Brunschwig & Fils | Lemenc Texture

Lemenc is a woven texture, and the interest is in the surface rather than in any printed or jacquard motif. Cloths like this earn their place by what they do to the light: the fine variation in the yarns catches it differently as you move across a room, so a sofa or a pair of curtains in Lemenc looks quieter and a little deeper than a flat plain would. It has no pattern to match, which makes it a calm and flexible background cloth, comfortable next to bolder designs.

The composition is 70% cotton and 30% rayon, and the cloth is 137.16 cm wide. There is no pattern repeat, so there is no waste from matching and the cutting is straightforward. The cotton gives it structure and a dry, natural hand, while the rayon adds a little softness and drape. We do not have a Martindale figure for it, so we would ask for a sample to be tested against the demands of your intended use before committing to a heavily used seat.

We would use Lemenc on a deep sofa or a pair of armchairs in a living room, where its texture can do the work that pattern would otherwise do. It also makes sound plain curtains for a bedroom or study, hanging with enough softness to fall into easy folds. As a pairing note, it sits well alongside a printed linen on cushions, or against a larger scale stripe on a footstool, with the texture acting as the steady element between them.

For making up, check that all pieces for a single piece of furniture are cut from one continuous run of cloth, so any slight shade variation does not show between panels. Because the cloth has a woven surface, ask your upholsterer to keep the direction of the weave consistent on every cushion, seat and back. For curtains, a plain cotton lining and a standard interlining will give a clean hang. Order a little more than the bare calculation, as the cloth is straightforward to cut but cannot be reordered from the same dye lot after the fact.