GP & J Baker | Kelway Silk

Kelway Silk is a textured weave from the Cosmopolitan collection, a mixed-fibre cloth built to give a plain-woven surface some depth and shine rather than to carry a printed or embroidered motif. With no repeat to match, it behaves as a true plain at the cutting table while still catching the light the way a silk-bearing cloth does. The name signals its place in the range: a companion plain meant to sit behind the collection's more decorated weaves and prints rather than compete with them.

The composition is 68 per cent viscose, 19 per cent linen, 7 per cent silk and 6 per cent acrylic, a blend chosen for hand and lustre over hard wear. It is 137 centimetres wide with no stated repeat, and GP & J Baker tested it to 18,000 Martindale rubs, specifying it for curtains and upholstery. There is one colourway, Ivory, a warm off-white that reads as a genuine neutral rather than a stark white.

We use it for curtains where a scheme wants texture and light without colour, and, given its rub count, for occasional rather than daily-use seating such as a bedroom chair or a footstool. Pair it with a stronger pattern from the same collection, since Ivory is quiet enough to sit behind almost anything, and it works equally well as the plain half of a two-fabric curtain with a contrast border. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

With no repeat to match, cutting is straightforward and wastage low. Line and interline curtains for a good fall, and keep upholstery use to lightly used pieces, since 18,000 rubs is a moderate figure rather than a heavy-duty one; a chair that earns its keep daily will outlast the cloth sooner than a bedroom chair would.

• Composition: 6% acrylic, 68% viscose, 19% linen, 7% silk
• Width: 137 cm (54 in)
• Abrasion resistance: 18,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Suitable for: Upholstery, Curtains
• Care: Dry clean professionally; do not wash, bleach or iron.
• Collection: Cosmopolitan, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Ivory)