We are back with our 2nd addition to our Fall Décor series to talk about Fall Fabrics! If you missed our other Fall blogs, check out Fall décor ideas for your home, and how to set your table for Thanksgiving.
Chelsi, our Visual Merchandiser and Interior Designer, breaks down everything you need to know about picking Fall fabric for the cooler seasons. There are really 3 main things to look for when making your selection – Color, Material & Use. This information can be used across all upholstery items in your home from sofa’s & sectionals to smaller accent chairs, throw pillows and even drapery!
Fall Fabric Guide: Colors
When selecting your fabric colors it’s important to take in to account the overall color pallet of your home. Do you have warmer tones, or cooler tones?
Warmer tones are typically described as browns, beiges, lighter off-whites and more neutral coloring. If your main flooring surface has a brown tone to it, then you probably are on the warmer side.
Cooler tones are, well the opposite. You probably tend to have more greys and stark whites. You main flooring will tend to be more on the gray side, with a grey carpet and white walls.
Warmer Color Pallet
For a warm color pallet, you should try to bring in more neutral, lighter colors. Think light beige, off whites, more creamy soft colors.
Cooler Color Pallet
For a cooler color pallet, you will want to bring in deeper, richer colors such as greens and greys.
A nice brown leather works beautifully with either a warm or cool color pallet, as does bright pops of color such as oranges or yellows.
Fall Fabric Guide: Materials
When it comes to picking the coziest fabric to snuggle into on a cool Fall day, there are a few options Chelsi recommends.
Chelsi’s 1st Pick:
The first fabric that comes to mind is a very soft velvet plushy material like the Orca Series by Stylus. These fabrics are very warm, and almost feel like a fleece type material but not as thick, and they are available in a few different colors.
This type of fabric goes great on any large piece of furniture like a sofa or sectional, but also works great on a smaller accent chair too.
Chelsi’s 2nd Pick:
A really popular fabric right now is a Boucle fabric. It’s a looped yarn type material, and as Chelsi says “it just looks like the comfiest thing you would ever want to sit on”.
This fabric is seen on a lot of sofas, chairs & sectionals in many popular retailers right now, and designQ Shop also has a few selections too like the Everly C Sectional as shown in the Cypress Showhome in Griesbach.
Chelsi’s 3rd Pick:
The last product that Chelsi loves for a beautiful natural look is a leather type material. This material wears so nicely, and will give you a beautiful patina over time. It is also very durable, easy to clean and maintain.
You can switch things up a bit here and add this leather type material to a headboard to really give your bedroom a cozy, chalet type feel as seen in the Allure showhome in Uplands. Or if you really want to be bold, try adding leather fabric to a window valance.
Fall Fabric Guide: Usage
Now that you have the fabric color and material picked, what would be the best use for them? Where will these pieces go, how much wear will they see and how will they fair over time.
As mentioned above, the leather type fabric is great for headboards, seating and even pillows. It wears really well, and is very durable and easy to clean. So it really will work on almost any application.
The softer plush fabrics and the boucle fabrics are a great choice for seating such as sofas & accent chairs, but keep in mind that pet hair will stick to them quite easily although it is easy to vacuum off.
The linen textured fabrics are perfect for high traffic areas. They work great for seating, ottomans & pillows as they are very durable and easy to clean.
When you are trying to transition your home from the warm Summer season to the cooler Fall and Winter season, don’t forget about window coverings. Drapery panels can actually help keep the warmth inside of your home during Winter, and the cold out.
By adding in a thick velvety drapery fabric, it will look and feel warmer and hang really nicely. There are numerous colors to choose from as well, so matching the fabric color to your homes color pallet won’t be an issue.
You can also add in leather drapery to a valance or even panels to give a really natural, woodsy look.
But Chelsi’s favorite Fall inspired drapery fabric has to be the wool drapery fabrics in the Sherlock collection. It’s like wrapping your home in a cozy sweater.
All fabric colors and materials used in this post are available through designQ Shop. We are able to customize almost any piece of furniture to have the fabric color and material you like! Click here to learn how you can customize a sofa or sectional, or here for custom beds & headboards!
Interested in updating your window drapery? Click here to learn more about our custom upholstery & drapery programs!
