As the evenings start to draw in and the lure of hibernation begins to beckon, all thoughts turn to the bedroom and creating a nice, cosy cocoon in which to retreat during the long, dark winter months.
Choosing the right bedlinen for your winter lair is essential, and in recent years I’ve become a total convert to the relaxed, seductive charm of 100% linen bedding – all crumpled and carefree and oh so comfy! Since purchasing my first linen bedding set from The Linen Works four or five years ago, I’ve come to regard linen as the most comfortable and luxurious fabrics to sleep under and can certainly attest to the fact that this fabric only becomes more sensuous with age – gentle laundering softens it to a gorgeous, light-as-feather caress…
The relaxed styling of linen resonates with a generation who has grown tired of being told that beauty needs to be polished and perfect. We want our homes to fit around our real lives, which means bedding that feels super soft when we are watching Netflix in the evening, but still looks fantastic when we rush off to work in the morning.
I think Jessica Nason, founder of natural linen bedding brand Piglet*, absolutely nails it when she says that the casual luxury appeal of linen resonates in this day and age. We spend so much of our time on the go, that coming home to a perfectly starched, neatly aligned bed feels at odds with the chaos of the world in which we live – and of course, none of us has the time (or inclination!) to make perfect hospital corners every morning or —god forbid— waste time ironing bedsheets when they’re pulled warm and clean from the machine!
That’s the beauty of linen; it actually looks better crumpled and creased, with your pillows gently crushed and your duvet casually thrown across the bed. it’s the equivalent of a much-sought-after bedhead hairstyle, an effortless ‘I just woke up like this’, that is both nonchalant and endearing.
Linen bedding is having a real moment right now due to its versatility and its ability to take on colour in a unique, distressed way. Relaxed bedrooms are here to stay, and linen with its tumbling drape is the perfect ingredient for this kind of look.
As Molly Freshwater, co-founder of Secret Linen Store says, the versatility of linen bedding is also key to its current popularity. It’s easy to create a relaxed yet stylish aesthetic by layering tactile linens in a range of comforting hues, and mixing everyday pure whites, dove greys and deep charcoals with more evocative shades of sage green, french blue and blush pink to create your own unique take on the trend.
And it’s not just online boutiques offering this laid-back, informal style of bed dressing, high street faves Marks & Spencer and British heritage brand Christy have also launched 100% linen bedding ranges recently, tapping in to the desire for a look that’s as much about living life as pleasurably as possible, as it is about having a stylish bedroom to retreat to at the end of the day.
Our natural fibre linen bedding has been inspired by the design and quality of luxury hotels. We are currently offering four colours of linen but are developing the range to include four new colours for Spring 2018.
This natural eco-friendly fibre is 2-3 times stronger than cotton and highly absorbent, wicking away and evaporating moisture with ease. This makes linen a great choice all year round, and you can sleep safe knowing that your bedding will only get better with age.
With the allure of Scandinavian buzzwords such as ‘hygge’ and ‘lagom’ continuing to capture the imagination, Sarah Smith, Head of Buying and Merchandising at Soak & Sleep, believes linen bedding is here to stay.
So, just what is it that makes linen such a luxurious fabric in the first place? Dating back over 8,000 years, linen was actually the first fibre used to weave fabric, utilising the stalk of a flax plant. It has long been favoured for its durability, comfort and hardiness, and unlike the cotton bed sheets of my youth —which wore bare after just a few years— launders exceptionally well and can, when cared for properly, last a lifetime.
While cotton bed sheets usually feel soft and silky taken straight from its packaging, linen tends to be little stiffer to begin with, and that’s why so many of the ‘new breed’ of linens are now sold ‘pre-washed’ —or sometimes stonewashed— to provide a softer initial touch. Unlike cotton, linen bedding doesn’t break down anywhere near as quickly due to the higher moisture absorbency rate of it’s fibres, which also gives the fabric unique, thermo-insulation properties to keep you cool in summer, whilst trapping your body heat to keep you cosy in winter too.
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So, how about you – are you a convert to 100% linen bedding yet?
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16 Responses
Not a convert …. yet! I’d love to try it although I’d be concerned it might be itchy?!
Not itchy at all! Even fresh out the package and slightly stiff, I would never say that linen was ‘itchy’.. xx
You know, I’ve never tried linen bedding but looking at those colours im very tempted. I love natural fibres and would never use man made so might give it a try x
There are so many gorgeous hues out there these days – you’ll definitely find something you love Lucy x
I’m afraid to say I’ve not yet tried linen bedding yet…but you make a good argument for why I should!
Do it! Then be sure to let me know how you get on x
Great post hun! So much i didn’t know about linen! I think my favourite bit about it though is that it looks creased and it’s totally okay. Can you tell I don’t iron? haha
Oh my gosh – me too! Who has time to waste faffing about ironing bedding?? x
I’ve not tried linen bedding yet but it really does look so incredibly inviting! So many gorgeous colours available now too xx
Oh you must! I promise once you do you won’t ever want to go back.. x
A really beautifully put together post, I love how you got lots of points of views from people from different brands. I’m a linen convert, I love it! It also inspires me to be a bit more colourful, a rich coloured cotton duvet could look cheap, but a linen one looks rich and luxurious xxx
Yes, I totally agree – the fabric holds colour really well and can give deep vibrant hues a real jewel-like quality x
I love linen bedding. I only started using it a couple of years ago. Bizarrely, due to it being the only fabric my four year old will sleep on. He falls asleep touching it. And I like the fact that it looks lovely without being ironed.
What a fantastic round up. I’ve been dying to get some linen bedding for ages now. Blush pink would look awesome in my dark blue bedroom. Plus I love that it looks so fantastically casual when it’s all creased. I don’t iron bedding either so this is right up my street.
I want them all. Love the colours you have shown too.
Thanks for this lovely look around! I’m linen addicted for a long time now and totally agree with your thougts about feeling so comfy, when you fall into your bed.