Mulberry Home | Shetland Plaid

Shetland Plaid is a woven wool check, the fabric companion to the Mulberry paper of the same name, translating the same soft, brushed tartan into a proper furnishing wool. We find the heathered ground reads almost as a solid colour from across a room, resolving into the check only up close. The pure wool yarn gives the check a heathered, slightly irregular colour that a blended cloth never quite achieves, and it has real weight in the hand, closer to an estate tweed than a lightweight plaid.

It is 100 per cent wool, 150 centimetres wide, with a 35 centimetre vertical repeat and a 29.5 centimetre horizontal one. Tested to 24,000 rubs on the Martindale scale, it is recommended for curtains and both loose and fixed upholstery. There are six colourways: Heather, a soft lilac-grey; Blue, cool and clean; Lovat, a tweedy green; Teal, richer and cooler; Russet, warm and rust-toned; and Quartz, the palest and most neutral. Heather is the one that gives a room real character without shouting.

We would put this on a wing chair, a footstool or a window seat in a study, snug or bedroom, or hang it as curtains in a room that wants real winter warmth. It pairs naturally with the matching Shetland Plaid wallpaper in the same colourway, which is a properly considered way to dress a small room. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

A making-up note: pure wool has more give than a blended cloth, so ask your upholsterer to handle it accordingly and set the check square on any seat or back panel. Allow a little extra for matching the check across a pair of curtains. Steam rather than press it, to keep the weave's texture from flattening under an iron. Dry clean only, never washed.

• Composition: 100% wool
• Width: 150 cm (59 in)
• Pattern repeat: 35 cm vertical, 29.5 cm horizontal
• Abrasion resistance: 24,000 rubs (Martindale)
• Suitable for: Curtains, loose upholstery, fixed upholstery
• Care: Dry clean only; do not wash, bleach or iron
• Collection: Bohemian Romance, Mulberry Home
• Colourways: 6 (Heather, Blue, Lovat, Teal, Russet, Quartz)