White Linen Curtains

White linen curtains in 100% flax linen at 220 gsm, stonewashed, with a 4 in. double-turned chain-weighted hem — in two whites (Alabaster bleached and Bone undyed) that are not interchangeable. Our white linen curtains ship with the mill declaration on each bolt so you know exactly which white you are hanging. Why “white” doesn’t mean one thing on linen curtains Flax does not grow white. Straight off the field and through the retting tanks it comes out somewhere between pale gray, oatmeal and a soft biscuit, depending on how it was retted and where it was grown. Every white linen curtain in the world is therefore one of two things, and shops almost never say which. Alabaster: optic-white bleached Alabaster is bleached to an optic white. It is the white of a hotel window and a gallery wall, it sits cleanly against cool paint and painted plaster, and it is the only one of the two that will not read as dirty next to a genuinely white wall. Bleaching does cost the fiber a little strength, which is why it is done to a controlled point rather than pushed. Bone: undyed natural Bone is undyed. It is the color the flax actually is, warmer and very slightly uneven from batch to batch, and it is the correct choice against timber, brass, lime plaster, and any room lit with warm-white bulbs — where an optic white goes blue and faintly clinical after dark. How to choose between the two white linen curtains Hold them side by side and the difference is obvious. Photographed separately it is invisible, which is exactly why so many white linen curtains arrive looking wrong. Order a swatch of each, tape both to the wall, and look at them at three in the afternoon and again at nine at night. Construction and light-fastness Both are 100% flax linen at 220 gsm, stonewashed, French-seamed, with a 4 in. double-turned weighted hem. Both are unusually well behaved in a sunny window: linen has good inherent light-fastness and undyed flax has no dye to lose at all, so a south-facing Bone panel is effectively fade-proof. Sun-bleaching: a feature specific to white linen One property specific to white here: linen sun-bleaches. Left in a bright window a Bone panel will lighten perceptibly over two or three summers, and in the trade that is considered improvement rather than fade. Wash cold, line dry in sun if you want to accelerate it, and do not use an optical-brightening detergent on either — it lays a blue cast over both whites and makes them look synthetic. White linen curtain size guide DropAlabaster (bleached)Bone (undyed) 63 in.AvailableAvailable 84 in.AvailableAvailable 96 in.AvailableAvailable 108 in.AvailableAvailable 120 in.AvailableAvailable How to care for your white linen curtains Cold machine wash on gentle Line dry — in sun to encourage sun-bleaching if desired No optical-brightener detergent — lays a blue cast over both whites No chlorine bleach on Bone — produces yellow, not white Frequently asked questions Which white linen curtain suits my room? Alabaster against cool paint, painted plaster and genuinely white walls. Bone against timber, brass, lime plaster and warm-white bulbs. Do white linen curtains fade? Bone can’t — no dye. Alabaster very slowly. Both are effectively fade-proof in a south-facing window. Can I bleach white linen curtains? Never chlorine bleach on Bone — produces yellow. Oxygen bleach is safe on Alabaster. Do white linen curtains crease? Yes — that is the point of the cloth. Cold wash and line dry keeps residual creasing under 3%. Complete the window Layer with our sheer linen daytime layer, add a blackout liner for a bedroom, or step up to Belgian flax linen curtains for a refined weave.