Lee Jofa | Wells Texture

Wells Texture is a plain-looking cloth that rewards a closer look. There is no printed or woven motif to speak of, just a mixed-fibre surface with the small irregularities that linen and cotton bring, softened by viscose. In a room it behaves like a good plain: it settles quietly, takes the light unevenly across the surface and avoids the flat, slightly dead look that a single-fibre solid can have. It is the kind of cloth we reach for when the furniture itself is the point.

The composition is 54% viscose, 21% cotton, 18% linen and 7% polyester, and the width is 140 cm. There is no pattern repeat to consider, which keeps cutting and planning simple. It is sold for upholstery and sits in the Northwood Weaves collection, in four colourways: Stone, Ember, Lake and Willow. The viscose gives the cloth its soft drape and gentle sheen, while the linen and cotton give it some grip and character underneath.

We would use it on a deep-seated sofa where you want a calm, tonal surface, on a pair of armchairs set either side of a fireplace, or on a footstool or pouffe that needs to match a larger piece without copying it. Stone and Willow are easy neighbours for natural oak, wool rugs and limewashed walls. Lake and Ember are for rooms with a little more colour. We often pair a plain like this with a patterned weave on the cushions, so the sofa stays restful.

As there is no repeat, quantities are driven only by the dimensions of the piece, and you can railroad the cloth where the design of the furniture suits it. Because the fibres are mixed, we would ask your upholsterer to keep every panel running in the same direction so the sheen reads evenly. Ask for a larger sample length before committing to a whole sofa, and view it in the room at different times of day.