Modern furniture making has come a long way from what it was. No more boring, plain designs and styles. Furniture makers of today don’t shy away from bold colors, unusual designs and quirky prints. Given that sofas are probably the first pieces of furniture you and your guests lay eyes on when entering your home, it needs to make an impression. The topmost layer in a sofa is often what we call as upholstery. While upholstery is a blanket term for fabric, padding, webbing, and springs—that make up the soft coverings of chairs, sofas, and other furniture, in this article, we’ll discuss upholstery fabrics alone. If you’re hunting upholstery materials that are visually appealing and easy to maintain at the same time, here’s an article that can help. So, let’s explore some modern upholstery materials.
Natural Fabrics
Natural fabrics are probably the softest, breathable and sustainable materials ever. And they come in various budgets too. Some examples are cotton, jute, silk, wool, linen and of course, the controversial leather. While leather is an amazing, iconic material, it does raise some concerns ethically. And then there’s the fact that good leather is not cheap. You’ll be paying a lot for good leather and even more to maintain it well. In contrast, all the other fabrics we mentioned are cheaper and easier to work with.
Cotton has been getting increasingly popular in the last few years owing to its texture and power to hold various colors and prints. The only trouble is that it can stain easily and is perhaps not ideal for homes with little ones and pets. The same can be said for Linen and wool too. But they pack great visual appeal and are extremely breathable as well.
Synthetic Fabrics
As the name indicates, these are fabrics that are man made to have certain specific properties, like not absorbing anything, stain resistance, durability and more. The come in various price brackets and are excellent in furniture making. Keep in mind that these fabrics have synthetic fibres that are then woven with each other or into natural fabrics to give you a stronger, stain-resistant and durable fabric.
Some examples of synthetic fabrics are rayon, polyester, polypropylene, rayon and acrylic. In India, you would’ve heard references of rexine, leatherettes and olefin. All of these are highly resistant to stains and can withstand quite a lot of wear and tear. Synthetic fabrics are more affordable than natural fabrics but they may have a negative impact on the environment.
That said, if you have a liking for bold colors, prints and low maintenance sofas, synthetic fabrics are your best bet.
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