Mulberry Home | Monroe

Monroe is the subtle plain in Mulberry's Croft Weaves book, a smart, softly textured cloth rather than a flat one, woven with just enough interest in the surface to catch the light without ever reading as a pattern. It is the sort of fabric a good scheme is built on: quiet enough to sit behind a floral or a check, but with too much texture to be mistaken for a basic plain.

The composition is 57 per cent viscose, 18 per cent polyester, 18 per cent linen and 7 per cent cotton, a blend that gives the cloth its soft, slightly lustrous hand. It is 140 centimetres wide and tested to 20,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, which suits general curtain and upholstery use in a normal household. There are six colourways, from cool to warm: Blue and Stone are the quiet neutrals, Parchment the palest, and Emerald, Ochre and Red bring in more colour where a scheme needs it.

We use Monroe as the backing cloth of a scheme: the outside arms and back of a sofa fronted in a bolder Mulberry print, a pair of curtains in a room with a patterned wallpaper, or upholstery on dining chairs that need to disappear a little. It pairs easily with any of the Croft Weaves or with a Garden Party floral in a related colour. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

As a woven plain there is no motif to match, so cutting is straightforward and waste is low. For upholstery, run the weave in the same direction across a suite of furniture so the light catches it consistently, and have it dry cleaned rather than washed, since the viscose content can mark with water.

• Composition: 57% viscose, 18% polyester, 18% linen, 7% cotton
• Width: 140 cm (55 in)
• Abrasion resistance: 20,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Suitable for: Curtains, loose upholstery, fixed upholstery, bedspreads
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Croft Weaves, Mulberry Home
• Colourways: 6 (Blue, Parchment, Stone, Emerald, Ochre, Red)