Charlton Check is the widest-set of the Bruton checks, a woven windowpane in viscose and linen where the grid is spaced at 70 centimetres across the width, so the effect is calm and architectural rather than busy. The viscose gives the cloth a soft lustre and a smooth, fluid hand; the linen keeps it dry and crisp. Bruton Weaves is Mulberry's textural collection, drawn from the stone paths and garden walls of Somerset, and this is its most restful design.
The composition is 57 per cent viscose, 30 per cent linen and 13 per cent polyester. It is 140 centimetres wide with a 29.5 centimetre vertical repeat and a 70 centimetre horizontal one, and it is tested to 23,000 rubs, which is fine for curtains and general domestic upholstery. Five colourways: Blue/Red and Red/Green are two-colour checks with a bit of life to them; Espresso and Spice are single, warm tones; Aqua/Russet is the unexpected one. Blue/Red is our pick for a study.
We would use it for curtains in a dining room or a library, where the wide grid suits the proportions of a tall window, and for a bedspread or a throw-over cover on a bedroom armchair. It is also a good back and outside-arm cloth on a sofa fronted in a Garden Party floral. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
A check this open has to be matched with real care, so allow a full repeat per drop and ask your maker to place the vertical lines symmetrically on each curtain and to line up the horizontals across the pair. The viscose content means it will crease if it is folded, so ask for it to be delivered rolled. Dry clean only.
