Fabric libraries to look through in person, from the houses we buy from directly. This is the part of a scheme that is almost impossible to do from a screen: weight, drape, sheen and how a colour shifts between daylight and lamplight are all things you have to see.
Sample books stay in the showroom permanently, so you can come back and look again with a paint chip, a cushion or a photograph of the room. Fabrics themselves are ordered in once chosen.
We are happy for people to browse the libraries as part of thinking a room through, whether or not the curtains are the next thing being ordered.
How to judge a fabric
Weight and drape first. Hold a length up rather than looking at it flat: a fabric that looks beautiful on the table can hang badly, and one that looks unremarkable in the book can fall perfectly. Anything for curtains needs to be seen vertically.
Then the way it handles light. A weave with a slub or a sheen will change through the day, which is usually what people want and occasionally is not. Hold it against the window rather than against the wall, because a curtain spends most of its life backlit.
Pattern repeat affects quantity. A large repeat means more fabric to match across widths, and that can move a price more than the price per metre does. It is worth knowing before you fall in love with something.
Take samples home
Every fabric can go home with you, and it should. Showroom lighting is designed to make things look good, which is precisely the problem. Look at a sample against your own wall, in daylight and again under the lamps you actually use in the evening.
Where a room is being done properly the fabric is chosen alongside the wallpaper, the carpet and the paint rather than before them. That is what the showroom is for: all of it on the table at once.
Seeing it in person
The showroom is at York House on Vicarage Lane in Bowdon, open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. An appointment helps but is not necessary. It is a retail showroom and you are welcome to walk in.
Questions we get asked
Can we take samples away?
Yes, and there is no charge. Large samples can usually be ordered for anything you are serious about.
Do you hold stock?
Fabric is ordered in for each project. Holding stock would mean a narrower range and older collections.
Can you tell us how much we need?
Yes. Bring the window measurements, or we will measure on site, and the quantity is calculated with the repeat and the heading allowed for.
Fabrics we stock and order in
A sample of the range. Weight and drape decide more than pattern does, and neither reads from a photograph, so take samples home and look at them against your own light.
