Shetland Plaid is a woollen plaid translated onto paper: a soft, slightly brushed-looking check with the texture of a tweed drawn into it, so the wall reads as cloth rather than as a printed grid. It is printed on a non-woven paper, which means the surface is smooth and the roll is easy to handle. It brings a warmth to a room that a plain paint cannot, and it has that clubby, country-house feel Mulberry does so well.
The paper is 100 per cent non-woven, 52 centimetres wide, with a 28.5 centimetre vertical repeat. There are six colourways: Antique and Quartz are the pale, neutral options; Espresso and Russet are the deep, warm ones for a snug or a study; Lovat is the tweedy grey-green; and Teal is the one with a bit more colour in it. Because it is a check, it is worth ordering a sample to judge how strongly the grid reads at full size.
We would use it on all four walls of a study or a boot room, where its texture does the decorating, or on the wall behind a bed with a plain linen headboard. It is also very good in a downstairs loo with dark woodwork. Pair it with one of the Bruton checks on a chair and a plain wool curtain. Sold by the roll; order a sample before committing to a full room.
Hanging note: as a non-woven paper it is usually pasted to the wall and hung dry, but check the maker's leaflet in the roll for the paste and match instruction, and take care to keep the check plumb and level from the first drop. On a standard 10 metre roll, allow three to four drops at 2.4 metres, so a 4 metre wall needs three rolls. Buy all rolls from one batch.
Composition: 100% non-woven
Roll width: 52 cm (20 in)
Pattern repeat: 28.5 cm vertical
Suitable for: Wallcovering
Care: Spongeable; follow the manufacturer's hanging and care guide
