GP & J Baker | Tavistock

Tavistock is a large woven design, 27 centimetres up the cloth and 17.5 across, which puts one full figure roughly every quarter metre in both directions. That is the scale at which a pattern starts to organise a room, and because the colour is woven in it has a depth that a print of the same design would not. The cloth is medium weight, firm enough for a seat and soft enough to pleat.

It is 38 per cent cotton, 38 per cent viscose and 24 per cent polyester, woven 139 centimetres wide and tested to 31,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, which covers curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads in normal domestic use. The colourway is Soft Red/Green, a warm faded red worked against a soft green, the two close enough in weight that the design reads as one warm tone from a distance.

We would use Tavistock for a pair of long curtains, for a headboard with the figure centred, or on a single armchair in a room of plains. It suits a dining room with panelled walls, and it sits well with dark oak, brass and a plain green. Do not put it against another pattern of similar scale; give it plains and let it carry the scheme. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Add one full 27 centimetre repeat to every drop for matching, which on a standard curtain drop is a noticeable addition, so measure carefully before ordering. Centre the figure on each curtain and on the front of any seat cushion. On a headboard, set the design out on paper first: a large repeat that lands badly against a bed frame is difficult to put right once cut.

• Composition: 38% cotton, 38% viscose, 24% polyester
• Width: 139 cm (55 in)
• Pattern repeat: 27 cm vertical, 17.5 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 31,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Essential Colour III, GP & J Baker
• Colourways: 1 (Soft Red/Green)