Soft furnishing turns a house into a home. Just furniture pieces will make your home look bare and cold. The colour, texture, and patterns of soft furnishings add warmth and comfort to the interiors of a home. The choices for fabric, however, can seem overwhelming to the untrained eye. That’s why we are here to help you pick.
Let’s start with what soft furnishing material is: Soft furnishing materials are textiles or fabrics used in the interiors (or even outdoors) of a home. This includes upholstery, cushions, carpets and curtains. Soft furnishing helps bring different elements of the house together. It’s really a reflection of your taste and personality. Choosing the right kind of fabric is much more than just choosing a colour as each fabric has a tale to tell.
Different Types of Fabrics for Soft Furnishing Material:
Linen:
Linen is ideal for cushions, bed covers, and pillow covers. It’s easy to maintain, and the softness of the material makes it ideal to be used as a comforter on your bed. It can give a formal or casual look, depending on how you style it.
Cotton:
Cotton is usually the first choice when it comes to soft furnishing. It is used for bed linen, towels, and curtains. Despite its popularity as soft furnishing fabric, cotton may not be an ideal choice as it gets wrinkled easily. Ironing out these wrinkles is a breeze though.
Velvet:
Velvet is a great choice to add a bit pizzazz to your space. It gives you an instant touch of luxury and can be used on sofas, chairs, cushions, headboards and more.
Silk:
Another luxurious choice for soft furnishing, silk, is a great choice to make your space look royal and ornate even. Its worth mentioning that it is hypoallergic as well. It does, however, have a tendency to fade, so its best to keep it out of direct sunlight. You can use it for lampshades, bed linen, cushion covers and more.
Wool:
Wool adds texture and warmth thus it’s ideal for homes in cooler regions. Wool is known for helping with noise reduction as well. You can also use it for cushion covers, drapes, and bed linen if you live in colder regions.
Suede:
Suede is made of the soft underside of animal skin. It doesn’t get damaged easily and maintains its shape for a long time. Its best suited for couches, sofas, pouffes and headboards.
Tips to Choose Soft Furnishing Material
Colour:
Picking the right colours is one of the most important factors when doing your interiors. When it comes to the colour of the fabric, it’s a good idea to go for light colours if you have a small room. A light colour fabric with heavy furniture makes the room look spacious.
Durability:
When you pick a fabric, think about how you will be using it. Different fabrics are available for light, medium, and heavy use. If you know that you will be using the fabric often and not exactly gently, engineered fabrics may be a better option. A printed fabric may wear out fast, particularly at spots that are used often. Talk to the storekeeper and pick fabrics that are right for your usage.
Patterns:
It is possible to get multiple patterns in a room and for it to look beautiful. However, if you are not sure how to mix patterns, it may be better for you to play it safe and choose just one or two patterns in a room, and keep the rest of the room plain. Choose patterns according to the size of the object and the room. Large prints may make a room look smaller than it is.
Some More Tips for Choosing Furnishing Material
- Avoid silk and linen if you are thinking of using it on furniture that comes under direct sunlight.
- If you’re allergic to dust, then go for fabric with microfiber or cushions filled with hypoallergenic, which doesn’t attract dust.
- If there are kids or pets at home, go for vinyl, distressed leather, or stain-resistant outdoor fabric.
- Go for washable fabrics to reuse them for a longer period.
- Live in a humid area? Go for fabrics that are resistant to mildew.
Soft furnishing material adds life to space and gives a story to the otherwise just enclosed spaces of brick walls. It makes your home feel like your own as it portrays your character and personality. HomeLane provides you with a wide range of soft furnishing materials that will add magic to your house. Visit HomeLane, and give your dream a vision.
