5 Fabrics for a showstopper sofa

 

　　One of the skills most often associated with interior design is knowledge of fabrics and textures (but let's be clear, that is a tiny, TINY part of what we do as interior designers!).

 

　　The sofa is the king of the living room furniture and is essential to get it right. We can easily spend hours on the sofa - watching TV, playing with kids and pets, having coffee with friends, snuggling with a book, having dinner (yes, we shouldn't and I love my dining table, but hey, got to live a little - it's my idea of guilty pleasure). The trick is - there are thousands of sofas out there. People would go and spend months choosing the right one, yet when they do, they will sometimes order it from a fabric they've only seen on screen. Noooo! Stop. Call your shop, and order samples. Touch the fabric, even try scratching it with your key. Look at it in different lights and angles. Give it to your dog to chew on. Place it next to your other materials, such as floor and wall finishes, leave it for a while, and see how much you still like it after a few days. It is essential to get a fabric that suits your style, will wear well, and is the right fit for your prefered use.

 

　　I've got a few go-to fabrics when I want a real centerpiece sofa that will look great, but also feel like heaven when you sit into it!

 

　　1. Velvet

 

　　Who doesn't love the luxurious feel of velvet tickling your skin? Yet I bet no one likes the look of saggy, patchy or discoloured velvet. So when using velvet you need to do some research. Velvet upholstery fabric is durable and strong, which makes it perfect for upholstering chairs, sofas, benches, and headboards. It actually comes in different compositions and price points. Cotton is soft and natural and usually comes in lots of colours to choose from. In terms of price and durability, some polyester velvets perform better, and are often stain resistant - so you can use them even in high traffic areas or with kids and pets. And the king of all velvets is the Mohair, made of angora goat hair. It has a rougher but more expressed texture than other velvets, looks and feels extremely opulent, but also costs more than the rest. If you're in the UK, a couple of ranges I use on regular basis are Omega from Linwoods for an affordable high performance one, and Kvadrat Haakon 2 / Harald 3 for a natural one. Or go crazy with this one, it will basically make your sofa look and feel like a goat. Definitely a statement, if pulled off with the rest of the room. Regardless, always make sure that the backing is coloured in the same colour as the velvet.

 

　　2. Oversized pattern

 

　　I am obsessed with using large scale graphic patterns, especially more unusual ones. It makes the sofa look like a piece of art. They range from classic to very edgy ones. When you find one you like, check what the base material is, what the rubs are (I aim for more than 40,000 to be on the safe side), what's it's fade resistance and how is it cleanable. And always order a larger sample so you can see the pattern to scale and are sure it works for you.

 

　　3. Faux leather*

 

　　Leather is not the most practical solution for a sofa. It can be cold to touch, and get sticky after 2 hours of use; it can also age in a way that is only suited to a pub. And, well, it's leather, so there's he ethical element to it.

 

　　PU leather is actually much worse. It is the faux leather most shops will offer, and it is composed of a few layers of Polyurethane. It is stain resistant, but that's about where it's appeal ends for me. It also chips and peels around the edges in the most frustrating way.

 

　　So you might be wondering why am i featuring faux leather at all? Enter Ultraleather - it's an american company that is widely used in the automobile industry, and they got it right. Their products (or at least some of them) look like real leather, but come in loads of colours, and are extremely soft to the touch. They also have a 3d stretch ability, which means they look better when you upholster with them, and they DO NOT CHIP. Yesss. So that's it - my go-to leather equivalent.

 

　　For colours, I prefer the more subtle and natural ones - avoiding bright white leather sofa and I’m yet to see a black leather sofa that doesn’t look sleazy. Tan, cognac, soft white, warm grey, even dusty lilac, deep green - as long as they're not primary they can look great. And mustard, for the very special quirky space where you need a POP.

 

　　Leave a comment if you know of other Faux Leather options you're happy with, I'd love to have more alternatives

 

　　4. Wool

 

　　You can get great colours; go to the Scandinavian route and have the nordic appeal; but it can also come is very sharp variations. I love what the guys from Bute do, they are a Scottish family business and in their collection they have fabrics that range from ultra traditional boucle and tartans, to very minimalist and contemporary. Kvadrat have many iconic wool fabrics too, like their ultra flexible Canvas range. Wool is naturally fire retardant, big plus if you work on commercial projects. Avoid if someone has allergies thought and opt for a synthetic alternative.

 

　　5. Ultra-textured fabrics

 

　　The final idea I'll give you is to use a very textured fabric, especially if everything else around is quite flat. These might vary from a large boucle that has a traditional and high-end look, to a more contemporary fabric like the ones Febrik do. They add softness, variety, complexity, yet can be quite neutral if you use a plain colour. Companies like Moroso have got it right - a single look at their sofas makes me want to collapse in one of them!