Velvet Furniture: What to Know Before You Buy

Velvet has a reputation, luxurious on one hand, impractical on the other, and both of those are based on a general idea of velvet that misses the point entirely. Velvet is not one fabric. It is a whole family of them, and the differences matter enough that choosing on the basis of velvet in general means choosing half blind.

Our velvets fall into three distinct groups. Each is made differently, each behaves differently, each suits a different home. Here is what separates them, so you can choose one you will still be happy with in ten years.

Recycled stain-resistant velvets: the practical one

Our most practical velvets are the stain-resistant ones, and they are quietly the most environmentally considered too. They are made largely from recycled polyester, the fibre recovered from plastic bottles that would otherwise end up in landfill or the ocean, spun into a soft, luxurious velvet with a stain-resistant finish.

The practical case is strong. These carry a high rub count, around 100,000 Martindale, which is proper hard-wearing, everyday territory. They are stain resistant and washable, which if you have children, pets or just a busy life is a genuine relief. A glass of red on a stain-resistant velvet is a manageable moment, not a small disaster.

Sepia Velvet is one of these. If you love the depth and softness of velvet but have always hesitated over the practicality, these solve it completely. You get the sensory pleasure of velvet with the resilience of a performance fabric, and it is made from recycled materials, which more and more of my clients genuinely care about.

Cotton velvets: natural character, a bit more care

At the other end sit the cotton velvets, Straw and Cinnamon, woven in the UK, with a natural fibre content that gives them a character synthetic velvets cannot quite match.

The appeal is that natural quality. A matte depth and a tactile softness that comes from the fibre itself, and a way of taking colour that gives a rich, slightly variable surface. These are beautiful fabrics with real presence, and for a piece meant to be a considered centrepiece rather than a hard-working everyday sofa, they are lovely.

There are things to know, and I would rather tell you upfront than have you surprised. Cotton velvets mark more easily than the stain-resistant ones, and they are dry clean only, not washable. Like all natural-fibre velvets they show pressure marks and some pile movement with use, that characteristic shading and patina that some people adore as a sign of a natural material living in a home, and others would rather avoid. They also have a more moderate rub count, so they suit pieces that get regular but not intensive daily use.

For a bedroom chair, an occasional piece, or a sofa in a more formal sitting room that is not the everyday hub, a cotton velvet is a beautiful choice. For a family's main sofa taking daily wear and spills, it asks for a level of care and acceptance of natural marking that not everyone wants to give. Be honest with yourself about which you are.

Mohair velvets: the heirloom and contract choice

The third group, the mohair velvets, sits at the top. Woven from mohair, the fibre of the Angora goat, over a cotton backing, these have the longest, most resilient pile and the greatest depth of the lot.

Mohair gets called the noble fibre, and it earns it. Exceptional strength for its softness, which gives mohair velvet both a luxurious hand and real durability, around 100,000 Martindale. The pile is longer and recovers from pressure better than standard velvet, and the natural lustre gives it a remarkable depth, it absorbs and returns light in a way that shifts through the day. A sofa in oatmeal mohair velvet genuinely looks different morning and evening.

Here is the part that matters for trade work: our mohair velvets are all inherently Crib 5 fire rated. For anything commercial or contract, hospitality, offices, any project that has to meet public fire safety standards, that is significant, because it means the fabric passes without the extra chemical fire treatment most fabrics need. If you are a designer specifying for contract, that inherent Crib 5 rating makes the mohair velvets exceptionally practical as well as beautiful. Heirloom character and genuine contract-grade suitability in the same cloth.

Oatmeal Mohair Velvet is one of these. Dry clean only, as you would expect of a natural-fibre velvet of this quality, and it rewards a bit of care with a beauty and longevity very few fabrics can touch.

So which one

It comes down to how the piece gets used and what you care about most. For a family's main sofa or anything that will take spills and hard use, the recycled stain-resistant velvets give you the practicality and washability that make velvet genuinely liveable, with the bonus of recycled materials. For a characterful, considered piece where natural fibre and depth matter more than everyday resilience, a cotton velvet rewards you, as long as you accept the care and the natural marking. For an heirloom piece, or any commercial project needing an inherent fire rating, the mohair velvets are unmatched.

Whatever you lean towards, see it in your own room before committing. Velvet especially reads completely differently under your light than on a screen, and its depth shifts through the day.

Order swatches to see the velvets in your space, have a look at the full collection, and get in touch to talk through which velvet suits your piece. For trade and contract enquiries where the inherent Crib 5 rating is relevant, our trade programme can help.