Leith is a plain wool cloth, named for the Edinburgh docks, with the dense, dry hand of a proper Scottish wool rather than the softer blends elsewhere in the range. There is no repeat to speak of, just a fine, even surface with a slight sheen where the light catches the weave. It is a cloth for rooms that already have their pattern settled, on the walls or at the window, and simply need a good, hard-wearing plain to sit them on.
The composition is 95 per cent wool with 5 per cent nylon added for strength, 137 centimetres wide, and tested to 30,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, which puts it at the point we call rated for upholstery. There are two colourways, Forest, a deep, mossy green, and Teal, cooler and slightly more blue, both of which behave as neutrals against a floral or a check.
We would put it on a sofa or a pair of club chairs in a study or a sitting room with a checked wallpaper, or use it as curtains where the room already has enough pattern on the furniture. It also makes a hardwearing window-seat cushion. Pair Forest with Somerset Check, or Teal with one of the Bruton weaves. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
A making-up note: with no repeat, order as you would any plain wool, though it is worth buying a little extra for a large sofa so that any natural variation in the dye lot can be cut from one length. At 30,000 rubs it earns its place on a piece of furniture that gets used daily. Dry clean only, and avoid direct, unfiltered sun on a plain, which shows fading faster than a print.
-
Composition: 95% wool, 5% nylon
-
Width: 137 cm (54 in)
-
Abrasion resistance: 30,000 rubs (Martindale)
-
Suitable for: Curtains, loose upholstery, fixed upholstery, bedspreads
-
Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
-
Collection: Festival Collection, Mulberry Home
-
Colourways: 2 (Forest, Teal)
