Zinc | Fontwell

Fontwell is a tactile thing. Viscose leads the blend, giving the surface a low sheen and a cool first touch, and then cotton and linen come in underneath and roughen it up again so it never feels slick. The result sits somewhere between a velvet and a heavy linen without being either. A small repeat runs up the piece, close enough together that it reads as worked texture rather than pattern, and it catches light along the horizontal so the cloth changes depending on where you stand.

The composition is 45% VI viscose, 26% CO cotton, 20% LI linen and 9% PC acrylic, woven to a 147 centimetre width with a 12.5 centimetre vertical repeat. It carries a Martindale rating of 30,000 rubs, graded severe domestic, which covers a sofa in normal family use. The five colourways are saturated rather than soft: Malbec, a deep wine red; Ochre, dusty and warm; Ocean, a smoky blue-green; Smoke, the grey of the set; and Natural, an undyed-looking oatmeal.

We use Fontwell on the pieces people touch. An occasional chair, a footstool, a window seat cushion, the inside back of a small two-seater. At 147 centimetres it is generous enough to cover a large ottoman without seaming the top. Malbec against dark timber is an easy win; Natural does the opposite job and lets a sculptural frame be the subject. Order a sample to see it in your own light.

Warn your upholsterer that the surface has a direction. Every piece on a single item must be cut running the same way, or one panel will read lighter than the next under the same lamp. The 12.5 centimetre repeat is small enough that matching uses little extra cloth, but allow a repeat on each cut anyway. On a deep-buttoned piece the texture closes neatly into the buttons. Avoid steaming it flat; brush the surface back up instead.

• Composition: 45% VI 26% CO 20% LI 9% PC
• Width: 147 cm
• Pattern repeat: 12.5 cm vertical
• Martindale: 30,000 rubs — severe domestic
• Suitable for: Curtains, blinds, upholstery
• Care: Dry clean recommended
• Collection: Zinc Textile x MHD, Zinc
• Colourways: 5 (Malbec, Ochre, Natural, Smoke, Ocean)