If you’ve seen our new campaign, you’ll know that, at Sofology, we believe that it’s the little things that make life better. We spend time carefully designing and crafting each of our exclusive sofa ranges, embedding them with little details that make all the difference to how our furniture looks and feels. Our fabric sofas are superior because of all these little things – and we know that you’ll feel the difference every time you take a seat.
So what kinds of little things do we mean? Let’s start with the exclusive materials that we choose to craft our fabric sofas from. A fabric that looks the part isn’t good enough for us. All of the fabrics that we use in our designs have to meet safety standards, as well as offer an exceptional quality finish and feel, that’s tried and tested for durability. We want our fabric sofas to feel amazing, and last for years to come.
How do we achieve this?
Our expert design teams know fabrics like no one else. We source worldwide, searching out exclusive materials that will set our products apart and offer an extensive choice of finish, feel, colour, style and durability.
All of our fabric sofa options are lovingly handcrafted from one of 5 different categories of luxurious fabrics. Read on to learn all about velvet, chenille, tweed, microfibre and flat woven fabrics.
Deep pile, Italian velvets.
Handpicked from premium Italian suppliers, deep pile velvet goes onto our most luxurious ranges. For centuries, Italy has held a reputation for producing the finest, highest quality velvets, making it an obvious selection for undeniably sumptuous sofas such as the Liberte, Lille and Savanah.
This super soft fabric looks every bit as incredible as it feels – rich, cosy and warm to the touch. As it’s a little more luxurious than other options, velvet does need to be treated with extra care but it can be a durable option if well looked after.
Velvet can be made from a huge range of different fibres, from silk to polyester or nylon, woven on a special loom. Modern looms can handle many colours and variations of thread, and as such there is huge scope for pattern and detail to be woven into the fabric.
The threads are cut to create a short, dense pile that gives the fabric its distinctive, soft feel. This thick pile can make the fabric a little harder to clean, which you may want to consider, especially if you have kids in the household.
Soft, yet highly durable Chenille.
Completely luxurious, the softness and cosiness of Chenille is hard to beat. Originating from France, and developed as a mainstream commercial product throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, this beautiful fabric has a high tufted pile that’s warm and comforting, but surprisingly durable and hard-wearing. The uses for Chenille are vast, but it remains an extremely popular fabric in the furniture industry.
Due to its high pile, Chenille is very soft to the touch and therefore very comfortable – it’s one of the many features that make our Beckett, Edgware and Coco ranges so popular. The thick pile makes chenille especially luxurious, with a beautiful sheen to the finish that looks and feels incredible.
Many people find Chenille appealing because of the colourful and variable depth designs, but the high pile also makes it slightly harder to maintain than other fabric options. Keeping Chenille looking its best is therefore a little trickier if there are pets or children regularly using the sofa.
Distinctive, timeless Tweed.
Originating from the harsh Scottish highlands, this closely woven fabric is well known for its durable qualities. For centuries, tweed has been an iconic fabric worn in traditional Scottish and Irish clothing, a favoured option for outdoor activities due to its moisture resistance and durability. With a timeless texture and classic style, it’s also comforting and soft to the touch.
Tweed fabric is a textured mix of fine yarns, tightly woven to create plain or patterned finishes that are versatile, strong and durable. Wool is dyed before being separated into soft yarns, when it is then wound onto bobbins and eventually woven into Tweed on a loom.
With a slightly coarser feel than some other options, Tweed offers warmth, along with a high level of resilience. Tweed fabrics can also be produced in different patterns and colours, as seen on our Holmes, Brinley or Westwood ranges, making it a great fit for a variety of interior design schemes.
The durability that comes with Tweed fabric is especially appealing to families that may have young children or pets, as the fabric can be easily maintained and is much more resistant to spillages and tears than more luxurious fabrics.
Easy care Microfibre.
In comparison to other types of fabric that we use, Microfibre is a fairly modern material. A man made fabric, the first of the ultra fine fibres used in Microfibre were manufactured in the 1950s, but it was only in the 1970s that Microfibre found its way onto the market, and the 1990s before it truly saw success.
It’s a lightweight material made from polyester or polyamides like nylon or kevlar, and is therefore very durable and resilient. Soft to the touch, this tactile fabric has a high level of colour fastness and can be manufactured to take on the characteristics of natural materials like leather, suede and nubuck.
Microfibre is also really versatile. It can be printed on, embroidered or heat embossed to create patterns and designs, allowing us to produce sofas that are bright and vibrant or subtle with muted tones.
We chose to use Microfibre on ranges like the Demure, Darley and the Laurence because the material is super smooth, easy to clean and as soft as suede. It’s a highly durable fabric that is ideal for homes with young families or pets, as the densely woven finish holds its shape well and is super low
Flat woven.
Throughout history, flat woven fabrics have been used in clothing, blankets and upholstery due to their resilient nature and inviting feel. Although slightly coarser and more hardwearing than some other options, woven mix or flatwoven fabrics are robust and easy to maintain, which make them an ideal choice for use on sofas.
Made from interlocking threads, this material is highly versatile, can be plain or patterned and has a warm, textured feel. Typically they are made from cotton or polyester and come in a wide variety of colours, patterns and textures
There are a variety of different types of weaves used commercially today, but all of them maintain a high level of durability and resistance to spillages and tears. This is because woven mix fabrics have little pile depth, resulting in refined fabric that is often more durable than other options.
This level of style, durability and comfort is why we use flat woven fabric on ranges such as the Majestic, Bartelli and the Chiltern, because it’s a material that offers longevity, beauty and, most importantly, cosy comfort
The durability that comes with Tweed fabric is especially appealing to families that may have young children or pets, as the fabric can be easily maintained and is much more resistant to spillages and tears than more luxurious fabrics.
I live in Brighton and your nearest store is far away in Southhampton. I love your sofa range but would like to see material samples before ordering online. I am sure this would improve sales as not everyone can get to a store.
Hi Kathryn, I’m pleased to hear you love our sofas! We could try and help regarding samples if you pop a call over to our direct sales team on 0808 231 5482 they may be able to help. Many thanks, Scarlett