Hey everyone!
Happy MLK Day! I can’t believe the traffic I’ve been getting on this new website! Jake doesn’t particularly care to hear me drone on about things like pillow design, so I’ll say this is a much better outlet for my ramblings.
One of the questions I get most from friends just looking for a little friendly advice, is
“what material should I be picking for my furniture?”
This is a bit of a loaded question because there are so many things that will dictate this for each individual household. Because I do this for a living, it is much easier and quicker for me to pinpoint this answer for each of my clients, but there are some basic bullet points I cover with each person that may be helpful to you:
Fabric Content
The first thing you need to know is that there are an incredible amount of fabric types and fabric blends out there on the market. I take this into so much consideration when I’m picking upholstery fabrics for a client. Not everyone’s lifestyles are suited for every type of fabric.
For example, linens have been incredibly popular recently and everyone has their inspiration photos with these beautiful light linen furniture pieces. However, beside the fact that linen is light and difficult to clean which may be an issue with pets and young children, linen wrinkles basically if you just look at it sideways and can look very messy if it isn’t kept up with. Most people don’t want to deal with that on a regular basis.
So if you’re not wanting to turn your home into a personal dry-cleaning service, I’d say a true linen probably isn’t for you. Luckily there are some great synthetic linens that are made out of combinations of materials (say a poly/cotton with a linen weave, for example) that will get you that linen look without all of the maintenance and worry.
Pro tip: synthetic or blended fabrics are usually best when it comes to upholstery items such as sofas and sectionals for durability reasons. Leave your silks, embroideries, and true velvets to your pillows and accents for a really plush look.
Fabric vs Leather
This is another thing that is brought up to me just about every single day. I’ll say that there is a massive misconception out there that leather is indestructible and that if you have pets you MUST have leather. If you have de-clawed kitties or small teacup-sized dogs then this may be true for you from a hair and easy clean-up perspective, but claws and leather do not mix.
I’ve seen far more pet-destroyed leather pieces than fabric, and trust me this is something near and dear to my heart because we have three dogs (shout-out Trigger, Gunner, and Munchkin!) that live on all of the pieces of furniture in our home with us and that’ll never change. I made the enormous mistake of getting a leather sectional three years ago and now it looks about twenty years old from all the damage it has taken from our pets. I won’t do that again!
On the other hand, leather can be great for young children or in my house, a generally messy husband, (love you Jake!). Kids don’t usually go scratching at leather and (hopefully) don’t get on the furniture with sharp objects that could puncture it. Depending on the type, leather does generally clean well so it’s great for spills and other general messes that kids (or husbands) can make on your furniture.
Leather Type
Just a side note on the leather topic. If you do decide leather is best for your family or the look you want to achieve, make sure you do your homework on where you are getting your leather pieces from. This is one of the sketchiest things I see stores selling (besides the quality of the furniture itself, which I’ll do another post on) and you really need to look out for yourself. If you think you are buying a real, quality leather sofa for less than $2000 I promise you, you are not. You will, however, see plenty of places advertising their $500 sofa as “genuine leather” and that’s not really fair to any of you as a shopper who doesn’t work in this industry.
I’ll also follow this article with an article on leather types so that I don’t make this post too long. Stay tuned.
Color
After you’ve decided which material you want to be working within, the next step is choosing a color. This isn’t exactly something I can give you instructions on because I take several things into account here as well and for the most part this is a personal preference. One is the home itself and the room I’m working on. I can change paint color, but without doing renovations I really have to read the styles that the home finishes are dictating in each room. If I have a clean slate to work with (happy dance), then I get to pick whatever I want! I do tend to do more neutrals on the big pieces in the room for longevity-sake, but occasionally a design I’m working on will need some more color on the upholstery.
If you’re looking at your room and you’re not sure which neutral to pick, here’s the simplest way I can help you make the best decision: look at your existing wall and floor colors. If they are in the beige and brown tones, then maybe choose a color somewhere between cream and taupe for your sofa color. If they are in the grey or distressed tones, maybe look for a color somewhere between white and grey instead.
Texture
This is my favorite thing to work within, and I know most people’s biggest fear. Mixing textures and picking the correct textures can be a daunting task for most people. I personally love it and incorporate it into all of my designs.
As for the big upholstery pieces, I would again take a look into who and what will be using these seats. Thick weaves can give an awesome overall look, but if there are going to be claws involved, I would think twice to avoid snags. Solid-looking textures are also desirable for most people, but if you are worried about dirt or dirtiness in general, I may consider looking at a fabric that will appear solid from far away but is actually made of several different thread colors and striations. Also, to achieve a solid look, maybe look at a small pattern like a tiny herringbone.
In conclusion
Choosing the material for your furniture may seem like it’s no big deal, but if you want the correct decision for the long-haul in your home there are several things to take into consideration besides what looks pretty at first glance.
Do yourself a favor and don’t do it yourself. I would of course prefer for you to come see me :), but if that isn’t feasible at least go to a reputable higher-end furniture store and get one of their associates to help you (hopefully they know what they are doing!).
I’m always taking on new clients and new projects, so contact me today if you are ready to get started on your home design!
