When you’re considering re-upholstering a piece of furniture, identifying the fabric to recover it in can be a fun and enjoyable aspect of recovering your piece, or it can be fraught with indecision. I’ve assembled a few tips from an upholsterer’s perspective on what to consider when selecting fabric for your soon-to-be-recovered piece of furniture.
Durability and Feel
The vinyl seat on this rocker provides lasting durability and ease of cleaning.
Consider how your piece of furniture will be used -- is it a vintage settee placed in a room that is rarely used, or a couch in the family rec room? Some common types of upholstery fabric offer different levels of durability, which also informs on how the fabric feels to the touch and how it interacts with your piece.
Cotton prints offer a multitude of designs, but the relatively thin fabric is better suited for a show piece rather than a work horse. Cotton works well with pieces that have finer details such as tufting or channeling.
Polyester blends offer more strength and durability than cotton and also come in a variety of patterns and colors. Its always best to be able to feel the fabric that you’re considering choosing for your piece, especially in the case of polyesters. Some of these fabrics are soft, smooth, or almost furry, while others are a little rougher, thicker, and woven more for hard use than for comfort.
Canvas and vinyl are both great fabrics for durability and ease of cleaning. Bulky or boxy furniture works well with the stiffer feel of these fabrics.
Microfiber offers both softness, an array of patterns, and extreme durability. With the same type of feel as velvet or suede, this fabric is strong while also being thin enough for use on more detailed pieces.
Fitness with the Frame
Use different colors of fabric to accentuate parts of the furniture frame.
The design of the frame of your piece of furniture can and should inform on your fabric choice. There are many ways to approach how the frame and the fabric of your piece should interact.
Go traditional: Cover your antique bedroom chair with a stately velvet, or your imposing club chair with a dark vinyl or leather. They’re classics for a reason.
Contrast: Try pairing a bold print with your antique chair to lighten up heavy carving, or choose a cozy patterned microfiber for that club chair to contrast with its imperious bulk. Covering a classic frame with something unexpected can really make your furniture pop, but its a bold choice: make sure you've seen a sample of your fabric together with your frame to be certain of your pairing.
Compliment: Use two complementary types or colors of fabric to accentuate the lines on a mid-century modern sofa or choose a patterned print that echos the carvings on your dining room chair. Choosing fabric that accentuates and compliments aspects of the frame can take a ‘just fine’ piece to a work of artistry.
Interaction with Surroundings
The dark vinyl on this office chair fits in well with a wood-paneled office space.
Whether its a new piece, or a piece that already has a place in your home, consider how the fabric will mesh with the surroundings.
Consider overarching color themes and the relative lightness or darkness of a space. A large piece of furniture covered in dark fabric in an otherwise bright and airy space may seem like a black hole in the room, whereas a side chair covered in a deep velvet or suede would complement darker tones in a wood-heavy office.
Do you want your piece to be eye-catching, or to blend in? If your piece is a complement to another, consider recovering it in the same type of fabric in a different color or vice versa. Use bold patterns or stripes to pump up the volume in an otherwise minimally-decorated room.
How will the piece be utilized in its surroundings? A soft, lush fabric for your favorite comfy chair will make it that much cozier to curl up in whereas leather or vinyl covering a stately wingback chair may impart the gravitas you need to get to work in your home office.
Picking fabric is an opportunity to express yourself and to bring out the unique personality of your piece. Overcome indecision and anxiety next time you pick fabric by keeping these tips in mind. View fabric galleries at www.charlottefabric.com or contact us for sample books.