Upholstery fabrics

Upholstery fabric bought from Europe arrives cut by the meter, not the yard, and that is the first thing to settle. This collection gathers several hundred bolts from European design houses, cut to the length you need, so an armchair, a sofa and a set of dining chairs can all be covered in a single order.

How much upholstery fabric to order, in yards and meters

Ask your workroom for a yardage and convert it: one yard is 0.91 m, so a quote of eight yards comes to 7.32 m and you round up to 8 m. As a guide, an upholstered armchair takes 2.2 to 4.4 yd (2 to 4 m) and a loveseat 6.6 to 8.7 yd (6 to 8 m), depending on the frame and the pattern repeat. Order the whole amount in one go rather than adding a cut later.

Choosing cloth room by room

Living rooms and open-plan seating

Seating that stands away from the wall is read from every side, so the back and the outside arms count as much as the seat. Velvet holds light and warms up a room in the evening, which suits a chair meant to be noticed: see the velvet fabrics.

Dining chairs, breakfast nooks and entryway benches

These seats take daily wear, so a close, textured weave earns its place. Chenille and bouclé are resilient and hardwearing, and a quiet ground keeps a set of six chairs calm. The plain fabrics work well here, with the striped fabrics for a bench or a window seat.

Bedrooms and upholstered headboards

Linen and linen blends give a natural, relaxed look and cover a tall headboard without fuss. A full-height king headboard uses more cloth than most people expect, so measure the frame itself, not the mattress.

Porches, patios and sunrooms

For seating that lives under a screened porch roof or in a sunroom, choose one of the outdoor qualities. Those are UV-resistant and washable, which is what an American shoulder season asks.

Plain, striped, geometric and floral upholstery fabric

Pattern decides yardage as much as taste does. A large repeat has to be centered on every cushion and chair back, which adds yardage; a plain or small-scale weave cuts with far less waste. Jacquards and woven patterned designs turn one chair into the piece a room is arranged around, while the geometric fabrics and the floral fabrics behave differently under a high ceiling than they do on a swatch card.

Samples and shipping to the United States

A screen flattens color and says nothing about the hand of a cloth, so order samples of two or three candidates and look at them in the room itself, by daylight and by lamp. Orders ship from Europe with duties and fees included, so nothing extra falls due on delivery. Dressing a whole room? The curtain fabrics and the cushion fabrics are worth a look too.