Choosing The Right Upholstery For Your Sofa

A pleasant and restful evening on your sofa could turn out different, depending on the upholstery selected - a major decision-making process when purchasing a piece of furniture for your home.

Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers, and it has a substantial impact on the way your home will turn out, greatly affecting the harmony of your home interior. There is also a variety of sofa upholstery, each one suitable for a different family; choosing the wrong one could result in mismatched furniture and styles, and perhaps a tinge of discomfort. 

What should one then consider when picking out the right upholstery for your sofa?

1. Durability 

Your choice of upholstery varies depending on a number of factors; one of which is whether you have pets, children, or the elderly living together with you.

Fabric sofas and leather sofas are the two most commonly used sofa types in Singapore; leather upholsteries are highly stain-resistant, while their fabric counterparts are not. 

Families with young children tend to go with leather sofas as they are incredibly stain-resistant and easy-to-clean.

Fabric upholsteries typically have their own double rub counts - a back and forth motion used as a testing method to measure the durability of a fabric and the amount of “wear and tear” a fabric can resist. A double rub count of 8,000 to 10,000 is suitable for light usage and cannot sustain everyday wear and tear, while fabrics with a 10,000 to 25,000 double rub count are suitable for everyday usage and heavy activities. 

Leather sofas are available in a variety of leather types, including full-grain leathers, corrected-grain leathers, aniline leathers, and others.

Leathers made out of animal skin are usually relatively more breathable and softer; however, If you wish to get a vegan leather sofa with no animal by-products present, the best alternative leather type you should consider would be PU or polyurethane.

2. Style

Every upholstery type has its own distinct character and they bring out differing vibes within a space, some fabric sofas may appear casual while others can exude a luxurious look and feel and could be the piece that changes up the ambience of your home.

One such example would be velvet; they are visually appealing, prim and proper pieces that go well with interior decors such as Modern, Contemporary, and Mid-Century designs, but will look out of place in an Industrial and Rustic setting, where rougher fabric textures will do better. 

Consider doing a comparison between different upholsteries to see how well each of them will seat in your home. 

3. Colour

The aesthetic value of your place can be affected significantly by the colour of your chosen upholstery. 

Matching your upholstery colour to the interior design of your home is crucial in keeping your furnishing looking beautiful and well put together. Needless to say, the safest colours to go with are neutral colours such as beige, creams, light greys, and white, while other colours depend on the style of your home.

The colours that go well with popular interior design styles in Singapore are:

1. Modern Industrial: Suitable colours include neutral and dark colours such as black, grey and brown. Depending on the design and colours used in your house, vibrant colours are also appropriate.
2. Contemporary: Contemporary interiors are great for incorporating vibrant colours like yellows, reds and blues as long as they complement each other well
3. Scandinavian: The epitome of a harmonious lifestyle and a blend with one’s environment, Scandinavian interiors typically feature simple and clean designs; suitable colours include cool neutral tones such as light greys, whites, cool-toned cream colours, and light pastel colours depending on the colours of your other furniture. 

Again, if you opt for fabric sofas and have children and pets at home, it is advisable to avoid light colours as dirt and the deterioration of the sofa can be extremely visible, to counter that though, you can go for leather sofas as they do come in a variety of colours as well.

4. Comfort

Ultimately, the perfect upholstery boils down to how comfortable it is for you. Different fabrics have varying textures and can affect how it feels on your skin. 

Fabric sofas with upholsteries like Velvet and Microfiber are soft and smooth on our skin apart from their aesthetic value. Leather sofas, on the other hand, can feel restricting at times as they can stick to our skin easily. However, they are highly durable and often cool to the touch; making them a comfortable option too. 

Narrowing down your upholstery options to a few ideal ones is a tedious process, but a home filled with carefully curated pieces brings more than just aesthetic appeal to your home. Live boldly and beautifully through our collection of artfully designed furniture.