Fabric sofas: what are they, how to choose and care for?

The interior of a modern apartment is a harmonious combination of rationalism, functionality and original design ideas. To give the rooms coziness and create an atmosphere conducive to relaxation and meeting guests, direct fabric sofas are chosen for furnishing. They are presented on the market with a huge selection of models, so they are easily matched to the design of any room.

Fabric sofa is considered the most common type of furniture that is used in the arrangement of premises. In the manufacture of such sofas, a variety of materials are used that differ in texture, color, quality and price. Most often, furniture upholstery is performed with artificial textiles with fire resistance and moisture resistance. This is a budget material that is perfect for upholstery sofas located in the living rooms and kitchens.

If the financial capabilities of the apartment owners allow, then it is best to purchase furniture in which the upholstery is represented by natural fabrics. They are distinguished by high environmental friendliness, breathability, but are unstable to pollution and the negative effects of sunlight. In addition, natural textiles are very demanding to care for, some fabrics can not be cleaned. In this regard, experts recommend choosing sofas, decorated with mixed fabric.

The most popular fabrics that are chosen as upholstery for textile sofas include the following varieties.

• Cotton. It is a light, natural material that is well ventilated and stained. Its disadvantage is that with active use, the service life is no more than 5 years.

• Velor (velvet). It is characterized by the presence of a short pile, since it contains artificial threads. Suitable for finishing structures of complex shapes.

• Jacquard. It is a patterned fabric with high strength. The advantages of the fabric are stiffness (the sofa retains its shape perfectly) and the invisibility of dirt, stains. Minus - the price is above average.

• Shenill This fabric, which includes fluffy threads. It features a complex weaving pattern and a huge selection of colors.

• Micro-velor (flock). It belongs to the most common upholstery fabrics. Its base is made of polyester and cotton, and the pile is made of nylon. It has a lot of advantages: external attractiveness, long service life, easy maintenance. There are no cons.

• Gunny. This fabric is made from cattail and polyester fibers. Thanks to this combination, the material is tough, resilient and dense.

As for the choice of color palette, the upholstery of fabric sofas can be both monophonic and with drawings, geometric patterns. For bedrooms, models in blue, pink, blue, gray and beige are perfect; White sofa will help to add sophistication to the interior.

To increase appetite and tone, in the kitchen you need to install sofas in bright yellow, orange or red. For living rooms, it is necessary to purchase furniture of more restrained and noble colors - a fine choice, for example, will be a dark brown color.

Fabric sofas can differ not only in the material of manufacture, but also in design features. They are both ordinary and transformable. The last type of sofas is equipped with special mechanisms to organize a berth. Folding models are quickly transformed due to the presence of devices such as “click-click” or “book”. Designs are deployed using the "accordion" and "American clamshell" systems, rolled out thanks to the "Eurobook" and "dolphin" mechanisms.

Direct roll-out sofas made of fabric are considered more durable than corner models. They can reliably serve their owners for more than 10 years, without requiring repair of the folding mechanism. Such compact sofas quickly turn into a comfortable bed, just pull on the strap located below the seat.

Besides, the sofa can be designed for rest (sitting), sleep (single, double) and at the same time for rest and sleep. Therefore, choosing a fashionable sofa for arranging a particular room, it is important to take into account the characteristics of each type.

Furniture of good quality not only reliably serves a long time, but also fits in the original interior of the room. This applies to both straight and corner fabric sofas. To choose them correctly, it is important to consider the following nuances.

• For children's rooms it is best to purchase double models upholstered in natural fabrics (cotton, linen, chenille). Their upholstery should additionally have such protective properties as resistance to getting wet, pollution.

• For living rooms folding flocked sofas are ideal. To furniture harmoniously combined with other interior items, experts recommend giving preference to fabrics in restrained shades, black and white.

• For bedrooms a good choice are models of transformers from mixed fabrics. In the bedrooms, articles upholstered in jacquard, velor and chenille look beautiful. Moreover, the design should be multifunctional and complemented by linen drawers.

Despite the fact that manufacturers produce modern models of high-quality fabric sofas, in order to extend their useful life, certain care rules should be followed. Furniture will last longer if:

• perform regular cleaning using a regular brush or vacuum cleaner;
• Wet spilled liquid in a timely manner, preventing the spread of spots;
• after wet cleaning the sofa, you can sit on it only after the fabric has completely dried up;
• Do not try a new detergent immediately on the entire upholstery of the furniture, its effect must be checked in a small area
• Bright sofas should preferably be placed in rooms where windows are closed with blackout curtains, this will save the fabric from burning out in the sun.

See how to choose upholstery for your sofa in the next video.