GP & J Baker | Bunty

Bunty is a cotton and jute stripe from Kit Kemp's GP & J Baker collection, and the jute is what you notice first: a dry, open surface with a natural slub running through it that softens every band. The stripe has a stepped movement to it, giving a 37 centimetre vertical repeat. It is a substantial cloth that sits flat and holds its shape. Jute darkens a colour slightly and takes the shine off it, so even the Red reads as a soft, dusty shade rather than a bright one.

It is 70 per cent cotton and 30 per cent jute, 134 centimetres wide, with a 37 centimetre vertical and 33.5 centimetre horizontal repeat. GP & J Baker list it for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. Five colourways: Red, Indigo, Orange/Green, Blue/Green and Brown. Brown and Indigo are the ones that behave as neutrals; Red and the paired colourings are for a room that wants an anchor.

We use it on window seats and long benches, for loose covers on a sofa in a garden room, and for flat Roman blinds where the texture shows against the light. It is also a good cloth for a headboard. It wants plain linen and natural matting around it. It is also the right weight for a floor cushion or a fitted seat pad that gets moved about. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Jute blends have almost no give, so an upholsterer should work them over a well-shaped seat and avoid tight curves, because a deep buttoned back is the wrong job for this cloth. The 33.5 centimetre horizontal repeat lets you centre a band on a seat or a cushion, and the stepped stripe means you must match 37 centimetres on curtain drops.

• Composition: 70% Cotton 30% Jute
• Width: 134 cm (52.8 in)
• Pattern repeat: 37 cm vertical, 33.5 cm horizontal
• Care: Dry clean professionally only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Kit Kemp Stripes, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 5 (Red, Indigo, Orange/Green, Blue/Green, Brown)