Mulberry Home | Bohemian Velvet

Bohemian Velvet carries one of the ikat-inspired patterns from Bohemian Travels, a soft, blurred-edge motif printed onto a rich viscose and cotton velvet, the sort of pattern that looks as though the colour has bled gently into the pile rather than sitting sharply on top of it. It is the most travelled-looking cloth in the group, with the loose, well-worn character of a textile picked up on a journey rather than drawn to a strict repeat.

The pile is 60 per cent viscose, 30 per cent cotton and 10 per cent polyester, which gives it real depth of colour and a soft, heavy drape. It is 140 centimetres wide, with a 63 centimetre vertical repeat and a 35 centimetre horizontal one, and tested to 50,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, so it is rated for upholstery as well as curtains. It is recommended for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. There are two colourways: Fig/Sienna, a deep plum against a warm burnt orange, and Teal/Spice, a cooler blue-green against that same warm orange. Both read as rich rather than bright.

We would put it on a single, well-shaped armchair, a footstool, or a run of cushions on a plain linen sofa, and as curtains in a room where the colour can do the work on its own. A headboard in it, with plain linen bedding, is a good way to use a small amount to real effect. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

A making-up note: velvets have a nap as well as a repeat, so cut every piece in the same direction and allow one full 63 centimetre repeat per drop or per chair. Ask your upholsterer to steam rather than press, and to work with the pile running down the piece for the deepest colour. It must be dry cleaned professionally, and kept off a sun-facing sill.

• Composition: 60% viscose, 30% cotton, 10% polyester
• Width: 140 cm (55 in)
• Pattern repeat: 63 cm vertical, 35 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 50,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Suitable for: Curtains, loose upholstery, fixed upholstery, bedspreads
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Bohemian Travels, Mulberry Home
• Colourways: 2 (Fig/Sienna, Teal/Spice)