GP & J Baker | Chelsea Check

Chelsea Check is a true square check, 9 centimetres by 9, which is large enough to be the pattern in a room and regular enough not to be difficult. The check is woven in two close tones rather than a hard contrast, so it reads as a soft grid from across a room and as a clear check from a chair. The cloth has a matt face, a good soft drape and enough body to upholster.

It is 46 per cent viscose, 26 per cent cotton, 21 per cent linen and 7 per cent polyester, woven 140 centimetres wide with a 9 centimetre repeat in both directions, and tested to 30,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, which the supplier rates for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. Indigo is the colourway, a deep blue check on a lighter blue ground, strong but not navy and easy to live with in quantity.

We would use Chelsea Check for curtains in a bedroom or a study, on a headboard where the check can be centred, or on a window seat with plain cushions on top. It is good with cream, oatmeal, oak and old pine, and it takes a plain indigo or a soft red alongside it. In a boot room or a back hall it holds up to hard use. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

A square check needs setting out. Centre a full check on each curtain, match across every seam, and add one 9 centimetre repeat to every drop. On a headboard, mark the centre line of the bed and work outwards so that the check is symmetrical about it. If the check runs slightly off grain at the selvedge, cut to the check, since that is what the eye will judge it by.

• Composition: 46% viscose, 26% cotton, 21% linen, 7% polyester
• Width: 140 cm (55 in)
• Pattern repeat: 9 cm vertical, 9 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 30,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Essential Colour III, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Indigo)