de Le Cuona | Hackney Tweed – Terre Verte

Hackney Tweed is a woven cloth with a soft, slightly irregular face, the sort of surface that looks better after a few months of use than on the day it arrives. Terre Verte is a muted, earthy green, a colour taken from pigment rather than from a garden, and it has a calm greyness that stops it from reading as bright. In a room, the cloth gives weight and texture without pattern, so it can carry a large piece of furniture and still feel relaxed.

The cloth is de Le Cuona HACK1, woven from 59% linen, 34% wool and 7% polyester, which gives the natural look and hand of a tweed with a little added stability. It is 140 cm wide and is sold by the half metre. The Martindale rating is 35,000 rubs, which is a heavy domestic figure and one we are comfortable recommending for a sofa or a chair that sees daily use. The colour is Terre Verte, and it is intended for upholstery.

We would use Hackney Tweed on a deep sofa in a sitting room, where the earthy green sits comfortably against limewashed walls and a worn rug. It is equally good on a pair of armchairs beside a fireplace, or on a dining chair seat where you want a cloth that will take real wear. For pairing, we like it with oatmeal or ecru linen on the cushions, a rust or ochre throw for contrast, and aged brass or dark oak for the legs and side tables.

Because the cloth is sold by the half metre, work out your total requirement with your upholsterer before ordering and add a little for matching and cutting. Ask them to keep the direction of the weave consistent across all the panels so the colour reads evenly. Tweeds of this kind can have slight variation, so we would order everything from the same cut in one go. A light brush now and then keeps the surface fresh, and we recommend professional cleaning if needed.