Mulberry Home | Firle

Firle is a printed linen with a folksy meadow of stylised tulips and bluebells standing in rows, drawn with the naivety of an embroidered sampler and printed on a pure linen ground. The horizontal repeat is the full width of the cloth, so a single width carries the whole design across it without interruption. Linen gives it a dry, slubby hand and the slightly irregular surface that makes a print look as if it has always been in the house.

The cloth is 100 per cent linen, 136 centimetres wide, with a 45 centimetre vertical repeat and a horizontal repeat of 136 centimetres. It is recommended for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. There is one colourway, Red/Green, a warm red and a leafy green on a natural linen ground that sits comfortably with brown furniture, brass and old rugs. If you want the same design on a wall, Firle Meadow in the wallpaper collection picks out the same flowers.

We would use it for curtains in a country kitchen or a family sitting room, where its cheerfulness earns its place, and for a loose cover on a small sofa. A blind in it above a butler's sink is a simple, good thing. It takes a stripe well: Awning Stripe in Green or Garden Stripe in Red/Green both sit alongside it. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

A making-up note: pure linen moves with humidity, so have curtains made with a little extra in the hem and allow it to settle before the final hem is set. Allow one 45 centimetre repeat per drop for matching. Loose covers should be pre-shrunk by your maker before cutting. It must be dry cleaned, not washed, which is worth knowing before you put it on a family sofa.

• Composition: 100% linen
• Width: 136 cm (54 in)
• Pattern repeat: 45 cm vertical, 136 cm horizontal
• Suitable for: Curtains, loose upholstery, fixed upholstery, bedspreads
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Garden Party, Mulberry Home
• Colourways: 1 (Red/Green)