Interior fabrics and textiles come in all types, shapes, and sizes, and although products such as pillows, curtains, and tapestries are often considered the finishing touches in interior design,
However, it pays to think about your fabric and textile choices throughout the design process.
In fact, making thoughtful choices can help improve the life and performance of your soft furnishings—and making those choices early in the design process can help you budget for high-end options, too!
But which fabrics and textiles are best suited for certain spaces, pieces, and lifestyles?
Should you choose natural or synthetic materials? What are the price points? We answer these questions and more below.
natural materials
cotton
Cotton yarn is harvested from cotton plants. Cotton is lightweight, breathable, soft, strong, resilient, durable, and holds dyes well.
But it is also subject to shrinking, staining, tearing, and fading, and cotton can be used in combination with other natural or synthetic materials to produce velvet, cloth, and flannel.
Also, cotton, cotton blends and its derivatives are readily available and affordable, so they are widely used in interior design.
Some common applications include linens, curtains, and upholstery.
bamboo
Bamboo fabric is derived from the bamboo plant, bamboo is highly sustainable (due to the fast-growing nature of the bamboo plant), breathable, flexible, soft, and durable, just like cotton.
However, bamboo is generally more expensive than cotton. In the home, bamboo can be used in linens, rugs, window treatments, floors, baseboards, and indoor screens.
linen
Linen fiber is derived from the flax plant, and although linen tends to be coarser than cotton, it is similarly lightweight and durable, and will soften over time.
It is also prone to staining and wrinkling, and is usually more expensive than cotton. Linen may be used in combination with other natural or synthetic materials to produce velvet and cloth.
Some common interior design applications for linen blends include bedding, upholstery, and window treatments.
skins
Leather is an animal-based fabric that, while durable and hypoallergenic, is also an expensive material to manufacture and purchase.
However, with proper cleaning and care, a leather item can last for decades, and the most common use for leather in the home is upholstery.
wool
Wool is an animal fiber that is durable and naturally waterproof, hypoallergenic, and flame retardant, but it can sustain insect damage and prolonged sun exposure.
They are also expensive and delicate, as such, you need to be careful when washing wool, as the fibers can become brittle and prone to breakage.
Wool can be used with other natural or synthetic materials to produce flannel.
In the home, wool and wool derivatives can be used in blankets, rugs, tapestries, and bedding—especially if you live in a cold climate.
hemp
Hemp is a sustainable, renewable plant fiber that has a canvas-like texture and is similarly thick, strong and durable.
Although hemp will start to harden, the fibers will soften with further use.
Hemp is also prone to curling and wrinkling, and some interior design applications of hemp and hemp blends include linens, blankets, pillows, rugs, and upholstery.
silk
Made from the cocoons of silkworm moths, silk is soft, lustrous, and luxurious, but also delicate and expensive.
Because of its high price and fragility, silk is used sparingly and in low-traffic areas of interior design.
For example, some people choose to use silk for interior curtain cutouts or decorative upholstery.
Another common application for silk is bedding, such as pillow covers and bedspreads. Silk can be used in combination with other natural or synthetic materials to produce velvet.
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