GP & J Baker | Nympheus Velvet

Nympheus is one of GP & J Baker's documentary archive designs, a water-lily pattern drawn from the House's print archive and reworked here as a velvet rather than a print. The lily pads and flowers sit at a generous scale, a 90 by 68.5 centimetre repeat, so the motif reads clearly across a curtain or a chair back rather than dissolving into texture, and the pile gives the design a depth a flat print could never manage.

The ground is 60 per cent viscose, 30 per cent cotton and 10 per cent polyester, which lets the velvet take the pattern's colour with real saturation. It is 137 centimetres wide, with a 90 centimetre vertical and 68.5 centimetre horizontal repeat, and GP & J Baker tested it to 50,000 Martindale rubs, which is rated for upholstery as well as curtains. Four colourways: Indigo, Emerald, Charcoal and Spice; Indigo and Emerald are the two we turn to most, since both let the archive motif read clearly without overwhelming a room.

We use it for a pair of armchairs or a substantial sofa where the archive pattern and the velvet pile can both be appreciated, and it makes striking curtains in a formal room with the height to show a full repeat. Pair it with a plain linen or a fine stripe in one of its four tones, and keep other pattern in the room to a minimum. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Allow a full 90 centimetre repeat per drop and centre the motif on the main seat and back panels of any upholstered piece before cutting. Velvet wants pile-direction care: keep all sections running the same way, and have curtains steamed rather than pressed. At 50,000 rubs it is a genuinely hard-wearing choice for daily-use seating.

• Composition: 60% viscose, 30% cotton, 10% polyester
• Width: 137 cm (54 in)
• Pattern repeat: 90 cm vertical, 68.5 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 50,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Suitable for: Upholstery, Curtains
• Care: Dry clean professionally; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Signature Velvets, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 4 (Indigo, Emerald, Charcoal, Spice)