Many of our clients are surprised when we tell them that furniture upholstery is one of the most important decisions they’ll make when it comes to furnishing their home. From color, pattern, texture, and material to durability + performance –– fabric selection is not only important but it can be flat-out overwhelming.

That’s because, when it comes to furniture upholstery, there are so many choices + so many different considerations that need to be accounted for. That wrapping that beautiful mind of yours around what is actually relevant + what you should be focused on when making these colossal decisions is… well A LOT to take in! 

Psst… that’s why we’re here :)

We’re also well aware that you’re not looking to become a furniture upholstery guru *wink* you simply want to make sure that you’ll be happily + able to live with your upholstery decisions for years to come. And this is exactly why we put this guide together to help encourage + narrow in on the perfect upholstery fabric to choose when it comes to your furniture.

What Furniture Upholstery Is + Why It’s Important

When most people think of furniture upholstery, they think of fabric: color, pattern, texture, and material. And to be fair, that’s what we’re going to focus on in this blog. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up the fact that furniture upholstery also applies to the materials used to make up the interior components of furniture as well –– ie the padding, springs, etc. 

Often we hear things about fabric selection being a key indicator of durability; however, it’s really important boo, for you to understand that furniture that’s made to last is constructed using high-quality interior materials. And that’s a good thing because while padding, webbing or springs may bore you to death — I’d hate for you to invest a ton of time money + energy into the most gorgeous fabric selection if long term, the furniture piece itself isn’t made to the highest standards. 

From frame construction + interior padding to springs + fabric selection, high-quality furniture upholstery isn’t merely about making a piece of furniture look good –– or even last for a long time — these choices are a mirror reflection of yo-self!

They represent the values in which you’re in alignment with. 

It highlights your prioritize + the things that are important when it comes to your home 

My friend, furniture upholstery tells a tale of craftsmanship + it says to others that the hands that made your furniture matter. 

So while shopping for a new sofa or buying a pair of upholstered chairs may seem straightforward, once we realize that our choices also communicate your stance when it comes to the integrity of how a fabric was made or where the materials came from –– it’s hard not to see furniture upholstery any other way. Am I right?

You see, when all of these seemingly small details are in alignment with your core values as a person, we suddenly uncover a much deeper meaning that can be used to drive our decisions while investing in something that we can be proud of long term. 

At Elegant Simplicity, we believe that home is everything you need + nothing more. And part of this philosophy isn’t about living with less –– it’s about living better. With more intentionally. With meaningful purpose. 

Certainly, when we put furniture upholstery in this context hand-tied springs for your sofa is no longer a snooze fest but a deep meaningful conversation around the person who hand-tied each + every spring and why they believe in the importance of making such a high-quality piece of furniture for you to enjoy.

Getting my drift, friend?

READ: the real cost of home trends + the disposable design culture.

How To Choose Furniture Upholstery Fabric

When it comes to choosing furniture upholstery fabric, the very first thing we do with our interior design clients is talk about the way you live in the space because we literally pour ourselves into every project + want to truly understand the role this room plays in your life (as well as those who will use it). 

Ultimately, it’s conversations like these that create clarity around the way you use as space + around what you need from the space in order for it to become everything you need + nothing more. It’s also why we prioritize + spend the time necessary to establish on a clear baseline for making decisions when it comes to furniture.

Understanding how you live in a space (or how you want to live if your home is being built) leads to discussions around the number of people or how often the furniture upholstery will get used. 

• Is it a high traffic piece that will get a ton of use or is it an accent chair that probably won't be sat in a ton? Understanding how a fabric will age with use.

• Will there be kids in the home? What age? Perhaps our focus is on ease of cleaning.

• What about pets? Do pets get up on the furniture? Durability may be important here.

• How about sunlight? Maybe we should be conscientious about how a fabric will fade based upon its location in the room.

As we begin to circle the wagons + narrow in on questions around the overall function that a room serves, you can see we now have cause for making decisions about upholstery fabric that’s led by intentional reasoning. That extends well beyond surface-level decisions which are typically rooted in impulses such as “this fabric looks pretty” or “doesn’t it feels good to touch” rather than purpose.

And this is where for us at Elegant Simplicity, we’re sticklers because as interior designers + professional organizers our process ensures that function always comes before aesthetics. 

With over a decade of experience we’ve heard the many horror stories –– of people (other professionals included) who make the mistake of rushing through the decision of selecting furniture upholstery fabrics. Who fail to take time to evaluate your everyday routines. Who forget to think about the purpose behind choosing a particular piece of furniture + how it will be used in relation to the overall room.

In fact, I  have no trouble in telling you that our homes are by far one of the biggest investments we’ll ever make. And while I 100% agree with you that look + feel are both incredibly important aspects of choosing furniture upholstery fabric, I want to challenge you to dig a little deeper my friend. I want you to look beyond those surface-level questions boo + explore your habits, routines + the way you live. Because these are the things that truly impact the way a fabric wears. 

Our Favorite Furniture Upholstery Fabrics For An Elegant Simplicity Home

Crypton

soft | durable | easy to scrub clean | stain-resistant 

Let me just say, nothing beats Crypton fabrics especially if you're hard on furniture. And if you’re like most of our clients, who are serious about home, you want your home (especially those high-traffic areas like the living room, playroom + the dining area) to be both kid + pet friendly. 

And when it comes to sticky fingers + dirty paws we know what that’s like. Seeing that our son, Brooks, who’s 3, just so happens to be a lover of fruit leathers, apples + snacking on the sofa. Not to mention, his favorite four-legged friend is a 7-year-old golden retriever that loves to snuggle up right up against the upholstered base of the sofa. Like I said ––  trust us because we get it!

Which is why we’re the lovers of this amazing performance fabric, Crypton. It’s sustainably made from materials like cotton, polyester + rayon but what’s really fantastic about this Teflon-strength fabric is that it doesn’t have any harmful chemicals. And dare I say, it’s also stain-resistant, odor-resistant, and antimicrobial for the lifetime of the fabric.

Pretty amazing, right?!?!?

Natural Leather

durable | easily wipes clean | ages well | natural scratches add character 

When you think of leather as a furniture upholstery fabric most of the very obvious things come to mind like: 

It’s a great family-friendly fabric for living rooms because it wipes clean easily + it’s durable because even as your leather furniture begins to get scratched up it still looks beautiful. In fact, the scratches add depth and dimension over time. And for any scratches that feel obnoxious, for instance when King Kong is up against the Godzilla hard plastic tail + it scratches the armrest or when the dog gets excited + puts her paw up on the cushion — you can usually rub out the scuffs.

If you can’t tell, we have an extremely active household + when it comes to the leather furniture in our home we’ve definitely put it to the test? *wink!*

But you see, leather is truly amazing as furniture upholstery because it ages well. No, I don’t mean just the scratches or the look of the leather but the actual touch + feel of aged natural leather is unlike anything else. The more use it gets, natural leather becomes softer to touch, until the point where you can’t help but to curl up + cozy in. Not to mention, it adds a beautiful, earthy, timelessness to a space. 

Velvet

soft | durable | warm | disguises imperfections

When it comes to upholstery, velvet is the Switzerland of fabrics. It does a little of this + a little of that. Hear me out :)

Velvet elevates the look + feel of your furniture by adding depth. It’s great at hiding blemishes or other imperfections because of its texture. And mind you, it’s also a very thick + durable fabric which in our experience, makes it a fantastic kid + pet-friendly fabric. 

So, you ask, what are the downsides?

Well, if you have pets velvet can be somewhat of a “stage five clinger” when it comes to cat or dog hair (yes that was a nod to Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers). But not to worry, if you’re a pet parent it doesn’t mean that your velvet love affair is crushed — remember it’s durable — all it means is that likely you’ll want to vacuum it every couple of days to remove any pet hair. 

Long story short, there’s no one size fits all even when it comes to fabric. From Silk Velvet (which is delicate, incredibly smooth + luxurious) to Mohair Velvet (being top of the line when it comes to velvet) this furniture upholstery fabric is warm, soft, incredibly durable, resists dirt + is coveted by many making it a fantastic choice in terms of adding texture to any room.

Linen

strong | soft | hypoallergenic | antimicrobial | fairly easy to clean| resists pilling 

Linen is an excellent choice for creating a very relaxed, laid-back look with a luxurious feel. 

Plus, it’s hypoallergenic which is fantastic for those of you with sensitive allergies. Linen is a natural fabric with great breathability which in many cases makes it eco-friendly because it doesn’t need to be sprayed with pesticides. Like leather, linen will get softer over time.

While linen is resilient, incredibly comfortable + still durable, it is far less stain-resistant than other performance fabrics like Crypton or Sunbrella. That said, you want to be mindful of the pattern + color of the fabric when selecting the perfect linen for furniture upholstery. 

Sunbrella

cleans easy | stain-resistant | soft | durable / handles direct sunlight

Speaking of Sunbrella, this is an acrylic fabric that (a lot like Crypton) can withstand the rigors of kids + pets fairly well. However, Sunbrella differs from Crypton in that it was originally developed as an outdoor fabric but over the years has become soft enough that many now use it indoors.  

Another great thing about Sunbrella is that because it was created for the outdoors it generally withstands direct sunlight incredibly well without fading. 

Wear + Tear Matters

One final thing that I think is necessary to add to the conversation when considering fabric for furniture upholstery is how much use it can stand up. 

In other words, if I or someone else says, it’s durable — what makes one “durable” fabric different from another? How would one decide between the two? 

Well, the durability of a fabric is measured in what is called “double-rubs.” Double rubs are the fabric’s abrasion measurement. Huh?

Yeah, it sounds difficult but really it’s not. Taking a mechanical arm, mimicking the action of sitting down + getting up, an abrasive material is rubbed against the fabric. The higher the double rub, the better the durability. 

The key is to balance durability with softness. No one wants to sit in a chair or kickback to lounge on a sectional that’s incredibly durable if it’s scratching you like glass or itchy like wool.

Well, there you have it –– your comprehensive guide to choosing furniture upholstery…

That said, keep in mind that these are guidelines (not rules!) to help nudge you in the direction of understanding furniture upholstery, the role it plays in everyday life + if you’re in the preliminary planning stages of your next project, let’s chat.