I’m Generally a West Elm Skeptic, But Its Linen Curtains Are the Best
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I’m on the record as aWest Elm skeptic. I’ve been writing about furniture for four years and obsessing over it for longer, and in that time, I’ve found that the home company’s couches are not particularly well-made and its furniture is often overpriced for its quality. Several years ago, I gifted my mom a West Elm blanket that pilled and shed such a heavy volume of white fuzz that it had to be quarantined to a closet, which is not something you forget. So when I began testing curtains for ourBest in Class guide, West Elm was on my list, but my hopes were not high.
As it turns out, West Elm makes an amazing linen curtain. When I compared it against Crate & Barrel’s, West Elm’s was the clear winner — it has a denser weave of finer threads, which creates a smooth and even drape. I also prefer it toQuince’s linen curtain, which has an almost bumpy surface if you look at it up close. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing — really good linen can be nubby, and idiosyncrasies in texture are something I enjoy in a lot of textiles. (There’s nothing like a weird handwoven fabric made from aneven weirder natural fiber.) But I prefer a smooth, fine weave for curtains — if the goal is to blend into the background, you want an even drape without bumps and irregularity.
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What really made up my mind was a visit to the Manhattan showroom of Nordic Knots, a brand that makes great rugs. Its Grand wool rug (ourBest in Class pick) is expensive, but when you feel it, it’s so lush and dense that you get where the price comes from. I was curious if the same principle would apply for its curtains, which range from $195 for sheer polyester to $495 for wool. But the sheer linen drapery didn’t beat out West Elm’s, and it costs about three times as much — $295 for one panel versus $99 from West Elm. The linen felt lovely, but it has a coarser weave and a bumpier surface.
For now, I’m willing to declare West Elm the winner. Although I’ve heard that the best linen comes from small Etsy stores in Eastern Europe, so that’s where I’ll be looking next.
More linen we like
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