FEST interior advice:
What upholstery fabric should I pick?
Should I choose a velvet, plain or a print fabric?
Obviously, it's all about what you like and want. But to give you some direction: velours feels soft and has an elegant look, which provides a cool contrast with a more industrial look. A print, on the other hand, is more playful, and a plain fabric is a bit tougher. With a plain fabric, the focus is more on the colour to.
Velours
Pros
➕ Wear resistant
Velours is a wear resistant fabric, it's fairly strong and therefore lasts a long time.
➕ Little chance of pilling
Pilling arises when excess fibers of the fabric stick together with other fabrics. The good news: the pilling with velours is very little because it has hardly any excess fibers!
➕ Elegant appearance
Velours feels soft and has a luxurious look. A cool contrast with an industrial look.
➕ Easy to clean
Because velours is a synthetic fabric, a Protexx protection is possible. This makes the sofa easy to clean.
Cons
➖ Bigger chance of folds and wrinkles
The chance of wrinkling is bigger with velours. If it is upholstered too tightly, it can tear.
➖ Bigger chance of lustre from use
If all goes well, you spend a lot of time on your sofa or chair. That's the whole point of having it. The disadvantage of velours is that, after a while, it creates lustre: the hairs of the fibers are flattened and a shiny shadow shows up in the fabric. This can be resolved a bit. How? Moisten the fabric very lightly and then roughen it slightly with a clothing brush. Be careful though! Another option is to place a damp tea towel on the spot and let it rest overnight.
Wool
Pros
➕ Comfortable
➕ Moisture-resistant
Wool is almost completely self-cleaning. Moreover, the wool grease (lanolin) ensures that water and dirt do not penetrate into the fiber. The wool actually repels it. Therefore, a protexx protection isn't necessary.
➕ Fire resistant
Wool is fire resistant. Wool is a safe fiber, it doesn't need to be treated to counteract the effects of contact with fire. The fire goes out in the flame.
➕ Crease resistant
➕ Antistatic
Wool absorbs moisture from the air, so it doesn't become static.
Cons
➖ Bigger chances of pilling
Pilling arises when excess fibers of the fabric stick together with other fabrics. This happens with wool fairly often.
Polyester
Pros
➕ Hardly fades in sunlight
Polyester doesn't discolours in the sun that quickly. So is your sofa positioned in direct sunlight? Polyester is a good choice.
➕ Little chance of wrinkling
Polyester fibers are elastic, so it wrinkles much less than, for example, cotton.
➕ Shiny
Cons
➖ Doesn’t absorb moisture
Unlike cotton, polyester absorbs very little moisture.
➖ Static
Because polyester absorbs little moisture, it becomes more static than wool and cotton.
Leather
Pros
➕ Strong
Leather is a very strong material and will last a long time.
➕ Gets more beautiful when used
The more your leather furniture is used, the more beautiful it becomes. Genuine leather stretches a bit during use; this gives your furniture a beautifully lived and comfortable look.
➕ Natural product
Leather is a natural product, this ensures that every item has a unique appearance, while at the same time it's very stylish.
➕ Timeless
Leather is timeless, so your furniture is always on trend and at the same time fits well with any interior style.
Cons
➖ Cold
Leather can feel cold in winter and sometimes it’s a bit slippery.
➖ Maintenance
Leather has to be maintained to make it last for a long time.
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