Threads | Atacama

Atacama is a wide-width sheer from the Threads Meridian collection, woven with a mix of polyacrylic, polyester and a little linen. It is a plain, open cloth with a dry, slightly slubbed texture that reads like a natural linen voile but hangs straighter and holds its shape better, and it filters light rather than blocking it, so a room feels soft and diffused by day and private at night. At 296 centimetres wide it is designed to be railroaded, so most windows can be curtained without a seam.

The composition is 6 per cent linen, 53 per cent polyacrylic and 41 per cent polyester on a 296 centimetre width, with no pattern repeat. The page lists it for curtains; it is a sheer, so it is not a blind or upholstery cloth. It comes in a single colourway, Parchment, a warm off-white that sits between chalk and string and works with almost any wall colour, and being mostly synthetic it can be machine washed cool, which is rare for a cloth that looks this natural.

We tend to use Atacama as the inner layer of a double-track window treatment, with a heavier curtain or blind behind it, or on its own across a long run of glazing in a living room or kitchen where the width means no joins. It pairs well with a textured linen curtain from Quintessential Naturals and with the Meridian Velvet on the seating. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.

Because the cloth is 296 centimetres wide it is railroaded: the width becomes the drop, and you buy the length of your track, times the fullness, rather than a number of drops. Use a weighted hem so the folds hang straight, ask your maker for a fine, dense heading tape, and machine wash cool on a minimum wash or dry clean; do not tumble dry or bleach, and use a cool iron only.

• Composition: 53% polyacrylic, 41% polyester, 6% linen
• Width: 296 cm (117 in), wide width, railroaded
• Suitable for: Curtains, sheers
• Care: Machine wash cool on a minimum wash or dry clean professionally; do not tumble dry or bleach, cool iron only
• Collection: Meridian, Threads
• Colourways: 1 (Parchment)