The Beauty of a Sustainable Fiber
There’s something quietly powerful about linen. It doesn’t demand attention, it simply belongs. It carries a softness earned over time, a visible honesty in its weave, and a natural resilience that makes it feel as timeless as the interiors it's meant to live in.
When I first began building Willow + West, I knew I wanted to work with a fabric that held its own kind of story, one that aligned with my values as both an artist and a conscious maker. Linen quickly revealed itself not just as an option, but as the only option. It’s become the foundation of Willow + West not only for how it feels in the hand, but for how thoughtfully it fits into a more sustainable way of making.
A Material That Reflects My Values
My background in interior design and furniture manufacturing gave me a firsthand look at the sheer volume of textile waste in our industry. bolts of unused fabric, collections built around projections, warehouses stacked with inventory that may never be touched. It felt disconnected from the heart of design.
Willow + West was born in response to that. I wanted to create a line where nothing existed until it was truly needed — where every fabric was printed to order, and every decision was made with care. Choosing 100% French linen as our primary base cloth was part of that commitment to producing less, but better.
Why Linen Is a Sustainable Choice
Linen is made from the flax plant, which is incredibly efficient and gentle on the earth. It thrives in rain-fed climates, requires very little irrigation, and can be cultivated without pesticides. Nearly every part of the plant is used: the fibers become fabric, the seeds pressed into oil or food, and the leftovers returned to the land as mulch or animal bedding.
Linen is:
Biodegradable and compostable when undyed or naturally dyed
Durable, meaning it lasts longer and needs to be replaced less often
Low-waste, from seed to final weave
Ideal for low-impact printing, especially when paired with organic, water-based inks
At Willow + West, we use a zero-water-waste digital printing process, and every yard is printed to order. This means no excess inventory, no dye runoff, and no unnecessary shipping emissions, just what’s needed, when it’s needed.
Beauty That’s Meant to Be Lived With
Beyond its sustainability, linen brings something soulful to a space. It has a breathability and lightness that makes it ideal for drapery, bedding, and pillows, but there’s also a quiet strength in it. Linen gets softer with age, developing a beautiful patina over time that synthetics can’t replicate.
Because it’s a natural fiber, it’s also hypoallergenic, breathable, and wonderfully tactile. That slight imperfection in its weave, where you can see the slubs of flax, gives it character and depth. In a world of over-refinement, linen feels real.
Where Linen Belongs in the Home
The versatility of linen is one of the reasons I return to it again and again. It works beautifully for:
Drapery and window treatments
Throw pillows and cushion covers
Bedding, duvets, and decorative throws
Light upholstery (with proper backing)
Designers often ask me if it holds up, and the answer is yes, with thoughtful application. For tight upholstery, I recommend backing it to support its natural stretch. For drapery, partnering with a skilled workroom ensures it holds its shape while flowing just right.
A Fit for Every Aesthetic
Linen’s natural texture makes it incredibly adaptable. I’ve seen it shine in coastal homes, modern spaces, quiet organic retreats, and richly layered traditional interiors. When I hand-paint a pattern and translate it onto linen, something special happens, the design softens, breathes, and becomes part of the fiber itself.
It’s this compatibility between hand-painted artwork and hand-woven cloth that makes linen the perfect vessel for Willow + West’s collections.
Working with Linen Means Designing Differently
Choosing linen means choosing slowness. It means embracing materials that take time to grow, to weave, to transform. It means supporting longer product life, less waste, and a deeper emotional connection to the things we live with every day.
Designing with linen supports a shift away from the disposable and towards interiors that feel intentional, grounded, and lasting. It’s not just about what a fabric looks like, but what it means.
What We Use at Willow + West
Our base cloth is a 7.3 oz 100% French linen, ethically grown and carefully selected for its softness, strength, and beautiful drape. It’s the base for most of our collections and works well across a wide range of interior applications.
Like all the best materials, linen carries a sense of place and presence. It reminds me why I do what I do: to create pieces that are not only beautiful, but thoughtful, useful, and lasting.
If you’re looking for a fabric that honors craftsmanship, supports sustainability, and brings softness to the spaces you design — I’d love for you to explore the possibilities of linen with me.