GP & J Baker | Isis

Isis is a plain-woven cloth from GP & J Baker's Essential Colours range, blending cotton, viscose and linen into a soft, smooth ground with no printed or woven motif to place. It behaves as a true plain: the interest is in the hand and the slight lustre from the viscose rather than in any pattern, and it is the kind of cloth we keep to hand for finishing a scheme rather than starting one.

The composition is 45 per cent cotton, 45 per cent viscose and 10 per cent linen, and the cloth is 137 centimetres wide; no repeat is stated, since a plain has none to give. GP & J Baker tested it to 35,000 Martindale rubs, which is rated for upholstery, and specify it for curtains and both loose and fixed upholstery. There are two colourways, Ivory and Daffodil, a soft off-white and a clear, warm yellow that lifts a neutral room without shouting.

We would use Ivory as a quiet, flexible neutral for curtains or a sofa where the room's pattern comes from elsewhere, and Daffodil where a single piece of furniture or a pair of cushions needs a lift of colour. It pairs easily with almost any print in the GP & J Baker range, since a true plain is the easiest cloth to place alongside a stronger pattern. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

As a plain with no repeat, cutting and matching are straightforward, though we would still recommend railroading a wide sofa run to avoid a seam across the main panel. Line curtains as standard; at 35,000 rubs, Isis is a genuinely hard-wearing choice for daily-use seating as well as curtains and blinds, and it wipes clean easily enough for a family room.

• Composition: 45% cotton, 45% viscose, 10% linen
• Width: 137 cm (54 in)
• Abrasion resistance: 35,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Suitable for: Curtains, upholstery
• Care: Dry clean professionally; do not wash, tumble dry, bleach or iron.
• Collection: Vintage Linen, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 2 (Ivory, Daffodil)