Baker Lifestyle | Samba Stripe

Samba Stripe is a striped velvet from Baker Lifestyle's Carnival Velvets book, woven with the stripe built into the pile rather than printed on top, so the two tones catch the light differently as you move past it. It has the soft, slightly crushed hand typical of the collection's velvets. Because the stripe is woven rather than printed, the two tones sit at slightly different pile heights, which is part of what gives the cloth its depth.

The composition is 52 per cent viscose, 43 per cent polyester and 5 per cent cotton, woven 142 centimetres wide, with a 36 centimetre horizontal repeat and no stated vertical repeat, consistent with a stripe running the length of the cloth. Baker Lifestyle test it to 45,000 rubs on the Martindale, and it is rated for curtains, fixed upholstery and bedspreads. One colourway, Blush, a soft dusty pink.

We use Samba Stripe for curtains in a bedroom or a dressing room, where the softness of Blush suits the room's purpose, and on a headboard or an occasional chair where the stripe can be appreciated at close range. It also works beautifully on a small upholstered stool or a pair of slipper chairs, where the soft pink can carry a whole corner of a room. Pair it with a plain cream velvet or a deeper rose linen. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Match the stripe carefully at every seam, particularly on a pair of curtains, and allow one extra repeat per drop for this. Because the stripe runs one way, keep it running vertically on upholstery unless you have a specific reason to railroad it. Velvet of this weight should be steamed rather than pressed with a hot iron. Dry clean only.

• Composition: 52% viscose, 43% polyester, 5% cotton
• Width: 142 cm (56 in)
• Pattern repeat: 36 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 45,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Suitable for: Curtains, blinds, fixed upholstery
• Care: Professional dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Carnival, Baker Lifestyle
• Colourways: 1 (Blush)