How to choose fabric for your bespoke upholstered furniture

There's nothing better than choosing fabric to create your own bespoke upholstered furniture. It's unique to you and you can have so much fun with it!

Knowing where to start:

First things first have a look at your room the furniture is going in and work out what style, colour and pattern you think will work. For example if you have a patterned sofa you might want to do a plain or simple stripe ottoman or vice versa. Try and give yourself a couple of colours to browse otherwise it can be quite overwhelming as there's 10's of 1000's of fabric choices out there!

Built to last:

You also want to consider how hardwearing the fabric is - will it be a heavy use piece of furniture or lightly used and in a guest bedroom? Corduroy, heavyweight cotton, outdoor fabrics and even denim are great options if it's going to have extreme wear. I find prints are more forgiving than plains if you're worried about stains and grubby little fingers.

Fire rules and general suitability:

When searching for fabric look for ones that are 'suitable for upholstery'. Also make sure that any fabric you choose meets fire resistance rules...In short if a fabric is 25% or more man made fibres (like polyester) then the fabric will need to be chemically coated to meet regulations. While this can be done it causes delay and cost and so where possible pick natural fibres like cotton, linen, flax, viscose etc). Fabric manufacturers should provide this information.

Samples:

You can't beat holding a piece of fabric in your hands and seeing it in situ. Most fabric suppliers will send you a sample for a few pounds. My house is groaning with them and they're always an important step when I'm planning anything.

Where to find fabric:

If you have something specific in mind then you can go straight to the fabric house via their website but if you want to browse lots of different brands then Jane Clayton and Haines Collection are my go tos. Also consider ebay for offcuts.

Don't forget trims, tassels, braid and other details and you can look at Houles, Samuel & Son, Etsy and Jane Clayton for these.

What to do when you've found your fabric:

Once you've fallen in love with a fabric you can either

a. Order it yourself (note the fabric quantity in each item listing) and send it directly to us, or;

b. We can order it for you and get on with building your ottoman.

Summary:

Choosing fabric to make a bespoke piece of furniture is a game changer when decorating your space. We take the complication and mystery out of the process so you can build a truly unique piece.

If you're unsure and need some help just drop me a line at hello@thehouseupstairs.co.uk