How to choose patterned fabric for your upholstery.

When you are getting a piece of furniture custom made or reupholstered the fabric will determine the look and feel of the piece. Do you want the finished product to look crisp with clean lines, or something more cosy and inviting?

The fabric you choose will determine what the end result will be.

Once you have decided on what feel you are going for with your furniture, then you can think about plain or patterned fabric.

Patterns are fun and inviting, but you do have to know what you are doing with the fabric. This is where your upholsterer will be able to guide you. This is what upholsterers do everyday, so they can help you decide what fabric will create the look you are going for.

If you have decided on a patterned fabric (lets not even talk about colors, that is a whole separate post!), then you need to consider a few more points:

Size of the pattern -

The size of the pattern can make or break a piece, because the size of the pattern has to be in proportion to the piece of furniture.  A dainty piece of furniture will be overwhelmed by a large pattern, and conversely, a large sofa may swallow up a tiny print.

Direction - 

Once you have chosen your fabric you need to decide in which direction the fabric will run.  It may be obvious which way it should run, but then again, if you want to give a unique edge to your furniture, changing an obvious vertical fabric on the horizontal may create a stunning conversation piece. Another example is striped fabric. Do you want it to run vertically or horizontally? Will this change how you would place the piece in your room? Will the direction change the perception on how much space the piece of furniture is taking up in the room? 

How busy is it? -

There are fun patterns, there are safe and traditional patterns and then there are the out-and-out crazy patterns that make a statement. Often these statement fabrics work best on small pieces, or if you want them on a large sofa for example, putting the sofa in a large room with lots of space will provide the biggest impact.

Seams

When you are using patterns you also have to remember that there are going to be seams in the fabric and you have to keep in mind what the pattern may or may not look like if it's chopped up. Your upholsterer will be able to help you with this, and this is why you are paying them to create a professional job.

So you see there are quite a few points to keep in mind when you are looking at using patterns on your furniture. If you would like some input on what you would like please give Upholstery Fit Outs a call on 0800 698 746.