de Le Cuona | Etched Paisley – Praline

Etched Paisley takes a motif that is usually busy and quietens it. The paisley is drawn at a generous scale and softened, as though etched into the surface of the cloth rather than printed across it, so it reads as texture first and pattern second. In Praline the colour is a warm, soft brown with a nutty depth, and the wool gives the cloth a dry, comfortable hand. In a room it adds a quiet sense of pattern without ever becoming the loudest thing in the space.

The cloth is 100% wool and 137 cm wide. The vertical repeat is 72 cm and the horizontal repeat is 70 cm, which is a large, relaxed repeat and one worth planning around from the start. It is rated at 20000 Martindale rubs, which makes it genuinely suitable for upholstery as well as curtains, not just a decorative choice. It is sold by the half metre, and the reference is ETC3.

We would use Etched Paisley on a pair of full-length curtains in a sitting room or bedroom, where the scale of the repeat has room to show and the wool falls in soft, heavy folds. It also suits a generous armchair or a deep-seated sofa, where one large motif can sit centrally on the back. We like it with plain linen in oatmeal or stone, bare oak and a little dark timber, and we would keep the rest of the room's pattern to a minimum so the paisley can sit calmly.

Because the repeat is large, order more than you think you need, and ask your workroom to pattern-match across widths and place the motif deliberately on each piece. On curtains, work out where the repeat falls at the leading edge and hem so the pattern reads consistently across the pair. On upholstery, have the upholsterer centre the motif on the seat back and cushion fronts before cutting. Interlining gives wool curtains extra body and a better fall.