Interior Design: Choosing the best upholstery for your home.

Choosing upholstery for your furniture can be an overwhelming process. Here are some of the basics that you need to know before you make your decision.

One of the most frequently asked questions that we receive at Design Studio Furniture is: What is the best and most durable upholstery option? The answer to this question lies within the answers to various other questions:

Do you have children?
Do you have pets?
Will your furniture be exposed to direct and consistent sunlight?
How often will you use your furniture (is it the main seating...)?
What type of setting will your furniture be in (formal or lax)?

After taking all of the above into consideration, it is time to take a look at some options.

There are two categories of upholstery to choose from; Natural fabrics and Synthetics.

Natural Fabrics: Cotton and Cotton Blend:
A durable option that provides relatively good resistance to wear and consistent use. However, cotton tends to be less resistant when it come to stains, soiling, and wrinkling. This is where blending comes in handy. Cotton blends, that is blending cotton with other fibers, often helps to reduce soiling and wrinkling. Cotton blends tend to be more durable and forgiving, but the extent of durability depends on the weave.
Silks and Linen:
Both Silk and linen are considered fragile upholstery options. Although they do provide a beautiful look, they often dirty, stain, and wrinkle easily. Both Linen and silk will most likely have to be professionally cleaned; therefore, it is best for formal living areas and rooms that have less traffic.
Wool:
Very durable and forgiving to excessive wear. Wool usually an be spot cleaned and holds up well to pilling, fading, soiling, and wrinkling.
Leather:
If you enjoy the leather look, it is indeed on of the most reliant options when it comes to upholstery. Leather is a sturdy material that can with stand heavy use, is easy to clean, and often develops more character and smoothness with time. One caution with leather is that the color can fade when exposed to direct sunlight. Coming soon: a new post all about leather! Check back soon.
Synthetic Upholstery:

Microfiber:
If you have pets or small children, microfiber is a great option. It is also the material that is most likely to withstand sunlight. Microfiber is soft to the touch, extremely comfortable, easy to clean, resistant to stains and abrasions, comfortable in all climates, and extremely durable. Most stains can be lifted easily by mild soap and water.

Rayon:
Often used as an imitation of silk, linen, and cotton. Rayon is a durable option, but does tend to wrinkle. For the most part, rayon is a good option for busy households.
Nylon:
Although nylon is often blended with other fibres, it is indeed a very strong and durable option. It is resistant to wrinkling and soiling, but tends to fade and pill.

Acetate:
Acetate is much more durable than silk (often uses as an imitation for silk) but still tends to stain, wear, wrinkle, and fade in the sun. This upholstery option may work best in a room that is moderately used.

Acrylic:
High resistance to wear, pilling, wrinkling, soiling, staining, and fading. It is often used as an imitation to wool. Be careful when choosing the quality of acrylic, lower qualities will not hold up as well.

Olefin:
A durable choice for indoor and outdoor use. A good choice for high traffic rooms with consistent use.
Polyester:
Polyester is almost always blended with other fibers. Once it is blended it becomes more resilient to wrinkling and fading.

Vinyl:
The alternate for leather. Less expensive, yet similar look and feel. Vinyl is easy to care for, is durable, family friendly, and practical for home with children and pets.

So now we attack the issue of choosing a grade. When purchasing furniture, price often reflects the grade of fabric that you choose. It is very important that you understand that the grade of fabric has NOTHING to do with how durable and stain resistant it is. Grade is basically an indication of how much it cost to make the fabric.

The most important thing to consider when choosing upholstery is how it will be used in your home. There are countless options out there to choose from. Look for something that you absolutely love and ask a Design Studio Furniture professional to help you choose the best choice for you.