The best upholstery fabric for furniture stand up to a lot of life. Think of cozy family movie nights wrapped up on sofa, or delightful dinner parties that go into extra courses. When you bring a new piece of furniture into your home, you may wonder how to choose upholstery fabric that will fit your life.Even though there are hundreds of fabrics to choose from, with a little background about fabrics, you can easily sort out the best upholstery fabrics for your home. In this guide to sofa fabric types, we'll look at the types of sofa fabrics and the best sofa fabric types for comfort, durability, and style. Fabric for furniture upholstery is made from natural or synthetic fibers, which are twisted into yarns and woven into fabric. The fiber affects appearance, hand how the fabric feels, performance and grade.

Finer fibers can tend to be softer; thicker heavier fibers tend to be more sturdy and coarse.Natural fibers like cotton and wool are usually shorter strands that are spun into longer filaments before being spun into yarn.Having a general idea of the fabric content you prefer is a good start. When we think about how to choose upholstery fabric, it also helps to know the difference between a twill and a tweed, and which upholstery fabric types appeal to you.One way to think of upholstery fabrics is to divide them into how the fabric is woven – flat weave or pile weave – and whether specially textured yarns are used.Textured yarns include chenille, a soft yarn that combines beauty with durability, with a pile that sticks out on all sides like a caterpillar. Chenille has a nap, meaning it reflects light in different ways when you brush it in different directions.

Boucle yarn, on the other hand, has loops that range in size from large loose curls to tight little circlets, which adds dimension and depth to a fabric. Boucle can be dressed up or dressed down. Textured yarns make a fabric even more interesting, but the yarn loops can also make them a poor match for pets with claws.Textured weaves like tweed and hopsack are created using yarn construction and weaving techniques. Tweed has a wooly menswear vibe and often includes yarns of different colors, while hopsack is an open weave fabric that results in a classic nubby texture.Not all sofa fabrics are created equal. The fabric you choose truly depends on your lifestyle, and your needs. Have kids?

A pet who would Rock-Paper-Scissors you to get a seat on the sofa? A family of messy popcorn eaters addicted to movie nights? The ever-expanding range of sofa fabrics makes it easy to find the type of fabric that works best for you.When designing a room, you also want to think about pattern and color. Accent pillows often sport a fun texture or pop of color. Even beyond pillows, smaller pieces like accent chairs or ottomans give you an opportunity to add fabric with a striking pattern or a fun texture on a smaller scale.On the other hand, the requirements are different when you’re looking for the best fabric for a sofa. “A sofa is a larger piece, so people want longevity,” according to John Delong, design consultant for Bassett Furniture in Atlanta. “People want more a more neutral fabric that they can live with for a long time.” Pillows are easy to change, but the best fabric for a sofa is long-lasting in both quality and style.