Linen Floor Sofas in Soft, Washable Weaves

The collection covers single, L-shaped and U-shaped sets, built from the same foam pieces as our other floor sofas. Only the cover changes. The cover is matte and soft, in linen and linen-look weaves. Current sets pair linen seats with gingham-check armrests, pillows and ottoman tops. Light blue, sage green and terracotta are the colors on show. All of them belong to our wider Arabic floor sofa range.

The full set adds an ottoman and floor pillows to the seating, and no rug comes with a linen set. Smaller steps exist too: the seating alone, or the seating with the ottoman.

Linen has a flat, dry, matte surface. Velvet has a short pile with a soft sheen. Each collection keeps to its own fabric, so a linen set is never mixed with velvet or kilim pieces. Pick the one that suits how the room is used, not only how it photographs.

• Linen and linen-look weaves: a matte surface, with gingham-check trim on the current sets
• Velvet: plain and trellis designs in the velvet floor sofa collection
• Cotton-polyester blend: the tightly woven cover on most ready-size kilim-pattern sets
• Chenille: a heavier weave offered on many models

Linen covers come off by zipper and can go in the machine on a gentle 86°F (30°C) cycle with a mild detergent. Heat is the one thing to keep away, because it can shrink a cover.

1. Unzip the cover and slide the foam out.
2. Close the zipper and wash the cover on a gentle cycle.
3. Skip the tumble dryer and hang the cover to air-dry.
4. Put the cover back on the foam only when it is fully dry.

My routine is one cover a week through the warm months. The set never looks half-dressed that way. A little care every week beats a big rescue once a year. Light covers show marks sooner, so a grayish beige is the calmer pick for a room with children.

According to the Victoria and Albert Museum, linen is woven from the fibers of the flax plant, one of the oldest crops people still grow. The cut stalks rest on grass so dew loosens the fiber. Then they are beaten and combed into long strands. Linen soaks up moisture and carries heat away, so it was long worn in hot climates. Our linen-look covers borrow only that dry, matte look.

An L takes up about 75 × 102 in (190 × 260 cm) of floor. A U runs about 224 in (570 cm) along three walls. Seat cushions stop at 75 in (190 cm), so two or more of them share a long wall. At a corner, one seat depth of about 27.5 in (70 cm) is already taken, so the second wall needs a shorter cushion.

A gap of up to about 2 in (5 cm) at the end of a wall is fine. Measure every wall end to end and leave the doorways out. Sketch the room and mark the windows. Then hold your sketch against the single, L and U plans on majlis layouts.

Buyers tend to notice that the delivered color matches what they saw in daylight. Screens and room light both shift how a matte weave looks, so before settling on a color, ask to see the fabric on video in daylight. To see the weave in your own light, ask for the sample box.

Your fabric code is read back to you before anything is cut. Made-to-order sets take a little longer than ready ones — ask us for the current timing. Tracking for every box arrives by email when the order ships.

1. Send your walls
2. We draw the layout
3. You approve, then we cut

Heat is what shrinks linen covers, so keep them to a gentle 86°F (30°C) machine cycle and a mild detergent. Avoid hot washes and the tumble dryer, and let each cover dry in the air, then zip it over the foam again.

Linen sets come with seats of 4 in (10 cm) or 8 in (20 cm), the two everyday choices, while seats of 12 in (30 cm) or 16 in (40 cm) are usually made to order. For a 8 in (20 cm) seat, choose between one solid block and two 4 in (10 cm) layers stacked.

No rug comes with the linen sets, so the full set adds an ottoman and floor pillows to the seating instead. Rugs can be ordered on their own, in a flat-woven kilim style rather than a deep pile, if the room needs one.