GP & J Baker | Home Park Velvet

Home Park Velvet is the parkland scenic from Royal Court printed on a cotton-rich velvet, part of GP & J Baker's collection drawn from the archive of designs made for royal residences. Trees and open ground are laid onto a short, dense pile, and the pile does the work: the tonal layers blur into one another and the whole thing takes on the softness of an old wall hanging. It is the largest repeat in the range, 90 centimetres vertically by 67.5 horizontally, so the design wants height to show itself.

Composition is 83 per cent cotton and 17 per cent polyester, 135 centimetres wide, with a 90 centimetre vertical and 67.5 centimetre horizontal repeat. Abrasion resistance is tested at 9,000 rubs on the Wyzenbeek scale, which puts it firmly in the decorative and curtain bracket rather than in heavy general domestic upholstery. One colourway, Royal Green, a deep foliage green that shifts between almost black and olive as the light moves.

We use this for full-length curtains in a library or a principal bedroom, for a portière across a draughty door, and on a single occasional chair or a headboard where the wear is light. It is not the cloth for a family sofa. Put it against plain plaster, oak and a linen check, and let the velvet carry the room on its own. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Cut everything with the pile running the same way and mark each piece on the back as it comes off the roll. Allow a full 90 centimetre repeat per drop and plan where the horizon falls before you order. Press from the reverse only, never on the face, and let made-up curtains hang for a couple of weeks before the hems are finished.

• Composition: 83% cotton, 17% polyester
• Width: 135 cm (53 in)
• Pattern repeat: 90 cm vertical, 67.5 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 9,000 rubs (Wyzenbeek)
• Care: Dry clean professionally; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Royal Court, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Royal Green)