DEDAR | Hillevi

This Hillevi works the curved, interlocking motif over Serene Splendour, a thick alpaca and cotton ground, and the embroidery is applied deliberately against the grain of the cloth. Some sixty thousand point rentré stitches build the pattern from two yarns, one matt and one lustrous, which fade into one another and give the shapes a painterly depth. The result is a soft bas relief: the ground rises around the stitching and the velvet of the motif defines its own contours.

Made in Italy. The ground is 63 per cent alpaca and 37 per cent cotton; the embroidery is 61 per cent viscose and 39 per cent polyester. The cushion measures 68 by 85 centimetres. Three colourways: 001 Ivory / Orange / Blue, which carries the colour; 002 Blue, the most graphic of the three; and 003 Ivory, where the design is read through relief and light alone rather than through contrast.

We use it on an alpaca or wool sofa, on a bedroom chair, and singly on a wide bed among plain cushions. Ivory suits a pale room where texture is doing all the work; Blue and Ivory / Orange / Blue are the ones that give a neutral scheme its single piece of colour. Sold individually; made to order in Italy, so allow a few weeks.

The motif is directional and may be placed square or turned, so agree the orientation at the point of order, particularly across a pair. A thick alpaca ground holds warmth and dust in equal measure; shake it out and brush along the stitching rather than against it. Made to order in Italy and not returnable, so see the colourway against your upholstery first.

• Composition: Ground: 63% alpaca, 37% cotton. Embroidery: 61% viscose, 39% polyester
• Size: 68 x 85 cm
• Care: Spot clean; dry clean the cover if removable
• Origin: Made in Italy
• Collection: Dedar
• Colourways: 3 (001 Ivory / Orange / Blue, 002 Blue, 003 Ivory)