Linen Bedding: Soft, Breathable, and Timeless for Any Bedroom

Wrap yourself in the natural softness of linen, a fabric that adds warmth, texture, and classic charm to any bedroom.

Linen: Natural, Airy, and Incredibly Soft

European linen is a natural material, made from the bast (inner core) of the flax plant. This puts linen in the same family of bast fibers as jute, hemp, and ramie. These fibers, as you’ll likely have experienced, are very strong. The bast is made from thousands of cells packed together, unlike cotton fibers which are just one cell thick. This can also make bast fabrics stiff and coarse, like jute sacking.

For this reason, linen has acquired an unfair reputation for being coarse and scratchy—but this couldn’t be further from the truth. After linen is harvested, the fibers are sorted by fineness and length. Short, coarse fibers go into upholstery materials, like curtains and sacking, whereas long, fine fibers are used to make bedding. When linen is harvested also determines how soft it will be—farmers are looking for the perfect balance between softness and strength, and may bring forward or delay the harvest to get this just right.

The post-production treatment of linen also affects how soft it is. When linen is washed, the water breaks down pectin, a naturally-occurring compound that strengthens the stem (but can also make linen feel stiff). This means that linen gets softer with each wash. Some companies try to speed up this process by washing with harsh chemicals or fabric softeners, but this can damage both linen and the environment.

At The Modern Dane, we garment-wash our soft linen bedding with enzymes to kickstart the softening process, but without causing any damage to the fabric. That way, your sustainable linen sheets will be soft right out of the box.

Warm Linen for Winter

Bast fibers are known for their breathability. This is due to the many thousands of pores along the length of the bast, which transport nutrients up the stem. When flax is made into linen, these pores remain, allowing air and moisture to pass through, keeping you cool and dry at night. Linen also has a looser weave than many other textiles such as cotton; this loose weave also helps air to pass through (check out this interview with our founder for more on why you shouldn’t trust thread count).

But did you know that long-lasting linen bedding is also ideal for winter? When the ambient temperature is cool, those same pores trap warm air next to the body to form an insulating layer. If it gets too warm, the heat is released into the air.

This property—of keeping you cool when it’s warm and warm when it’s cool—is known as thermoregulation. It’s one of the defining properties of our European duvet covers, and one reason why you don’t need separate summer and winter bedding. Linen truly has it all.

Touchable Texture for Ultimate Hygge

For understated luxury, the texture of chemical-free linen bedding is truly unmatched. Unlike the bland, businesslike uniformity of cotton, sustainable linen bedding has character. The loose weave means that you can see the love and craftsmanship that went into its creation.

The properties of bast fibers also contribute to linen’s texture and character. Each strand is thick and strong, and tends to retain its shape, creating the classic creases that are so loved by linen enthusiasts. Every fold is a mark of linen’s natural, sustainable origins.

The combination of these features mean that linen exemplifies the Danish concept of hygge: a feeling of warmth and coziness. On winter mornings, you can savor a coffee and pastry while snuggled up in your textured, yet soft linen sheets. Is there anything better? We think not.

Should you prefer a neater look, however, it’s easy to iron your soft linen sheets. For maximum ease of ironing, we suggest removing them from the dryer and ironing them while they’re still slightly damp, otherwise the creases may be “baked in” to the duvet covers.

The Timelessness of Linen

Linen’s plant-based origins mean that it is—if you’ll excuse the pun—timeless by nature. Natural materials never go out of style, as they’ve been around since the beginning of time. No one ever walks into a forest and thinks it looks dated.

In fact, no fabric has quite the same staying power as linen. It’s the world’s oldest textile—scraps have been found in a cave in the Caucasus that are believed to be 38,000 years old! It has clothed so many significant figures in history, from the Ancient Egyptians to Alexander the Great. In the New Testament, the Book of Revelation declares that angels were clothed in “pure and white linen.” The Greek philosopher Plutarch wrote that “flax springs from the earth, which is immortal.”

Back in ancient times, flax linen would have been produced in its natural off-white color or bleached white. Today, of course, it’s possible to make linen bedding in any color imaginable. At The Modern Dane, however, we believe that timeless design is the best kind of design—your linen sheets should be used until they wear out, rather than being swapped out for the latest trendy color.

In our Scandinavian-design bedding collection, therefore, we’ve opted for timeless neutrals like white, ecru, and gray, as well as nature-inspired colors like deep ocean blue and moss green. Our printed designs, meanwhile, are inspired by the flora and fauna of Denmark. You’ll find Myrica gale, ancient oak, and a variety of birds among our most loved patterns.

At The Modern Dane, we’re proud to take our place in the long history of timeless Scandinavian design. With its focus on sustainability, functionality, and natural materials, Scandinavian design has truly stood the test of time. From its mid-century origins to modern day innovations, its essence remains unchanged.

What do you most love about European linen? Would you consider making the switch? Let us know on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter!