de Le Cuona | Baby Alpaca Throw – Cobalt

This is a throw made from baby alpaca, a fibre we rate highly for its softness and its weight, which is heavier and more substantial than lambswool without feeling bulky. Cobalt is a deep, saturated blue, the kind of colour that reads almost ink-like in low light and brightens considerably in daylight. Draped, it falls with a good amount of drop and holds its shape rather than sliding about, which matters more than people expect once a throw is actually in use on a sofa or the end of a bed.

De Le Cuona make this piece from baby alpaca fibre, sold as a single throw measuring 130 cm in width. It is finished simply, letting the fibre and the colour carry the piece rather than any applied trim or pattern.

We use throws like this at the end of a bed, folded once so the colour shows as a band against a paler linen or wool blanket beneath. Over the arm of a sofa or an armchair, it adds a note of saturated colour into a room that might otherwise be built from neutrals, and it is warm enough to be genuinely useful on a cold evening rather than purely decorative. It also works layered over a bench seat in a hallway or bedroom, somewhere it gets seen and touched often.

Alpaca is a natural fibre and will shed slightly when new, which is normal and settles with use. We recommend a gentle wool or cashmere wash and drying flat rather than on a radiator, which can dry the fibres out and dull the colour. Keep it away from prolonged direct sun, as strong light will fade a colour this deep over time. We would treat this as a piece to fold and refold in different ways around a room, rather than one fixed position.