Baker Lifestyle | Salsa Square

Salsa Square is a printed geometric from Baker Lifestyle's Carnival book, companion to Salsa Diamond but built on a true square grid rather than a lattice, which gives it a slightly more graphic, architectural feel. The repeat is a neat 15 centimetres both ways, making it one of the easiest patterns in the book to plan around. Where Salsa Diamond reads as a lattice you notice from across the room, Salsa Square sits quieter, closer to a woven texture than a print, until you are close enough to see the grid.

The composition is 90 per cent cotton and 10 per cent linen, printed 137 centimetres wide, with a 15 centimetre repeat vertically and horizontally. Baker Lifestyle test it to 25,000 rubs on the Martindale, and it is rated for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. Two colourways: Aqua, a clear blue-green, and Cashew, a warm neutral tan.

We use Salsa Square for curtains and blinds where a room wants a graphic edge, and Cashew in particular works well as a near-neutral geometric on a chair or a headboard. Pair Aqua with a plain white or ivory linen, or Cashew with a deeper chocolate velvet. It also makes a good pair of Roman blinds in a kitchen or bathroom, since the tight, regular repeat avoids the loss of pattern that folding causes on a larger motif. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

With a square 15 centimetre repeat, planning is straightforward: allow one extra repeat per drop and centre the grid on the width for blinds and cushions. At 25,000 rubs, keep it to general domestic upholstery rather than the heaviest daily-use seating. Because both colourways come from the same cotton-linen base, you can mix Aqua and Cashew within one scheme, on cushions of one and curtains of the other, without any mismatch in hand or weight. Dry clean only.

• Composition: 90% cotton, 10% linen
• Width: 137 cm (54 in)
• Pattern repeat: 15 cm vertical, 15 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 25,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Suitable for: Curtains, blinds, loose and fixed upholstery
• Care: Professional dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Carnival, Baker Lifestyle
• Colourways: 2 (Aqua, Cashew)