Nina Campbell | Kintail

Kintail draws an undulating snakeskin across the cloth, the scales dissolving into a rippling, almost watery texture as the pattern moves. Woven as a jacquard in silk and viscose, the design catches light along its curves, so the surface shifts as you move around it.

Woven in India at 140 centimetres, the cloth has the dry lustre silk brings and the fluid drape of viscose. A rub test of 15,000 points it towards curtains, blinds and occasional upholstery, cushions, a bedroom chair, a dressing-table stool, rather than the family sofa. It is a fabric for rooms used softly, where its sheen can answer lamplight.