DEDAR | Danae

Danae is an embroidered cushion worked on Millais, a soft panama weave with a woolly handle and a faintly mottled surface. Over forty thousand stitches in a metallic thread trace two winding figures whose outlines never quite resolve. The density varies deliberately: in places the threads pile up into a raised, three-dimensional passage; elsewhere they thin out and let the weave show through. That variation is what stops a metallic embroidery looking hard, and it is why the piece changes so much with the angle of the light.

Made in Italy. The ground is 66 per cent virgin wool, 21 per cent linen and 13 per cent polyamide; the embroidery is 37 per cent polyester, 25 per cent metallic polyester, 22 per cent polyamide and 16 per cent paper yarn. Rated at 50,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, the cushion measures 70 by 90 centimetres. Three colourways: 001 Ivory / Black, 002 Metal / Yellow and 003 Brown / Bronze / Orange.

We use it on a plain wool sofa in a drawing room, on a bedroom chair where lamplight will catch it, or as one of a pair on a wide bed. Keep the cushions around it flat and quiet, in cream, charcoal or a plain wool. Sold individually; made to order in Italy, so allow a few weeks.

The embroidery is directional and set off-centre, so the panel can be turned to suit the piece it sits on; settle that at the point of order. Metallic threads and paper yarn do not like being crushed, so it is a cushion for a chair back or the end of a sofa rather than something to be leant on every evening. Made to order in Italy and not returnable.

• Composition: Ground: 66% virgin wool, 21% linen, 13% polyamide. Embroidery: 37% polyester, 25% metallic polyester, 22% polyamide, 16% paper
• Size: 70 x 90 cm
• Abrasion resistance: 50,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Care: Spot clean; dry clean the cover if removable
• Origin: Made in Italy
• Collection: Dedar
• Colourways: 3 (001 Ivory / Black, 002 Metal / Yellow, 003 Brown / Bronze / Orange)