Tag Archives: couch

The Best Fabric for Family Room Furniture

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Are you currently in the market for purchasing new living room furniture or reupholstering your current furniture? If you are currently in the market for investing in a sofa/chair, it should be treated as a big decision that requires some research. We have compiled a short list of “to-dos” for determining the correct color and fabric for your pieces. Let’s take a look!

Color

If hiring an interior designer is not in the budget, we have listed some questions that will guide you in the right direction for the perfect fabric color:

  • Who Will Be Using the Pieces? If children, pets, or teenagers are in the answer, darker colors are the best for hiding stains and spills. For neutral options, grays are popular and will be around for quite some time. Do not overlook blues and greens and treat them as bold neutrals. View the carpet, flooring, and all accessories to make sure they blend with the new fabric. 
  • Formal or Informal? If you are placing the furniture in a formal living room, the color may differ from the color choice you would choose for an informal living room. For example, you may opt for lighter colors in a formal area since it will be used less and only for special occasions.
  • Are Patterns Relevant? While we do not see that many patterned sofas anymore, we do see sofas brought to life by patterned pillows and blankets. Incorporating patterns through pillows and blankets can help hide additional stains, which is ideal for households with children and pets.

Fabric

Natural fibers like cotton, linen, silk, and wool are very soft to the touch but are not very durable. When you combine them with a synthetic fiber like polyester, viscose, and acrylics, the softness remains, but the added synthetic fibers strengthen the natural fibers. All of the children and pet-friendly fibers are synthetic and also stand up to spills and stains. Heavier or thicker fabric weaves are less smooth but more textured. These fibers are perfect for a family or great room pieces.

Cleaning Code 

Have you ever noticed the tag on upholstered furniture? It will include a letter code. Sofas with a “W” must be cleaned with a water-based cleaner only/distilled, or bottled water is recommended. An “S” means the upholstery must be cleaned with a professional-grade cleaning solvent and will not react well if water is used. “S/W” means that dry cleaning solvents and water can be used. 

Rub-Count

This is the best way to determine the durability of the fabric. The rub count is determined by a machine that rubs back and forth until the fabric is worn down. 20,000 and higher rubs are perfect for residential upholstery.

We hope that you are now aware of what to look for when purchasing or reupholstering your family/great room furniture. If you follow these tips, you will make sure that you have done your due diligence in fabric research!

Build your Dream Room, One Piece at a Time – Sofa

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So you have a new home with a large and inviting living room, family room, or open-concept space and you want to create the space of your dreams. Right now the room might be empty, or you may have a few pieces of unmatched or not very appealing furniture that you picked up for a song or inherited from family.

If it’s time to make that room beautiful but you’re not sure where to start, let’s take a look at your options. As the largest piece of furniture, a sofa helps define your space and provides a sound basis for developing a room to match your vision for your home. When choosing your sofa, here are some of the things to consider.

Style: Sofas can be formal, casual, classic or contemporary. Your sofa will set the style for your space, so it’s a good time to make those decisions.

Construction: Perceptions of comfort vary from one person to another. Would you like a tightly-constructed piece with springs in the cushions so that your sofa provides a lot of support, or are you drawn to a comfy down-stuffed choice that is better for sprawling than sitting? Take a look at your family’s lifestyle and be sure to try out a number of choices to see what suits you.

Size: Be careful to check to make sure a sofa fits well into your space. Too large and the room will immediately look crowded. Too small and it won’t have the presence you want.

Fabric: Issues such as the probability of spills and the amount of usage can help you define your best choices. This is one place where a good furniture salesperson can be extremely helpful.

Color: Since your new sofa will be with you for a long time, choose a color you can live with comfortably. This may be a neutral tone, or a color choice that can almost play as a neutral such as dark green or denim blue.

Whichever sofa you select, be sure to take your time and shop all of your choices Spend as much as you can easily afford. You may have this sofa for a long time so think of it as an investment in your home.