We absolutely love linen here at Linen & Stripes especially when it comes to decorating our home. That is why, in this blog post, we would like share with you 10 + 1 reasons why You should brighten up your home with accessories made out of linen.
Did you know that linen was even used in ancient Egypt for various ceremonies / burials because it symbolised light, purity and wealth? Therefore, it is safe to say, it is one of the oldest textiles in the world as well as a very high-quality and luxurious one given its rich texture.
Okay, but we are not in Egypt (I mean we could use the holiday) so why should you choose linen in the 21st century? Hopefully, by the time you finish reading, you will have a greater knowledge in order to understand our fascination and all the great qualities of linen.
Let’s start…
1. Natural
Linen is a type of textile / fabric made from the fibres of the flax plant which you might heard of before because of its quite-popular nutritious seed called flaxseed or linseed (which you can make brilliant vegan egg substitutes from, just saying…). It is important to mention that linen is not only natural but one of the most sustainable & eco-friendly fibres / fabrics. One of the reasons for this is because the actual flax plant which linen made out of doesn’t require any irrigation, fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, and therefore does not pollute our waters. Moreover, when flax is grown ideally, the cultivation of the plant produces no waste because all parts of the plant can be used to produce textiles, paper, varnish, oil, animal fodder and bio-materials.
If you would like to see how linen is made, there is a brilliant video on the V&A Youtube channel you can watch:
2. Fully Biodegradable
Linen is fully biodegradable because it is 100% natural – straightforward, right? So basically, when we say linen is biodegradable, we mean that if we would place one of our 100% linen cushion covers in the right biological conditions, nature would break down the material into their component parts and eventually “disappear” and become part of our Earth again. It is the ultimate circular economy, which we are thriving towards.
*Side note: please, do not try to bury one of our cushions in your back garden. It needs previous research and knowledge to determine the right conditions when a fabric can biodegrade in. Also, all threads and labels should be removed beforehand as these are unfortunately not made from linen.
3. Durable & Strong
Linen is also known to be the strongest natural fiber in the world; it is 30% thicker and stronger than cotton, which makes it super durable and contributes the linen items’ longevity. This ultimately means they can be the perfect long-term decoration in your home which is more sustainable and overall would save you a lot of money. Durability also ensures a high-quality especially when it comes to homeware products which are part of our everyday lives.
4. Hypoallergenic / Antibacterial
These are one of the most important properties of linen as they make this fabric suitable for babies, people with allergies or sensitive skin. Linen is also anti-static which means there’s no need for fabric softener or dryer sheets — which are common bearer of allergens. Hypoallergenic fabrics such as linen are tighter woven, so they don’t trap as many allergens as other fabrics. But why is it important? Tightly woven linen fabric repels dust mites, or rather, dust mite poo, dried out and floating on the air that you breathe in…and what is even more shocking is that dust mites are one of the most common allergy triggers in homes, as well as a common trigger for asthma.
5. Moth Resistant
As moths are looking for animal-based fibres such as wool, silk, cashmere etc., your linen would be forever safe from these little fabric-eating monsters. This is definitely not the most intriguing property of linen but overall, very handy because you won’t have to find your favourite cushion or bedding with small or big holes one day. You can cross one thing off your list about stuff you have to worry about.
6. Absorbent / Breathable & Heat -conductive
Linen being absorbent simply means that it absorbs moisture quite well, but it also means that it dries more quickly which is a great advantage. The fabric’s breathability ensures a good air-flow through the fabric which keeps it quite fresh and cool. The heat-conductivity property might seem more relevant if we would talk about clothing but actually, this means that our homeware items would be a lot less affected by exposure to sunlight which makes it perfect to decorate places in your home which has a lot of direct sunlight – which damages other types of fabrics most of the time. All of these properties make linen perfect to sleep on even if it’s just an “accidental” afternoon nap on the couch.
7. Less Bobbling & Pilling
Great news. Linen is more resistant to bobbling and pilling, which I believe we all absolutely hate. This is due to the tightly woven structure of the linen fabric (we mentioned before) which leads to less pilling. I mean, I don’t want to give you a false hope… linen would also pill at some point but it is pilling significantly less than other fabrics. If you choose high quality linen (like our products), the chance of early bobbling and pilling would definitely be reduced.
8. Gets better with time & Softer with each wash
One of the best qualities of linen is definitely its property to become softer and better with time and wash. It is simply a fact that newer linen may feel stiffer and harsher than gently used ones. This is important because it means that your homeware item would age brilliantly, insuring long-term use and longevity. This also makes the fabric gets more and more comfortable which we all prefer.
9. Easy to Care For
Although, there are some misconceptions that linen is a difficult fabric to take care of, this is absolutely not true. It is quite easy to care for linen because it can be machine-washed (on a gentle cycle / 30-40 degrees ) and it won’t stretch which means it won’t lose its shapes so easily. It doesn’t require ironing either if you are ready to embrace the natural creased look of linen which definitely adds to its charm and uniqueness.
10. No effort / Stylish look / Rich texture
Linen is a simple but yet high-quality, luxurious and rich-textured fabric which instantly makes every home stylish, modern with a natural twist. Have a look at our interior design & decor inspirations using our eco-friendly linen products and you will see how it instantly elevates any space.
+1. Eco-conscious Consumer / Sustainability
As a plus 1, filling your home with linen gives you all the great advantages I have mentioned above but we are in 2021, which means sustainability is an important aspect to mention. As I have described before, linen is such a high-quality, durable fabric that requires less water and no pesticides to grow (flax plant) which makes it one of the most sustainable fabrics you can choose. It is also vegan as it 100% comes from a plant. Thriving towards being a more eco-conscious consumer is very important today in order to make our planet sustainable and healthy again. By choosing linen to decorate your home and use in your everyday life means YOU made the conscious choice to be kinder and care about our planet – and we are thanking you for that. I hope as you finish reading this, you now understand our fascination with this amazing material and you can join our little community of linen lovers because we are all thriving to make more sustainable and ethical choices every day.
Author: Virág
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