Everyone dreams of a restful sleep, but not everyone realizes one of the secrets to achieving it lies in the fabric they choose for their bedding.
With its exceptional comfort, French linen bedding has become a game-changer for those seeking a truly rejuvenating slumber. For designers who create these dreamy rooms for homeowners and businesses like luxury hotels, resorts, spas and bed and breakfast getaways, French linen fabric can be a great way to create a stylish and refreshing experience your clients will love.
Some of the extraordinary benefits French linen offers rest-seekers include:
- A cool and dry night’s sleep
- Relief for allergy-sufferers
- Durability for more sleep-filled nights
- Customizable options for creating calm sleep sanctuaries
- Environmentally-friendly for a cleared conscious
A Cool And Dry Night’s Sleep
A quality night’s sleep often relies on regulating your body’s temperature. Natural
Linen can also absorb dampness up to 20% without even feeling wet thanks to the strength of the linen fibers. Hidden dampness in fitted sheets, flat sheets and other bedding can lead to bacterial growth. French linen’s moisture-resistant features not only promote a dry night’s sleep, but help keep you healthier over time.
Even in year-round temperatures, your clients can count on a good night’s sleep. For those who live in hot climates, linen is a great textile choice to keep cool in the summer. In the winter, linen will keep you warm, making French linen the perfect choice for sheets, duvet covers, blankets, comforters and other bedding.
Relief For Allergy-Sufferers
Allergy sufferers can relax knowing the natural hypoallergenic features that linen offers will help ensure a sneeze-free night. French linen is also known for its skin-friendly qualities and is naturally resistant to dust mites, mold and mildew, which are common allergens.
Chemicals can trigger allergies as well, and unlike some synthetic materials, linen usually doesn’t contain any chemicals or irritants that can set off an allergic reaction.
Durability For More Sleep-Filled Nights
Linen is one of the strongest natural fibers available. Linen fibers are derived from
the flax plant, and the inherent strength of these fibers contributes to the fabric’s durability. Linen can withstand regular use and washing without losing its quality or becoming significantly worn out.
Due to its durability, linen has been historically used for a variety of purposes, including clothing, household textiles like bedding and tablecloths, as well as industrial applications. With proper care, linen products can last for many years, making it a popular choice for those seeking long-lasting and reliable textiles.
To ensure long-lasting comfort and use, make sure you consider the weight of the fabric you are considering for your bed linens. Whether you’re designing for residential or commercial areas, the minimum fabric weight that works best with pillows is 5.5 ounces per square yard and the minimum fabric weight that works best for bedding is 4.5 ounces per square yard.
Double rub ratings are additional tools in determining what grade of fabric you likely need for your project. The U.S. government established the Fabric Wearability Code, a universal rating system that sets a standard for fabric strength. You may need to consider the double rub rating of the linen fabric you choose if you’re designing items like decorative pillows or headboards, for example.
Guidelines state that 3,000 double rubs equal one year of typical use. A heavier linen fabric will typically be more appropriate for environments that require heavy duty material for long-lasting use. Below is a scale to follow for residential use when weighing your options.
|
# of Double Rubs |
Uses |
|
|
Heavy duty |
15,000+ |
Busy homes with pets and children |
|
Medium duty |
9,000 to 15,000 |
Use in family rooms, more budget-friendly |
|
Light duty |
3,000 to 9,000 |
Formal living rooms or spaces not used on a daily basis |
|
Delicate duty |
Less than 3,000 |
Decorative details like pillows and curtains |
Customizable Options For Creating Calm Sleep Sanctuaries
French linen can transform a client’s bedroom into a tranquil sleep sanctuary. Yet choosing this fabric is only the first step. Calming colors and custom prints can make a difference in establishing a serene space.
Aquas, deep browns like espresso, ocean and navy blues, pastel pinks and even earthy tones like cactus greens can create a calming presence. Custom fabric dyeing offers designers the opportunity to create sleep spaces using cool and earthy hues that promote relaxation.
When choosing color for your French linen, it’s important to NOT rely on the manufacturer’s website for color. It is always better to request color linen swatches so that you are more likely to receive the exact color you desire. That’s because dye lot variations are common in the textile industry, and color shifts can happen with “stock” colors.
When you create your own custom dye lot, you can help to ensure your bedding fabric showcases the color you want since much more stringent controls are added so that the mill can meet the specifications. The result is repeatable and reliable with a maximum variation of 3% to 5%.
Special prints can also create unique bedroom spaces. In fact, studies have found that patterns, or fractals, can have a calming effect on the parasympathetic system that helps regulate emotions. Examples of fractals found in nature include snail shells, ferns, leaves and cacti.
If you’re designing for a commercial space, such as a hotel, you may be required to ensure that the bed linens have protective coatings or fire coatings as well.
Nano coating is a very thin transparent plastic polymer film coating that helps to repel dry particles, water, oil and dirt. Other options include Scotchgard and Alta treatments, which protect the fabric against dirt and spills.
Fire retardant applications can be sprayed on or brushed on and help limit the spread of a fire. Rather than igniting, the linen fabric is protected under intense heat. Before you place any orders, check with your supplier for information on whether a fabric you are considering has a protective coating or finish.
Environmentally-friendly For A Cleared Conscious
French linen is one of the most sustainable fabrics available due to how flax plants are grown and the sustainability of the fabric itself. Very little water is required to grow flax, and farmers do not need to irrigate or fertilize during this process. Flax also typically requires little to no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides.
Every part of the plant is used as well, even the seeds that can be used to produce oil or flax seeds for consumption. Because French linen is extremely durable, it enjoys a longer lifespan. When no longer needed and discarded, linen is biodegradable, ensuring its impact on the environment is minimal.
Is French Linen Bedding Right For Your Project?
For anyone embarking on a bedroom design project, French linen offers an alluring option, infusing the space with its timeless charm, enhanced style and unmatched comfort.
Yet as you search for the right French linen for your project, you may also come across various types of linen fabric, including European linen. Is there a difference? Yes and no.
Both types of linen are constructed by weaving flax fibers into a textile. The flax used to make French linen is grown in France. While designers and consumers often tie French linen to elegance, the truth is, European linen sources the same flax fibers that are sourced for French linen.
European linen is constructed using the flax grown along the English Channel in Belgium, France and the Netherlands where cool climates are ideal. This optimal environment allows for the sustainable growth of flax, and when coupled with local knowledge that is unmatched, you end up with a very strong regional foundation to produce the finest quality raw materials.
However, to ensure you are getting the highest quality of material for your project and that the flax fibers are in fact sourced from France, Belgium and the Netherlands, it’s important to look for certain certifications.
European FlaxⓇ is the qualitative standard of European Flax fiber for all uses (fashion, lifestyle, home and composites). This standard promotes origin, know-how and innovation.
The European FlaxⓇ Charter, signed by each of the flax producers, guarantees that local farming respects the environment through zero irrigation, GMO-free and zero waste. This label, audited by Bureau Veritas Certification, certifies traceability at each step of the processing, from growth through the finished product. This certification provides reassurance to a demanding consumer.
The Masters of LinenⓇ certification guarantees linen traceability and 100% made in Europe. It also guarantees excellence in cultivation and manufacturer, from the field to the spinning, weaving and knitting process. This certification is awarded to European spinners, weavers and circular knitters mills under strict criteria and is a reliable guarantee through a certified traceability chain, ensuring the quality of the linen you are investing in for your project.
