Furniture Fabrics

Fabrics That Furnish a Room

Interior fabrics divide by job. Upholstery cloth must survive friction, body weight and daily use without thinning or stretching out of shape. Drapery fabric must hang in clean folds, control light as the room requires, and resist the fading that sunlight brings. Slipcover fabric has a third brief: it must do upholstery's job while also surviving regular laundering. Choosing well starts with naming which job a fabric is actually being bought to do.

The retailer listed here, The Whole 9 Yards, illustrates the full-service end of this trade. It is the Northwest's top retailer for interior fabrics in stock, with thousands of samples of fabrics, trim and custom furniture besides. A store of that kind lets a customer compare a working upholstery weave against a delicate sheer in the same visit, with staff who can say honestly which cloth belongs on a family sofa and which belongs at a window.

Chenille, Tapestry, Jacquard and Velvet

The Whole 9 Yards offers a wide selection of chenilles, tapestries, jacquards and velvets for upholstery, draperies and slipcovers, and those four names cover much of the decorator market. Chenille is woven from fuzzy caterpillar-like yarns, giving a soft, dense surface that wears well and hides everyday use. Tapestry is a heavy jacquard-woven cloth whose picture or pattern is part of the weave itself, traditional on chairs and cushions.

Jacquard is the weaving method behind both tapestry and many patterned upholstery fabrics: the loom controls individual warp threads, so intricate designs are woven in rather than printed on. Velvet is a pile fabric, its cut surface giving the deep color and shadow play that make it a perennial choice for statement chairs and drapes. Each construction behaves differently at seams and corners, which is why experienced upholstery retailers ask about the furniture piece before recommending a fabric.

Silks, Sheers and the Trim Department

The same listing noted a great selection of silks and sheers. Silk brings luster and fine drape to draperies and formal upholstery accents, usually lined to protect it from sunlight. Sheers do the opposite job from blackout cloth: they soften daylight, give privacy without darkness, and layer under heavier curtains. Between the statement fabrics and the light ones sits the detail that finishes a room: a trim department carrying a distinctive collection of trim — and, as the store puts it, tassels are pure pleasure.

Trim is not decoration for its own sake. Fringe, braid, cord and tassels finish the edges where fabric work is most visible, hide staples and seams, and let a plain cloth carry a tailored or traditional character. The store also emphasizes the human side: a creative staff happy to join the search for the perfect fabric for a design project, because putting together your own choices of fabrics and trim is what makes a home unique.

Classes, Workrooms and Visiting the Listed Store

Interior fabric retailers increasingly teach and make as well as sell. The Whole 9 Yards hosts several do-it-yourself classes and runs a full service workroom for professional bedding, draperies, pillows and more. That combination suits how people actually furnish: some want to sew their own curtains with guidance, and others want the same fabric made up professionally, and a good store serves both without pressuring either.

The listing below gives the store's details. The Whole 9 Yards, owner Amy Estrin, is at 1820 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214, telephone (503) 223-2880, email info@w9yards.com, and readers are invited to shop online or in-store. If you visit, bring measurements, photographs of the room, and any existing fabric samples you need to match; interior projects reward preparation because dye lots and stock change, and the perfect chenille seen in spring may not be on the shelf in autumn.

Listings in This Directory

The listing below gives the retailer's details.