Although we often flatter ourselves that human beings are imaginative, novel creatures, it’s remarkable how consistent our ideas about splendour have remained for thousands of years. The grave of a Neolithic chieftain and the apartment of a Manhattan- dwelling mogul would likely have much in common: ornamental accessories, precious metals (especially gold), finely carved wood and stone and, of course, silk.
In fact, silk has been the last word in luxury for millennia. It is said that the fi st time Queen Elizabeth I tried on a pair of silk stockings, she vowed that no other material would ever touch her feet. A 12th-century predecessor, King John I, was similarly enamoured. On his death, one of his properties, Corfe Castle, was found to contain 119 silk cloths from Hispania, 31 pieces of silk samite and four baldekins (rich textiles, usually made with silk and gold or silver thread), collectively worth £500 – literally a king’s ransom.
Silk’s material qualities are intrinsic to its appeal. It is a very soft, lustrous fabric, made from the cocoons of domesticated Bombyx mori silkworms. Although the origins of sericulture – the production of raw silk – are shrouded in legend, we know it originated in China sometime in the fourth millennium BCE. Each cocoon, once fully unravelled, yields a fine, creamy filament somewhere between 700 metres and a kilometre long. These are too thin to work with singly, so are twisted together with several others to make usable threads that can then be woven into textiles.
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The finished articles are renowned for their smooth feel against the skin, strength, in summer and warm in winter), capacity to take dyes and the way they interact with the light, giving off a nuanced and seductive sheen. There are many ways of preparing silk, but raw silk is the most natural, since it retains some of the sericin protein the silkworms secrete. This strengthens and protects the fibres and gives the finished product a slightly rustic, tactile texture.
Given all of this, raw silks are a sought-after addition to any interior that needs elevating. It can be subtle – accessories, curtains – but for true opulence, why not go all out? The design studio run by Italian film director and designer Luca Guadagnino covered the walls of a Milan apartment with raw silk in shades of biscuit, sand, ivory and beige. It was sourced from Dedar, whose ‘Fanfara’ collection (pictured top) features raw silk in a range of five classically neutral shades.
For something a little more daring in pattern, many of de Gournay’s popular wallcoverings are hand-painted onto silk and then backed with paper, making them easier to hang. The silk is available in 34 colours, one of which, a creamy off -white, is actually called ‘Wild Silk’. King John I wouldn’t have hesitated; nor should you.
