Innovative Ways to Use Upholstery Fabric in Your Home

When most people think of upholstery fabric they automatically think of sofas and chairs. This is only natural because that is where we normally see these fabrics used. However, you can actually use these luxurious materials for far more than re-upholstering your chairs and sofas.

Curtains and blinds

The quality and thickness of upholstery fabrics means that they are actually a great option for curtains and blinds. This kind of material is heavy enough to hang well, and dense enough to keep the light out. Velvet is a great example of an upholstery fabric that works really well for curtains.

However, you do need to be careful about using this type of fabric in this way. There is a danger that it will fade quickly when exposed to direct sunlight.

For this reason, you should experiment by leaving a small piece of the fabric on a sunny windowsill for about a month then compare it with a swatch that has not been exposed in this way. If the piece from the windowsill has already changed colour noticeably it is probably not suitable for use as blinds or curtains.

For the table

Upholstery material makes great runners, tablecloths, napkins and tablemats. However, if you are going to make these, it is important to use the right type of material.

The first consideration is how easy it is to keep these items clean. You do not want to have to send your tablemats, napkins and tablecloth to the dry cleaners to get them hygienically clean. This is not quite so important for table runners, but you still want to be able to get any stains out easily.

It is best to choose smooth fabrics for this type of project. They not only look better and are much nicer to use. Nobody is going to feel comfortable using a napkin made from a bobbly fabric.

Throws and covers

It is easy to make attractive throws and covers from upholstery fabrics. This kind of material is easy to work with and produces good results. The covers and throws are ideal for use in the living room or conservatory, but also work really well as top covers for beds.

Again, you need to choose materials that can be cleaned easily. Machine washable fabrics are ideal.

Fabric walls

It is even possible to use this kind of fabric as an alternative to wallpaper. This is not a job for a complete beginner, but once you have the technique down it becomes easier.

The best approach is to stretch the fabric across a batten frame, which is attached to the wall. A good way to determine whether the fabric you want to use is right for the job is to make yourself a scaled down version and use it as a picture. Just make up a picture-sized frame and stretch the fabric you would like to use across the frame and staple it in place at the back.

Hang the picture on one of your walls for a few weeks. This gives you the chance to find out how easy the material is to work with, determine whether the fabric stretches and goes slack, or fades, and to know for sure that you like the fabric enough to cover an entire wall with it.

Bring a room together

All of these decorating ideas are great ways to add a touch of luxury and pull a room together. Importantly, most of them are easy to tackle.