Plush Velvet Samples

Velvet is never quite one colour. Brush the pile in one direction and it deepens; brush it back and it lifts and catches the light. That shifting quality is the whole appeal of the cloth, and it is also why a flat photograph of a velvet bed so rarely matches the piece once it is standing in a room.

A swatch settles it. Tilt it, move around it, hold it upright the way the cloth will sit on a headboard, then lay it flat the way it will run across a surround. Between those positions you will see the full range the fabric is capable of — the darkest reading and the lightest — and you can decide whether you want that drama at the head of your bed.

Worth knowing before you order: every bed is upholstered to order from its own roll, so pile direction and roll variation mean the finished piece will sit close to the sample rather than exactly on it. The tolerance we work to is listed in the specifications.

• See how the pile shifts between light and shade before you choose
• Check the colour upright and flat, as it will sit on the finished bed
• Compare it with the other fabrics on your shortlist at home
• A small step that avoids a large surprise on a made-to-order bed