Astell is the workhorse semi-plain of this collection, a tight three-fibre weave with a small 2 by 2.5 centimetre texture and no pattern to speak of. What sets it apart is how hard it wears. The surface is dense and slightly matt, it takes a clean edge on a tailored cushion, and it does not shine up where people sit. In a room it reads as a good, honest colour with a little grain in it.
The cloth is 47 per cent viscose, 33 per cent cotton and 20 per cent linen, woven 140 centimetres wide and tested to 45,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, which is well into heavy domestic use and will take a family sofa. There are ten colourways, Ivory, Linen, Sand, Mocha, Parchment, Oatmeal, Mink, Teal, Aqua and Ochre, running from pale neutrals through to two blue-greens and a soft yellow, so the neutrals cover most schemes and the colours give you an accent in the same cloth.
We specify Astell for sofas, for dining chairs that get used every day, and for curtains in rooms where the same colour needs to appear on the seating and at the window. Take Ivory or Oatmeal for the large pieces and bring Teal or Ochre in on cushions and a small chair. It sits well with oak, rush and plaster. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
For a three-seat sofa allow 16 to 18 metres, and order in one go so the batch matches, as a plain shows a dye lot difference far more clearly than a print does. Keep every panel running the same way up, because the small texture is directional enough to read as a tone change if a piece is reversed. Loose covers want an extra metre of allowance if they will ever be dry cleaned.
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Composition: 47% viscose, 33% cotton, 20% linen
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Width: 140 cm (55 in)
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Pattern repeat: 2 cm vertical, 2.5 cm horizontal
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Abrasion resistance: 45,000 rubs (Martindale)
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Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
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Collection: Essential Colour III, GP & J Baker
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Colourways: 10 (Ivory, Linen, Sand, Mocha, Parchment, Oatmeal, Mink, Teal, Aqua, Ochre)
