Tetbury is a cotton velvet with a short, dense pile and a quiet matt surface rather than a high shine. Run a hand across it and the pile moves, shading light one way and dark the other, which is what gives a plain velvet its depth. There is no pattern to place, so the cloth reads as colour and texture alone, which is the reason we keep coming back to it when a room already has enough going on.
The composition is 92 per cent cotton with 8 per cent polyester, which holds the pile upright and steadies the cloth in wear. It runs 140 centimetres wide, has no pattern repeat to allow for, and is rated at 50,000 rubs on the Martindale test, so it is a general domestic upholstery cloth rather than a curtain-only velvet. Twenty-seven colourways run from Parchment, Plaster, Dove and Camel through Taupe, Mole, Cocoa, Espresso and Chestnut, into Pumpkin, Spice, Ochre, Tuscan Red, Damson and Aubergine, then on to Olive, Moss, Eucalyptus, Lime, Spruce, Emerald, Teal, Peacock, Baltic, Ink, Woodsmoke and Ebony. The darker shades are the safest starting point in a bright room; the pale neutrals shade far more visibly.
We use it for headboards and ottomans, where the pile catches light at close range, and for a pair of armchairs when a scheme needs weight without pattern. It also makes generous interlined curtains that hold their folds. Pair it with a plain linen and one woven stripe rather than a second velvet. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
Velvet has a nap, so every piece must be cut running the same way or two panels will read as different colours. We run the pile downwards on curtains so it sheds dust, and upwards on seating for richer colour. Allow for that direction when you order, and ask your upholsterer to steam rather than press.
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Composition: 92% Cotton 8% Polyester
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Width: 140 cm (55 in)
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Abrasion resistance: 50,000 rubs (Martindale)
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Care: Dry clean only
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Collection: Tetbury Velvet, GP & J Baker
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Colourways: 27 (Camel, Taupe, Parchment, Mole, Espresso, Cocoa, Pumpkin, Spice, Chestnut, Plaster, Tuscan Red, Damson, Aubergine, Teal, Baltic, Ink, Olive, Lime, Eucalyptus, Emerald, Peacock, Moss, Spruce, Ochre, Dove, Woodsmoke, Ebony)
