Choosing the right upholstery fabric for your project
Picking fabrics for your upholstery or other home decorating project can be frustrating. There are so many different types and styles to choose from. Deciding to purchase online or in a store is another option. With all these choices, how can anyone make up their mind?
Will this fabric hold up to my pets?
When picking your fabric, one of the first things you must ask yourself is, “What type of usage will my furniture get?” Is this a piece that will get a lot of use, and do you have animals and children who will be sitting on it? If you answered yes to any of these, you want to make sure you’re purchasing a durable upholstery-weight fabric that will stand up to this type of use. Upholstery fabrics with a heavy-duty usage rating will serve you well. The upholstery fabric vendors should be able to provide you with this information. Upholstery fabrics with embroidery or a very loose weave will not stand up as well in homes where pets will share a space on the upholstered furniture with you.
I love that color, but will it be okay?
Now what color do I want my upholstered piece to be? This question also has some additional information that could help you make the right choice in choosing your upholstery fabric. Is the piece going in a large or small room? Does the room get a lot of bright light? Are you like I am in that you want to be able to change the look of your room frequently? If you are working with a small room and a large piece of upholstered furniture, it could benefit you to keep the upholstery fabric color similar to the wall color. This will allow the piece to blend somewhat in the room, 
giving the room a large feel. The darker the upholstery fabric, the faster fading will appear, so a room that gets a lot of sun is best suited for lighter to medium-color upholstery fabrics. Reds and dark blues seem to show the most fade in these bright conditions. Outdoor fabrics rated for sunlight can easily be used indoors for these types of situations. If you like to change things up often, use your bold prints and colors for accent pieces and make your larger upholstered pieces a bit more neutral. On mixing print fabrics within your room, YES, please do.
Can I mix those fabrics together?
Mixing upholstery fabric prints in any room is a great idea, of course I am some one who loves color. You want to ensure you are filling your room with patterns that complement each other. You want a combination of different sizes or scale prints. The upholstery and decorating fabrics you choose need to have colors that are cross-pollinated from one to another. They don’t all have to have all of the colors you are using, but sometimes, having one fabric that bridges all the colors is nice. Mixing stripes, florals, plaids, and geometric prints in your upholstery and other fabrics can all be done well if you find the right colors and keep the scales different. Check out some of Sarah Richardson’s beautiful designs, mixing prints and colors.
Know what your buying!
Many people are buying their upholstery and other home decorating fabrics online today. This is fine, but you want to make sure you know what you are getting. Some online upholstery fabric companies sell by name brands which is safer than those who may not. Some of the upholstery fabrics you order might have the same print you’ve seen in a local upholstery fabric store, but they have printed the fabric on a different base cloth and that’s why its only $5/yd. Just always do your research when purchasing your upholstery fabrics on your own. Remember the old saying, “you get what you pay for”.
So I hope I have helped you to make those difficult decisions when choosing the right upholstery or home decorating fabric. Weather you are paying to have someone upholster your piece of furniture or doing it yourself, you want the piece to last. It’s your time and money so make it count and make the right decision the first time around.
Happy fabric hunting and I know your next upholstery project will be beautifully suited to your needs.
Kim
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