George & Minnie | London Check

London Check is a printed check from George & Minnie's Volume One collection, and printing rather than weaving is the point: the bands are laid down with the softness of a printed edge instead of the crispness of a loom, so the grid has the looseness of a brushstroke. The repeat is a generous 70 centimetres, which makes this a big, confident check for large pieces, closer to a picnic blanket than a shirting.

The cloth is 55 per cent linen and 45 per cent cotton, 137 centimetres wide, with a 70 centimetre vertical and 68.5 centimetre horizontal repeat. The mill rates it for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. There are 6 colourways: Aqua/Emerald, Tomato/Daffodil, Periwinkle, Emerald, Blush and Blush/Sage. Tomato/Daffodil is the loud, happy one; Aqua/Emerald and Blush/Sage are two-tone but still soft, and the single-colour Periwinkle, Emerald and Blush are the easiest to live with over a whole sofa.

We tend to use London Check for a loose-covered sofa or a big bedroom chair, for a bedspread or a tablecloth in a country kitchen, or for full-length curtains in a room where the walls are plain. It pairs well with the small Minnie Prints, which give the eye somewhere quieter to rest, and with Canvas wallpaper in a related shade. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

With a 70 centimetre repeat, plan the check before anything is cut: centre a full square on the seat cushions and the inside back, keep the grid square to the frame, and allow one extra repeat per drop on curtains. Because both repeats are close to 70 centimetres, railroading changes very little visually, but confirm with your upholsterer that the print direction suits the piece. Line curtains with a cotton sateen to keep the sun off the linen.

• Composition: 55% linen, 45% cotton
• Width: 137 cm (54 in)
• Pattern repeat: 70 cm vertical, 68.5 cm horizontal
• Suitable for: Curtains, loose and fixed upholstery, bedspreads
• Care: Professional dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Volume One, George & Minnie
• Colourways: 6 (Aqua/Emerald, Tomato/Daffodil, Periwinkle, Emerald, Blush, Blush/Sage)