Beaumarchais is a wide-width satin plain, named for the boulevard that runs along the edge of the Haut-Marais and its galleries. It is a piece-dyed cloth with a subtle sheen and an unusually soft hand, and it drapes in long, fluid folds; the linen and cotton give it substance, while the viscose and polyester bring the lustre and the easy fall. It is the kind of plain that makes a room look finished without anyone being able to say why.
The composition is 34 per cent polyester, 30 per cent viscose, 22 per cent linen and 14 per cent cotton, woven in India at 320 grams per square metre. It is 304.5 centimetres wide and made to be railroaded, so full-height curtains are cut from a single length with no seams, and it is a free match. There are twenty-five colourways running from Blanc, Nacre and Sable through Taupe, Gris Cendré and Vert Sauge to Pierre Bleue, Marine, Rouge Terreux and Marron Glacé. It is a colourist's range, so there is usually a shade that sits exactly between two others in a scheme.
We use Beaumarchais as the main curtain in bedrooms and living rooms, particularly on tall windows where its width does away with seams, and as the plain that ties a room with a patterned embroidery or a tapestry weave from the same season. It also makes a good soft Roman blind and a bed valance. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
Measure the track and order by width rather than drop; allow 2 to 2.5 times fullness for a pinch pleat and rather less for a wave. The 304.5 centimetre width gives a usable drop of around 290 centimetres. Always line and interline it: the sheen comes alive with a little weight behind it, and the interlining protects the viscose from strong sun.
