GP & J Baker | Dara

Dara belongs to GP & J Baker's Essential Weaves range, the house's working plains and textures rather than a figured pattern: a fine, close weave in viscose, cotton, linen and polyester with a repeat so small it reads as an even ground rather than a motif. It is the kind of cloth the house keeps in constant production because it does the quiet work in a scheme, sitting behind a pattern rather than competing with it.

Composition is 42 per cent viscose, 32 per cent cotton, 22 per cent linen and 4 per cent polyester. It is 137 centimetres wide, with a 2 centimetre vertical and 3 centimetre horizontal repeat, tested to 35,000 rubs on the Martindale, which is comfortably rated for upholstery. GP & J Baker specify it for curtains and both loose and fixed upholstery. There is one colourway, Oatmeal, a warm, pale neutral.

We use Dara as a foundation fabric: a sofa or an armchair in a room where the pattern is doing its work on the curtains or the walls, or as the curtain itself in a pared-back scheme. It also covers a footstool or a window seat well. Pair it with a documentary print or an embroidery from the house archive for contrast. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Being a near-plain, Dara has almost no pattern wastage, so quantities can be calculated on drop and width alone. At 35,000 rubs it is a genuinely hard-wearing upholstery weight; ask your upholsterer about railroading on a sofa run to avoid a seam across the seat. For curtains, line as usual; no repeat matching is needed at this scale.

• Composition: 42% viscose, 32% cotton, 22% linen, 4% polyester
• Width: 137 cm (54 in)
• Pattern repeat: 2 cm vertical, 3 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 35,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Suitable for: Curtains, loose and fixed upholstery
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron.
• Collection: Essential Colour II, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Oatmeal)