Upholstery Textiles, Techniques & Applications

A designer favourite, bouclé is recognisable by its looped, textured surface which is created by loose loops in the fibres used in its production. The textured finish conceals dirt more easily but, because its loops may catch, bouclé might not be a good choice for homes with pets or small children. Bouclé works particularly well in curved and monolithic sofas where its texture can most easily draw attention to their confident, artistic shapes. Bouclé sofas were popular during the Mid-century Modern movement and are having something of a renaissance.

Cotton is a mainstay fabric in all walks of life and sofa upholstery is no different. It is a natural fibre obtained from the cotton plant and is used as a base fibre for many fabrics. It is known for its softness, versatility, ability to take dyes very well (making upholstery patterns and colours limitless), ability to wick moisture away from the body and durability. Whilst it can take many forms—cotton velvet, cotton chenille, etc.—a simple cotton sofa in a beautiful colour is wonderful in its own right. It is also one of the most style-versatile fabrics and suits any sofa shape.

Linen is a natural fibre obtained from the flax plant. It has been used as a fabric for millennia and is prized for its breathability, easy upkeep, antimicrobial properties, moisture wicking and strength. It is well-known for being the strongest natural fibre because of its long staple fibres. Naturally stiff, it does soften with use but linen blends—designed to add extra comfort to the natural qualities of linen—are also very popular. It is known for its characteristic wrinkles so, if you plan to buy a linen sofa, be prepared for them. Popular for loose covers.

Velvet is a tufted fabric with a raised, dense pile. It can be woven using natural fibres (such as cotton or silk) or manmade fibres (such as nylon). It is loved for its unique handle—silky smooth—its drape and its noteable lustre. Velvet’s nap (the way its fibres lie) creates visual interest too. Velvet sofas convey a luxury aesthetic and have been very popular in recent years, particularly with the jewel-toned sofa trend. It works equally well as a solid colour in both modern and traditional sofas. Void velvet and embossed velvet work well for more traditional designs.

A double stitched seam is the same as a plain seam but with two rows of parallel stitching on the fabric's right side, either side of the original seam. This results in a more robust seam. The double-stitched seam is often used for decoration, especially with leather upholstery.

A French seam is a seam within a seam. A seam is sewn with the fabric’s wrong sides together, then the right sides are folded together and stitched slightly past the initial seam, resulting in a flange with enclosed raw edges. These are used internally and externally for strength and aesthetics.

A plain seam (also known as a blind seam) is simply where two fabrics (right side together) join with no further embellishment. It is the most basic of upholstery seams and is useful for many areas of sofa upholstery and cushion making where very strong seams aren’t as important.

If used alone, it should be of a high enough quality to ensure resiliency and fitted correctly so as to not cut through any surrounding foam.

A box pleat is created as two knife pleats are folded, in opposite directions and hidden behind the two front panels created and then pressed flat. Consecutive box pleats results in multiple wide panels lining the base of the sofa.

Fringe skirts feature long fringe or bullion to cover the base of the sofa. Fringed sofa skirts are a typically traditional upholstery choice but have become popular in the last few years with many modern designers using them in a contemporary way.

Featuring pleats at the sofa's corners, kick pleat skirts are straight and uncomplicated and extend from a row of piping just slightly below the deck of the sofa. Panels can be divided by a pleat in line with the sofa's centre or breaks in seat cushions.

Biscuit tufting stitches upholstery in a regular grid pattern and can be done with or without buttons and as deep or shallow tufting. Biscuit tufting was popular for Mid-century modern sofas.

Diamond tufting is so-called because its dips form a pattern of repeated diamond shapes. It can be done as shallow or deep tufting and with or without buttons, although with buttons is the most popular.

Piping (or cording or welting) is the tubular trim which borders sofa cushions, sofa panels or sofa arms and can be in either a matching or contrasting fabric. It gives a sofa a tailored appearance and also helps to visually reinforce the sofa’s silhouette.

Nailhead trim—consecutive tacks affixed to an upholstery piece in a row—was used by traditional upholsterers to secure upholstery fabrics to a sofa’s frame easily. In modern times, nailhead trim is included for its traditional charm.