Nothing says holiday like a Christmas tree fire...

It just isn't the holidays until I have seen a warning about Christmas tree fires on the news. They are usually pretty standard issue warnings about not letting your tree get too dry and blowing out candles...blah blah blah. But yesterday on Good Morning America they actually had an interesting factoid... the current average time you have to escape from your burning living room is now about 3 minutes, about 30 years ago it was 17 minutes. Do you know why it is less now??? the synthetic fibers now predominantly used in upholstery burn that much faster than natural fibers like cotton and linen.  And well it got me thinking, especially how we like to put linen in the summer category, but linen is an amazingly under-rated fabric.
Linen is made from the flax plant and has a long history including serving as a currency in ancient Egypt. Linen is a classic, it is extremely versatile as a suitable fabric from clothing to upholstery to bedding.
I do love a linen sofa...it serves as an elegant foundation piece to a living room

Linen is also a great choice for draperies as it hangs (or drapes) beautifully!

Many people don't think of linen for, well, bed linens and trust me I was skeptical at first but linen actually makes quite luxurious bedding that softens beautifully...

And don't let this neutral pallet scare you- I personally love it especially on a snowy day like today- linen comes in every color possible and makes a great fabric for prints.

So in this world of not enough time, go natural! At least you get an extra 14 minutes to leave your house when you sofa catches on fire...

photos: Bella Notte, Veranda, House Beautiful, Country Living, Decor Pad, StylemeEtsy