GP & J Baker | Chester

Chester is a square-set woven texture on a 3 by 3 centimetre repeat, which gives the surface a regular grain rather than a pattern. It is a well-balanced cloth: enough cotton to hold a shape, enough viscose to drape, enough linen to keep the face dry. In a dark colour like this one the texture matters more than usual, because it is what stops a deep tone reading as a flat block across a large piece of furniture.

It is 46 per cent viscose, 36 per cent cotton, 14 per cent linen and 4 per cent polyester, woven 138 centimetres wide and tested to 30,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, rated by the supplier for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. Espresso is the colourway, a deep coffee brown with warmth rather than grey in it, which reads almost black in a shaded corner and clearly brown by a window.

We would use Chester on a library chair, on the base of a banquette, or as the darker element in a scheme built on cream and stone. Full-length curtains in it will frame a view rather than compete with it. It sits well with unpolished brass, cream plaster and old oak, and a dark cloth like this is the making of a room with a lot of light in it. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Dark cloths show everything, so keep the workroom clean and cut all panels the same way up; a reversed inside back will catch light differently and look like a different colour. Cost it as a plain with half a metre of allowance. If you are piping, a contrast in cream or a soft red picks the brown up well, and a self-piping needs cutting on the cross to avoid a visible line.

• Composition: 46% viscose, 36% cotton, 14% linen, 4% polyester
• Width: 138 cm (54 in)
• Pattern repeat: 3 cm vertical, 3 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 (Espresso)