GP & J Baker | Arundel Check

Arundel Check is a small, soft check, three centimetres by three and a half, so it reads as a warm texture from across a room and only shows itself as a check when you are close to it. The viscose in the blend gives it a fluid drape that suits curtains and loose covers better than a crisp wool check would, and the linen keeps the surface dry rather than shiny.

It is 55 per cent viscose, 25 per cent polyester and 20 per cent linen, woven 135 centimetres wide with a 3 centimetre vertical and 3.5 centimetre horizontal repeat. The supplier rates it for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads but publishes no abrasion figure, so we would keep it to curtains, cushions and occasional seating rather than a daily sofa. Five colourways: Mocha, Red, Red/Blue, Red/Green and Ochre.

We use small checks like this for the things that soften a room: armchairs in a snug, a loose cover on a nursing chair, cushions on a plain sofa, curtains in a bedroom with painted panelling. Mocha and Ochre go quietly with neutrals, while Red/Blue and Red/Green have enough going on to carry a whole small room on their own. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Checks are unforgiving of careless cutting. Match the check across every seam, centre a full check on the leading edge of each curtain so that the pair mirror one another, and allow one extra repeat per drop. On a seat cushion, square the check to the front rail rather than to the frame if the two disagree, because the eye reads the front edge first.

• Composition: 55% viscose, 25% polyester, 20% linen
• Width: 135 cm (53 in)
• Pattern repeat: 3 cm vertical, 3.5 cm horizontal
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Essential Colour III, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 5 (Mocha, Red, Red/Blue, Red/Green, Ochre)