de Le Cuona | Hackney Tweed – Charcoal

Hackney Tweed takes the character of a traditional tweed and strips it of its country-house associations. In Charcoal it is a deep, soft grey with the flecked, slightly nubbly surface that comes from mixing linen and wool in the yarn. The hand is dry and substantial rather than fluffy, and the cloth has real body. From across a room it reads as a single dark tone, but up close the weave breaks the colour into many small variations, which gives a large piece of furniture depth without any pattern.

The composition is 59% linen, 34% wool and 7% polyester, and the cloth is 140 cm wide, sold by the half metre. It is rated to 35,000 Martindale rubs, which is a strong figure and makes it a sensible choice for a sofa or chair that will be used every day. The small polyester content helps with stability. There is no pattern repeat to match. We have not been given a place of manufacture for this cloth, so please ask us if that matters to you.

We would use Charcoal on a large, plainly shaped sofa in a study or snug, where a dark, textured cloth gives the room anchor and warmth. It is also very good on a pair of armchairs, or on a headboard in a bedroom with pale walls, where the contrast is useful. For curtains, it suits a room that wants to feel enclosed and quiet. For a pairing, we like it with oatmeal linen, aged brass, a rug in a lighter wool and walls in a soft stone or clay colour.

A cloth with this much body is best made up with clean, structured lines, and we would ask your upholsterer to keep the cushion shapes simple and the welts tidy. Check the cutting plan before work starts, as the width of 140 cm affects how pieces are laid across a sofa. For curtains, a lining is advisable to protect the wool from sun and help the weight hang evenly. Order the full quantity at the outset so that the dye lot is consistent.