GP & J Baker | Rockbird Signature

Rockbird is one of the great GP & J Baker archive prints: long-tailed birds perched on rockwork among flowering shrubs, drawn in the chinoiserie manner at a scale that fills a wall of curtain. The Signature version prints it on pure linen in updated colours. With a 104 centimetre vertical repeat and a horizontal repeat that spans the full width, it is a design to plan a room around rather than add to one. It is a fabric for a big room, a tall window and a client with nerve.

The cloth is 100 per cent linen, 122 centimetres wide, with a 104 centimetre vertical and 122 centimetre horizontal repeat. It is rated at 20,000 rubs on the Martindale test and specified for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. Five colourways: Teal, Indigo, Soft Blue, Ochre and Multi. Multi is the closest to the original document; Teal and Indigo are single-colour readings that are easier to place; Soft Blue is the gentlest; Ochre the warmest.

We use it for full-length curtains in a drawing room, hung with a simple heading so the birds are not lost in folds, and on the inside backs of a pair of armchairs. It is also a fine bedhead fabric. Pair with a plain velvet or linen and Moreton Trellis. In a smaller room it can work on the headboard alone, with plain curtains. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Plan carefully: the repeat is over a metre, so allow a full repeat per drop, decide which bird sits at eye level, and expect some waste. The 122 centimetre width is narrower than usual, so check the number of widths per curtain. Line and interline; dry clean only.

• Composition: 100% linen
• Width: 122 cm (48 in)
• Pattern repeat: 104 cm vertical, 122 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 20,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Signature Prints, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 5 (Teal, Indigo, Soft Blue, Ochre, Multi)