Mulberry Home | Dress Circle Velvet

Dress Circle Velvet is a plain cotton and viscose velvet from Mulberry's Festival book, cut with a full, even pile and enough weight to hang or upholster with real confidence. It is a plain rather than a printed velvet, so its interest comes entirely from the depth of the pile and the way the colour shifts as the nap catches the light, which is exactly what a velvet like this is for. The name nods to the plush seating of a theatre circle, which is exactly the sort of formal, evening mood this cloth is built to suggest.

The composition is 55 per cent viscose and 45 per cent cotton, 137 centimetres wide, and tested to 50,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, so it is rated for upholstery as well as curtains and general use. There are three colourways: Teal is the coolest and most versatile, Sage the softest, and Red/Plum the richest, closer to a claret than a true red.

This is a velvet for the pieces that carry a room: a pair of curtains in a drawing room or a theatre-adjacent hallway, a fully upholstered armchair, or a headboard in a principal bedroom. Keep everything else around it plain or in a small print, since the velvet itself does the talking. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Velvet should always be cut with the pile running the same way on every piece, so mark the direction on each length before cutting, and brush it in one direction once made up so the nap sits consistently. It should be dry cleaned professionally, and never pressed directly, since a hot iron will crush the pile permanently.

• Composition: 55% viscose, 45% cotton
• Width: 137 cm (54 in)
• Pattern repeat: 67 cm vertical, 69 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 50,000 rubs (Martindale) - rated for upholstery
• Suitable for: Curtains, loose upholstery, fixed upholstery, bedspreads
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Festival Collection, Mulberry Home
• Colourways: 3 (Teal, Sage, Red/Plum)