Morning Gallop Linen is a printed equestrian design, horses caught mid-stride across a pure linen ground in the loose, sketched hand Mulberry uses for its country scenes rather than anything stiff or heraldic. The linen gives the print a dry, slightly irregular surface that suits a picture like this, softening the outline the way an old engraving softens with age. It is a fabric with a story to tell, which is why we tend to give it a room of its own.
It is 100 per cent linen, 142 centimetres wide, with a 47 centimetre vertical repeat and a 71 centimetre horizontal one, and it is recommended for curtains and both loose and fixed upholstery. There are three colourways: Grey/Sand, the coolest and most neutral; Blue/Sand, fresher and a little more youthful; and Antique, on a warm, tea-toned ground that flatters old furniture. Antique is the one we would choose for a room with existing brown wood.
We would use it for a pair of curtains in a hall, a study or a boot room, somewhere the subject suits the setting, or as a loose cover on a single armchair rather than a whole sofa. It also makes a good Roman blind in a room with equestrian pictures already on the wall. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
A making-up note: with a 47 centimetre repeat, allow one extra repeat per drop so the horses land whole rather than cut at the hem, and ask your maker to keep the animals upright and running the same direction across a pair of curtains. Pure linen will need a season to settle after making up. Dry clean only.
