Mulberry Home | Game Birds Velvet

Game Birds Velvet prints a flush of pheasants and partridges, wings caught mid-flight, onto a soft cotton velvet ground, in the same sporting tradition as the brand's duck prints but with a slightly denser, more painterly hand. It belongs to Bohemian Romance, and the velvet ground gives the birds real warmth and depth, especially in the richer colourways.

The pile is 88 per cent cotton and 12 per cent polyester, 134 centimetres wide, with a 58 centimetre vertical repeat and a 67 centimetre horizontal one, and tested to 38,000 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 three colourways: Fig/Multi and Stone/Multi both bring several colours into the flock, one on a deep plum ground and one on a pale neutral; Forest is the single-colour version, the most restrained of the three.

We would put Forest on a wing chair or a study sofa, where it reads almost as a plain from a distance, and Fig/Multi or Stone/Multi on a single statement chair or a pair of curtains where the birds can be properly seen. It also makes a fine footstool or a run of cushions on a plain wool sofa. 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 with the pile running the same way and allow a full 58 centimetre repeat per drop or per chair. Ask your upholsterer to centre a bird, rather than a gap, on the inside back and seat. It must be dry cleaned professionally, and steamed rather than pressed.

• Composition: 88% cotton, 12% polyester
• Width: 134 cm (53 in)
• Pattern repeat: 58 cm vertical, 67 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 38,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Suitable for: Curtains, loose upholstery, fixed upholstery, bedspreads
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Bohemian Romance, Mulberry Home
• Colourways: 3 (Fig/Multi, Stone/Multi, Forest)