The Right Furnishing Fabric for Your Home

What confuses people in selecting upholstery fabrics , is that they come in a range of different materials. This often becomes a hinderance when deciding which fabric to choose for one’s furnishings. At Rumors, we aim to uncomplicate this decision for you and endeavour to aid you in making a preference for the right material for your furnishings.

Furnishing fabrics can be divided into two broad categories – natural fabrics, and synthetic fabrics. Within these categories further subdivisions can be made. For example, materials such as linen, cotton and silk come under natural fabrics, while polyester and nylon come under synthetic materials. The following are some of the fabrics and their descriptions to help you understand their unique characteristics:

Linen: Although linen does not withstand heavy wear and tear, it does resist pilling and fading. This material wrinkles, and can get soiled pretty easily. However when soiled, linen may be washed and dried effortlessly. In fact, the fabric gets softer after washing, but does not stretch or elongate. Linen can also be printed and designed in various ways, and is thus best suited for your living room.

Cotton: Cotton is a natural fiber which provides good resistance to wear, pilling, and fading. It is less resistant to spoilage, wrinkling, and fire. However, surface treatments and blending with other fibers often atone for these weaknesses. Durability and use depend on the weave and finish. Damask weaves are formal; canvas (duck and sailcloth) is more casual and more durable.

Silk: Silk is a delicate fabric and is only suitable for mature areas such as formal living rooms. Although it does not stain easily, if soiled, this material requires to be professionally cleaned. Silk is hypoallergenic and is thus suggested to people with allergies, and is also resistant to fungus and mold. The material is strong, yet lightweight and adds a wonderful luster to your home furnishings.

Polyester: Polyester is rarely used alone in upholstery, it is usually blended with other fabrics. It is wrinkle resistant and does not fade easily. Polyester does not shrink easily and holds it’s shape pretty well. When blended with viscose, an imitation of silk, it also becomes very durable. Recent developments have also made the fabric very practically priced compared to others.

In the aforementioned fabrics for fine furnishings it is important to note that a higher thread count would indicate higher durability. Home furnishings such as sofas and chairs require only moderate amount of strength in their fabrics. However, pieces subjected to daily, heavy wear need to be covered in tough, durable, tightly woven fabrics.

Rumors Fine Furnishings take care of your home furniture by providing thoughtfully designed multipurpose and upholstery fabrics. Our fabrics are created masterfully with minute attention to detail in a numerous range of fabric materials such as linen, cotton, silk, and viscose polyester. We hope to have given you an idea about home furnishing fabrics to enable you to make an educated choice.