GP & J Baker | Reeves

Reeves is a woven semi-plain with a wide, shallow figure: 7 centimetres across and 4 up, which reads from a distance as a gentle horizontal movement in the cloth. It has a softer handle than its cotton content suggests, and the surface is matt enough that the figure shows as shadow rather than as sheen. In a pale colourway that is exactly what you want, because it gives a light cloth something to hold on to.

The blend is 40 per cent viscose, 27 per cent cotton, 18 per cent linen and 15 per cent polyester, woven 136 centimetres wide and tested to 25,000 rubs, which is light to general domestic use. The supplier rates it for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads, and we would follow that for chairs rather than for a sofa in daily service. Parchment is the colourway, a warm paper white.

We would use Reeves on a bedroom chair or an ottoman, as curtains in a sitting room, or on a headboard where the pattern reads as texture from the doorway. It sits happily with pale oak, cream plaster and aged brass, and it makes a good quiet ground for stronger cushions. In a dressing room it works as both curtain and stool. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

The 7 centimetre horizontal figure needs lining up across seams and across a pair of curtains, so add a repeat to each drop when you calculate. On an ottoman, centre the figure on the top and let the drop fall where it will rather than trying to match sides to top. Interline curtains: at this weight they will hang better with something behind them.

• Composition: 40% viscose, 27% cotton, 18% linen, 15% polyester
• Width: 136 cm (54 in)
• Pattern repeat: 4 cm vertical, 7 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 25,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Essential Colour III, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Parchment)