‘A noble fabric with many possibilities’ is how one legendary designer described linen. Here’s why it remains one of the most enduring and versatile materials in lighting…
At Pooky, we’re a little obsessed with materials. We spend an inordinate amount of time seeking out the very best of them. Feeling, testing and experimenting, and asking: what can this material do that others can’t?
In this series, The Language of Materials, we take a closer look at the substances that shape the things we make – exploring their origins, their qualities and the long traditions of craft behind them.
This time we’re turning that most noble fabric, linen.
What is it about linen that has made it one of the world’s most popular fabrics, not just for decades or centuries but for many thousands of years? The late Giorgio Armani summed it up perfectly. Linen, the celebrated designer remarked, is ‘…a noble fabric with many possibilities.’
Linen has always been a favourite lampshade fabric here at Pooky, where we love exploring those possibilities. Renowned for its strength and breathability, linen has been a fabric for the ages but its eco-friendliness means that it is as much in demand than ever. As we have discovered, linen’s history is as rich as its potential…
What is linen?
Linen is made from the fibres of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum), a hardy crop that thrives in cooler climates, particularly in parts of Northern Europe such as Belgium, France and Ireland. Unlike cotton, which grows as a soft boll, flax is a tall, slender plant, and it is the long fibres within its stem that are used to produce linen.
The process of turning flax into fabric is a slow and rather beautiful one. After harvesting, the plants are left to rett – a controlled exposure to moisture that helps separate the fibres from the woody stem. They are then dried, combed and spun into yarn before being woven into cloth. Each stage requires care, and this relative resistance to full industrialisation is part of what gives linen its distinctive character.
The result is a fabric that is naturally strong, breathable and slightly irregular, with a subtle texture that reflects its origins. It is also notably sustainable: flax requires relatively little water or chemical input to grow, and almost every part of the plant can be used.
From mummification to minimalism: the history of linen
Although there is plenty of archaeological evidence in Europe to indicate that flax fibres, from which linen is made, were in use as early as 30,000 years ago, it was not until 8,000-6,000 BCE that the first woven linen textiles appeared. Its use in clothing and household items spread throughout many ancient civilisations but in Ancient Egypt it became associated with purity and wealth. It was worn by priests, used for mummification wrappings, and in its finest form as currency.
The citizens of Ancient Greece and Rome wore linen clothing, but the fabric’s strength was also put to good use in sail-making and armour padding, and linen rapidly became as staple a textile as wool. Roman improvements in flax processing led to the expansion of linen production across Europe.
By the Middle Ages, linen had become an essential element of everyday European life – for bedding, plain curtains and tablecloths, shirts and undergarments – with major production centres in Flanders and parts of Ireland. And, because it was much easier to wash than wool, linen was seen as a more hygienic textile choice.
Decorative linen began to appear during the European Renaissance, and by the 1700s was used for bed canopies and drapes, table coverings and upholstery linings. Fine linen, often hand-embroidered, indicated wealth and sophistication.
Linen’s decorative dial was turned down a notch in the 18th and 19th centuries, with the introduction of layered bedding (sheets and pillowcases) and white linen, in particular, became associated with cleanliness and order. But although linen production had become a major European industry by the 1800s, linen did not lend itself to mechanisation; spinning and weaving machines coped with cotton much more easily and therefore more cheaply. Cotton was king; linen was relegated…
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However, linen’s salvation, to a degree, came with the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which promoted a return to a more natural, handcrafted aesthetic. Linen’s natural imperfections and wrinkles were celebrated for their earthy honesty; it became the fabric of choice for handmade curtains, upholstery with a visible weave, and simple, rustic table settings.
That aesthetic resurfaced during the Mid-Century Modern period (1940s-1960s), when linen’s simplicity found a natural home in the period’s preference for cleaner lines and neutral-toned textiles.
The same aesthetic has continued to influence design movements and trends, such as Minimalism and Japandi; linen remains an interior design staple, appearing in our homes as sheer curtains, cushion covers, upholstery and relaxed bedding—a wrinkled linen duvet cover gets you extra points...
The irresistible rise of the linen lampshade
Paper and silk lampshades – to cover candles – first appeared in 18th century Europe; it was not until the 1800s that linen lampshades became more common, thanks to the advent of oil and then gas lamps. This era also saw the arrival of the pleated or gathered linen lampshades, usually in narrow cone shapes.
From then on, there was no turning back for the linen lampshade, which diffused light more softly, and linen was more affordable and durable than silk. While plain linen lampshades were a sensible, practical choice, after the classic tapered empire shade came on the scene in the mid-19th century, linen lampshades became increasingly decorative, featuring fringes, braid or embroidery.
The arrival of electric lighting, far safer in every respect, meant that linen lampshades could be fully integrated into interior design elements, available in different styles, colours and decorative features.
In the 1900s, linen was a popular choice for the drum and cylinder shades favoured by the mid-century modern movement, but with a shift back to simplicity, letting the natural material speak for itself. This shift provided a soft and effective contrast to furniture of the period, with its focus on geometry and function. Linen shades remained popular throughout the remainder of the century, perfectly suited to minimalist interiors, but with greater use of thicker weaves and in neutral palettes, such as beige, cream and taupe.
And linen shades are equally at home in the relaxed maximalist homes of the 21st century, where pattern and colour rule—because linen is endlessly adaptable. Plain and simple or highly decorative: you choose!
Pooky’s love of linen
It’s never easy narrowing down a selection to a few handpicked choices; not least when there are more than 160 to choose from, as is the case with Pooky’s linen lampshades. So many sizes, styles, patterns and colours: we have linen lampshades for all tastes.
If you prefer a single touch of colour, our hand-dipped shibori striped shades, work brilliantly in a wide range of settings. These softly pleated linen shades are available in yellow or green shibori, again in a range of sizes.
For intense block colour, try Pooky’s tall tapered lampshade in softly gathered flame stonewashed linen, and we also have linen shades in more unusual styles, such as our sweetly scalloped and pleated empire shade, which comes in pastel shades: marshmallow pink or blue sky.
And, finally, Pooky offers linen shades that combine pattern and colour, from traditional ikat, such as this teal heraldic version, to our empire shade in Jubilee Ferns, a collaboration with GP and J Baker. It is based on one of the company’s classic archival prints, about a century old and based on botanical drawings in Flora Londinensis, a compendium of flora within a 10-mile radius of London in the late 18th century. A proud history to match that of linen.
See Pooky’s linen lamp shades here and browse our full range of lights and shades by material.
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