de Le Cuona | Engraved Mortar with Beaten Top and White Stripes No.36 – Brown

This is one of the more unusual cloths in the de Le Cuona range, and it is better understood in the hand than in a photograph. The name tells you most of it: an engraved, mortar-like surface with a beaten top, crossed by fine white stripes. The result is a brown that is far from flat, with a worked, almost mineral quality, and the stripes sit quietly within it rather than announcing themselves. It is a cloth that changes with the light through the day.

We have not been given composition, width or abrasion details for this colourway, and we would rather not guess at them. The reference is EMT36, supplied by de Le Cuona, and the full specification is best confirmed before you commit to a quantity or an application. Please ask us and we will check the current figures, and a sample is well worth requesting, because the surface character is the whole point of the cloth and is hard to judge from a description alone.

We would use it where it can be seen and touched. A pair of curtains in a library or study would let the stripe fall in long vertical lines, while a single statement chair or a bench in a hallway would give the texture room to be appreciated without overwhelming the space. As a pairing, we would set it with plain linens in stone or oatmeal, and with dark timber, letting the brown settle into the room as a warm, grounded note rather than a feature to be matched.

Because the surface is hand-worked, we would handle it with care and ask for a decision on application before cutting. Whether the stripes run vertically or across a piece changes the look considerably, so agree this with your workroom or upholsterer in advance and keep every panel on the same direction. Buy all of your metreage in one order so the finish is consistent, and allow extra for lining up the stripes at any seam. Ask us for guidance on lining if you are using it for curtains.