Dressing your home for comfort and style
August 19, 2024 4:25 AM Subscribe
The Material: How can the use of textiles support sustainable coolth and warmth throughout the year?
Traditional Polish house clothes in The Clothed Home by Aleksandra Kędziorek from E-Flux After Comfort.
In order to support a low energy future while dealing with extreme temperatures, it is not just buildings that need to be retrofitted or built with new techniques such as ribbing, human behaviour will also need to change.
Whether we are modifying our own lives to save energy in hard times or developing policy level sustainability initiatives at the organisational, regional, state or national level it is helpful to think of behaviours that support cooling, cooking and cleanliness from the perspective of Social Practice Theory. People do different things because individuals' practices are influenced by Materials, Meanings and Skills and Practical Know How. As well as being socially transmitted, each practice takes place alongside other social practices and within a broader structure including infrastructure, norms and regulations as well as access, physical ability, financial resources and material access. For an entertaining and informative 47 minute dive into Social Practice Theory here is Elizabeth Shove's The Extraordinary Lecture (slyt).
In order to support a low energy future while dealing with extreme temperatures, it is not just buildings that need to be retrofitted or built with new techniques such as ribbing, human behaviour will also need to change.
Whether we are modifying our own lives to save energy in hard times or developing policy level sustainability initiatives at the organisational, regional, state or national level it is helpful to think of behaviours that support cooling, cooking and cleanliness from the perspective of Social Practice Theory. People do different things because individuals' practices are influenced by Materials, Meanings and Skills and Practical Know How. As well as being socially transmitted, each practice takes place alongside other social practices and within a broader structure including infrastructure, norms and regulations as well as access, physical ability, financial resources and material access. For an entertaining and informative 47 minute dive into Social Practice Theory here is Elizabeth Shove's The Extraordinary Lecture (slyt).
Very nice! Does the video talk about the textiles and condensation?
posted by clew at 10:46 AM on August 19
posted by clew at 10:46 AM on August 19
Unfortunately, just social theory in the video but there is juggling, costumes, pretend showering, discussions of landing needles and more.
I guess that the social practices of temperature moderating textiles would also have associated practices related to regularly airing the rooms, laundering or spot cleaning and sun drying the textiles in the opposite season.
posted by pipstar at 1:57 PM on August 19 [1 favorite]
I guess that the social practices of temperature moderating textiles would also have associated practices related to regularly airing the rooms, laundering or spot cleaning and sun drying the textiles in the opposite season.
posted by pipstar at 1:57 PM on August 19 [1 favorite]
about the textiles and condensation?
if that's an interest, you might appreciate a paper on Castle Amerongen [researchgate:]
if that's an interest, you might appreciate a paper on Castle Amerongen [researchgate:]
...materials of furnishing of the room have a hygroscopic nature (furniture, carpets, and curtains). In a closed empty room an increase of temperature will lead to a decrease of relative humidity. The hygroscopic materials in a room however have a stabilizing effect on RH.posted by HearHere at 2:14 PM on August 19 [1 favorite]
This is super interesting. I know a lot of these words, but some meanings have shifted: in modern Polish (at least in my family) zasłony are the heavy, light-blocking curtains which you open during the day and close at night, which you hang over your firanki, the lace curtains which let light through and are always drawn (so that people can't see inside your home -- I find it extremely weird when people don't have these).
More generally, it's interesting that curtains and carpets are pretty much the only kind of "house clothing" that we have left, because they have functions other than the regulation of temperature.
Also, I just finished (this weekend!) sewing and hanging curtains in all my doorways (most of which have had their doors removed), mainly so that I can efficiently heat parts of my very cold flat while letting cats go where they want (I've had two badly-sewn ones hanging from saggy DIY wooden dowels for over a decade, but finally got some tension rods and curtain tape and completed the sewing project). Apparently these are called "portieres", and they were a common home feature in the past. My flat is certainly more cosy now, and I hope to save some electricity. This article is making me want to invest in some wall hangings!
posted by confluency at 3:08 PM on August 19 [7 favorites]
More generally, it's interesting that curtains and carpets are pretty much the only kind of "house clothing" that we have left, because they have functions other than the regulation of temperature.
Also, I just finished (this weekend!) sewing and hanging curtains in all my doorways (most of which have had their doors removed), mainly so that I can efficiently heat parts of my very cold flat while letting cats go where they want (I've had two badly-sewn ones hanging from saggy DIY wooden dowels for over a decade, but finally got some tension rods and curtain tape and completed the sewing project). Apparently these are called "portieres", and they were a common home feature in the past. My flat is certainly more cosy now, and I hope to save some electricity. This article is making me want to invest in some wall hangings!
posted by confluency at 3:08 PM on August 19 [7 favorites]
My first sexual experience occured when I was a lonely soldier stationed in Nurnberg Germany 1968-9. A Handsome young German national cruised me in the train station...We eventually went to his living quarters in nearby Further. He was a Shepard boy( sheepherder) for a wealthy landowner.The landowner let him live in the upper portion of a barn. A very nice barn, well appointed. He had a single bed with a duvet. Suspended above the bed somehow was another duvet. I inquired about it and he explained it was the summer duvet and cover. It was quite ingenious and provided warmth and coziness in the bed chamber...
posted by Czjewel at 3:35 PM on August 19 [3 favorites]
posted by Czjewel at 3:35 PM on August 19 [3 favorites]
We did a lot of similar stuff, just being hillbillies in an old drafty house. Those pictures look so cozy!
posted by pattern juggler at 6:10 PM on August 19 [1 favorite]
posted by pattern juggler at 6:10 PM on August 19 [1 favorite]
It does help that Poland's general humidity is fairly low, yes. And you can't get away without proper winter heating which helped keep things dry.
I still think a kilim / wall hanging is a perfectly acceptable wall decoration and in fact used it on a big empty wall in the bedroom. Fun fact: cats love the climbing wall aspect of it.
I'm currently staying in a fairly traditional construction summer cottage and another carpet/rug aspect is evident - the upper floor is a single layer of planks on support beams (if the light is on downstairs you can see the spaces between slightly uneven planks), so without rugs covering most of it the heat would rise and leave none for the lower story. Bedding textiles are also such a big part of traditional furnishings, because beds would have been made up in alcoves off the main room or straight on the big brick or clay stove (zapiecek) that was a more efficient version of a fireplace. And so many cupboards had curtains instead of doors too - much cheaper and airy.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:26 AM on August 20 [3 favorites]
I still think a kilim / wall hanging is a perfectly acceptable wall decoration and in fact used it on a big empty wall in the bedroom. Fun fact: cats love the climbing wall aspect of it.
I'm currently staying in a fairly traditional construction summer cottage and another carpet/rug aspect is evident - the upper floor is a single layer of planks on support beams (if the light is on downstairs you can see the spaces between slightly uneven planks), so without rugs covering most of it the heat would rise and leave none for the lower story. Bedding textiles are also such a big part of traditional furnishings, because beds would have been made up in alcoves off the main room or straight on the big brick or clay stove (zapiecek) that was a more efficient version of a fireplace. And so many cupboards had curtains instead of doors too - much cheaper and airy.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:26 AM on August 20 [3 favorites]
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zigzag walls remind me of sawtooth rooves & brise-soleils [wiki*2], as in the e-flux heatscapes article: the lecture is charming (i recommend starting ~37:00 for anyone wanting a quick summary)
posted by HearHere at 5:48 AM on August 19 [1 favorite]