incredibly long cable: at 3.5m you’ll have plenty of options when it comes to plugging it in. A long cable is always useful if you live in a house like mine, where there’s never enough plug sockets where you want them. There’s a two-year guarantee if anything goes wrong and, as I mentioned above, it’s a godsend that you can just bung the throw in the washing machine if anything gets spilled on it.

Dreamland Hygge Days Faux Fur Luxury Heated Throw review: What could be improved?

I didn’t have many complaints about the Dreamland throw but I did feel that it was pretty heavy. You do need a bit of heft to throw it over your lap and some people might just find the fabric too weighty. Fortunately, Dreamland also makes this heated throw in a velvet fabric (which I already own). This is a much lighter alternative but it still boosts the same features and heat output.

The other slight issue is shedding. I haven’t noticed any issues with my own throw, but reading customer reviews does suggest that, over time, the throw is prone to shedding some faux fur. This could possibly be an issue if you’re prone to allergies or are very sensitive to hair in the atmosphere, so do consider this when choosing a fabric for your throw.

Dreamland Hygge Days Faux Fur Luxury Heated Throw review: Should you buy it?

If you run cold, the Dreamland heated throw could be the answer to your prayers. It did a fantastic job of keeping me warm and it’s of a high quality that suggests durability over the years. It survives spillages and washing machines without the faux fur being ruined and fluffs up again nicely when dry.

The weight of the throw could be a slight issue for some people but, on the flip side, this factor means that it will deliver warmth even before you turn on the heated elements. At £90 it’s not a cheap investment, but this is around the average price for heated throws. If you want to save a little money, Dreamland’s velvet versions are sometimes a little cheaper – the large one is £95 (a fiver dearer) – or you can opt for a traditional electric blanket that is fitted underneath your bed sheet, such as the Silentnight Comfort Control. However, for sheer comfort and indulgence, plus the ability to save money by turning the heating down, the Dreamland is a worthy addition to your arsenal of blankets.