GP & J Baker | Baker House Linen

Baker House Linen is the plain that runs underneath the whole GP & J Baker range: a pure, medium-weight linen woven with no pattern to match, in a palette wide enough to sit behind almost any of the house's prints and embroideries. The weave has the characteristic dry hand and faint slub of a good linen, with just enough weight to hold its own on a sofa as well as a curtain.

The cloth is 100 per cent linen, 137 centimetres wide, and rated at 50,000 rubs on the Martindale test, so it is rated for upholstery as well as curtains. GP & J Baker specify it for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. There are sixteen colourways, from pale neutrals such as Clam and Parchment through warmer tones like Nutmeg and Chestnut to blues, greens and greys including Soft Blue, Emerald, Sage and Charcoal. The range is built to cover a full scheme rather than a single accent.

We use it everywhere a plain linen earns its keep: curtains and blinds where a room already has enough pattern, upholstery on a sofa or a pair of chairs, and as the quiet ground for cushions cut from one of the house prints. Because the palette is so wide, it is usually possible to match a client's existing colours closely rather than compromise. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

With no repeat to match, quantities are simple to calculate and there is very little waste. Line and interline curtains, and for upholstery ask your maker about railroading on a large sofa to avoid a seam across the back. Because this is the house workhorse plain, it is worth keeping a spare half metre on file for any future cushion or repair.

• Composition: 100% linen
• Width: 137 cm (54 in)
• Abrasion resistance: 50,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Baker House Linens, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 16 (Clam, Parchment, Nutmeg, Chestnut, Soft Blue, Emerald, Sage, Charcoal and 8 more)