GP & J Baker | Elysten

Elysten is a six-fibre plain built around cotton with a little wool in it, and the wool is what gives the face its slightly woolly bloom and its depth of colour. There is no repeat. Up close the yarns are visibly mixed, which is what keeps a dark tone from going flat, and the handle is soft and dry rather than smooth. It is a cloth that looks better in a room than it does on a roll.

The blend is 45 per cent cotton, 20 per cent polycotton, 16 per cent viscose, 8 per cent wool, 7 per cent linen and 4 per cent polyester, woven 139 centimetres wide. The supplier rates it for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads but publishes no abrasion figure, so for a piece in daily use we would ask for a rub test before specifying it on a main sofa. Charcoal is the colourway, a deep grey with warmth in it.

We would use Elysten for full-length curtains in a sitting room, on a headboard, or on a pair of chairs where a dark neutral anchors a pale scheme. It works with cream plaster, oak and blackened steel, and it takes a cream or soft red piping well. As a bedspread it gives a light bedroom the weight it usually lacks. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

With no repeat, order on length. Dark cloth shows dust and thread, so have the workroom cut it on a clean table and brush it down before it leaves. Wool in a blend relaxes after hanging, so let curtains settle for two weeks before the hems are levelled, and interline them; the extra weight suits the colour and stops light showing through the join.

• Composition: 45% cotton, 20% polycotton, 16% viscose, 8% wool, 7% linen, 4% polyester
• Width: 139 cm (55 in)
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Essential Colour III, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Charcoal)