Classic Checkerboard Cotton Towel

The checkerboard is the least fussy pattern there is, which is why it never dates. Here it is woven at a generous scale in five muted colourways — flint, goldenrod, sea green, lilac and steel blue — each paired with undyed cotton so the contrast stays soft rather than graphic. Hung on a rail, it does the work of a patterned tile without any commitment.

The cloth is combed cotton in a jacquard weave, with the check formed by alternating loop direction rather than by dye. That structure gives the towel a subtle relief you can feel, adds surface area for absorbency, and means the pattern cannot fade off. It is pre-washed, so most shrinkage has already happened and it arrives soft.

Choose the 35 x 75 cm hand towel for basins and cloakrooms or the 70 x 140 cm bath towel for daily use; mixing two colours across the two sizes is the easiest way to make a bathroom look considered. Wash at 40°C without fabric softener and tumble dry on low to lift the loops. The muted palette is deliberate: these are colours that sit against grey, cream and green tiling rather than demanding a bathroom be redecorated around them.

• Jacquard-woven checkerboard in combed cotton
• Colours: flint, goldenrod, sea green, lilac, steel blue
• Sizes: hand towel 35 x 75 cm, bath towel 70 x 140 cm
• Pre-washed and pre-softened
• Textured weave for absorbency and fast drying
• Machine wash at 40°C; avoid fabric softener