Splashes of Spring: Sustainable Living
As nature bursts back to life, we’re taking stock of how we can better nurture our environment. We always want to ensure that we’re approaching the materials we use with care and consideration, making good choices for a brighter future. As part of our commitment to sustainability, we recently delved deeper into our suppliers’ practices. We connected with British fabric purveyors, Kostomar to get a closer sense of how our Scandi Linen comes into being. Join us for a look at this sustainable material, done right from seed to sofa.
The process begins about now, as flax seeds are sown across Northern France, Belgium, and Eastern Europe. We always aim to source materials close to home, and we’re proud to say that in this case, the goods haven’t got far to travel once ready to roll. The crops are given ample time to grow, with nothing more than sunlight and rain water fuelling them. While many materials call for unsustainable rashings of irrigated water alongside chemicals and pesticides, linen flourishes under natural conditions, making it a real winner in our eyes. As the flax grows, it actually pulls CO2 from the atmosphere, affecting a positive shift in the environment. In fact, just one hectare of flax absorbs 3.7 tonnes of CO2 each year! Now, that’s something we feel pretty great about.
As the height of summer rolls around, these miracle plants will be good and tall, leaving them ready for harvest. As opposed to cutting the stalks, our producers ‘pull’ them, gently wresting the entire plant from the earth so as to preserve the entire length of each fibre. They’re then laid out on the land for ‘retting’, which is an all-natural process of separating the interior linen fibres from the exterior shell. Rain, dew, and sunshine team up with naturally occurring bacteria and fungi to break down the plant, leaving the usable fibres exposed and ready to cart off to the mill. The nutrients that the plants pulled from the field are then returned to the land, replenishing it with all the good stuff it will need come next spring.
At this point, the flax fibres are ready to start a new chapter as lovely reams of linen. The fibres are first spun into yarn before being woven into soft, luxurious swathes of fabric. The result is a natural material that carries with it an organic feel, perfectly encapsulating its slow and steady, conscientious origins.
Linen itself has got a beautifully laid-back look with an air of freshness that works wonderfully in the spring. To explore the full spectrum of colourways, be sure to check out our Scandi Linen and order a few free swatches to experiment with at home. It’s long been one of our most popular fabric options and is a truly timeless material that shines across just about any of our designs. Plus, it’s a choice you can feel good about, as you take a step toward supporting a more environmentally friendly future.