The upholstery protects furniture from daily wear and enhances its aesthetic appeal. It ensures a longer furniture lifespan by supporting the structural integrity. But that’s all possible when you get the right upholstery fabric, keeping your furniture type and its placement. Otherwise, you can’t benefit from upholstery.
In this article, Yalla Upholstery will share some great tips that truly help you choose the best upholstery fabrics for every furniture type. By following our tips, you’ll end up getting fabrics that enhance your upholstery appearance and show cohesiveness with existing themes and decor. So, let’s start with it.
Tips To Select The Best Upholstery Fabrics For Furniture
We compiled a range of factors to find fabrics for furniture upholstery and listed only the most effective ones below. They are applicable whether you’re going for indoor or outdoor furniture upholstery.
- Consider Furniture Type
- Pet-Friendly Nature
- Non-Pilling Fabrics
- Wear-Resistant Features
- Strong Weaving Patterns
- Skirting Compatible
- Cohesive Prints & Patterns
- Theme Cohesive Fabric
Consider Furniture Type
Is your furniture item indoor or outdoor? It influences the selection of upholstery fabrics. That’s due to the different weather effects on indoor and outdoor settings. For indoor furniture items, getting plush fabrics such as velvet or linen might be good.
Similarly, outdoor furniture items require fabrics with complex weaving structures that can bear prolonged exposure to UV rays, prevent fading, and fiber weakening. For example, sunbrella, or olefin fabrics, for lounger and chair upholstery.
Pet-Friendly Nature
Whether you’re going for sofa or headboard upholstery, consider the pet-friendly fabric nature. Your upholstery fabric should resist the pet claw scratches to offer maximum longevity and remain sustainable. Some fabrics are treated with specialized coatings to prevent scratches from kids & pets. In contrast, some fabrics are naturally resistant to scratches.
Non-Pilling Fabrics
Pilling causes fuzzy balls to form on fabric surfaces. It happens due to the weak weaving patterns and inappropriate fiber length. Any fabric prone to pilling offers less durability, compromises aesthetics, and is rough. We recommend you get fabrics that strongly prevent pilling for longevity and an aesthetically appealing look.
Wear-Resistant Features
The upholstery fabric must be resistant to daily wear and tear, such as moisture damage, dirt & dust, and stain marks. It should prevent scratches to avoid fraying and shedding to enhance longevity. A lot of people ignore the flame retardant features of fabrics, which they should not. We recommend you properly confirm with manufacturers or providers about all features before buying.
Strong Weaving Patterns
The upholstery fabric must feature strong weaving patterns to prevent gradual deterioration. Every fabric has its own nature and specialty to tackle outdoor moisture, fraying, and shedding over time. However, the fabrics with strong weaving patterns, such as twill and brocade, are always durable to wear and tear.
Some quality features of fabrics with strong weaving patterns:
- Resistant to creasing
- Wear & tear resistant
- Heat insulation
- Avoid abrasion
- Air permeability
Consult with your provider and ensure the strong weaving structure of the fabric before you purchase.
Skirting Compatible
Skirting protects the sides of your furniture and enhances its visual appeal. But not every fabric shows compatibility with this styling method. We recommend you first ensure that the fabric is compatible with skirting or not (if you want this upholstery style). There are various skirting styles you can go with, including pleated skirt, straight skirt, fringe skirt, waterfall skirt, and gathered skirt.
In our opinion, velvet and linen are the most recommended upholstery fabrics that are compatible with skirting. However, you can also go for cotton and silk fabric types for upholstering furniture items.
Cohesive Patterns & Prints
Upholstery enhances your furniture’s visual appeal, so you must choose cohesive fabrics to complement the decor. Beyond colors, consider the prints and patterns of the existing interior theme.
Inspect whether you have floral or geometric prints, abstract or stripe patterns, and more. After that, choose the compelling fabrics for upholstery. You can completely customize the fabrics for a personalized look.
Theme Cohesive Fabric
You may have a traditional, coastal, rustic, or minimalist theme. You must get fabrics that complement your specific interior theme to enhance attractiveness. According to our expert interior designers, every theme has its compatible fabric colors, prints, and textures. For example, classic themes show compatibility with bold colors and complex patterns.
Similarly, minimalist themes feature light colors and simple patterns. However, you can customize everything from scratch to achieve a desired appearance.
Wrapping Up!
Finally, we shared the best methods to choose upholstery fabrics for every furniture type in this article. You must consider the weaving patterns of fabrics because they influence longevity and are responsible for effective resistance against scratches and spills. Getting cohesive fabrics with your existing interior color palettes and textures can enhance the attractive appearance.
Your fabrics must be skirting compatible for styling, non-pilling in nature, and wear-resistant. And yes, you should consider the pet-friendly nature of fabrics if you have pets in your space. Lastly, do not forget to consider the furniture placement because it decides which upholstery fabric is right for you. Follow our tips to ensure the best upholstery fabrics for your furniture items.
