Fabric decides how a sofa looks, how it feels to sit on, and how it will look in three years. Here's an honest comparison of the four we're asked about most — including where each one lets you down.
Jumbo cord
Wide, chunky ribs with a soft brushed surface. The texture is the point — it catches light and gives a sofa depth that flat fabrics don't have.
Good for: family rooms and daily use. The ribbed surface disguises marks and everyday wear better than almost anything else. Warm in winter and it doesn't feel cold or sticky in summer.
Watch out for: crumbs and pet hair settle into the grooves. A vacuum with a brush attachment sorts it in seconds, but it does need doing.
Best in: greys, mink and beiges, where the ribbing reads as texture rather than pattern.
Plush velvet
Dense, short pile with a soft sheen. The most formal-looking of the four, and the reason most people choose it.
Good for: making a room look considered. Velvet has a depth of colour that flat weaves can't match, particularly in darker shades.
Watch out for: pile pressure marks. Sit in the same spot repeatedly and the pile flattens, leaving a shaded patch. It isn't damage and it brushes out, but if uneven shading would irritate you, velvet isn't your fabric. It also shows pet hair clearly.
Best in: cream, mink and grey. Very dark velvets look superb but show every speck of dust.
Chenille
A soft, slightly fuzzy weave that sits between cord and velvet. Less textured than jumbo cord, less shiny than velvet.
Good for: people who want soft without the maintenance. It's the most forgiving of the four — no pile to flatten, no deep grooves to trap crumbs, and it hides marks reasonably well.
Watch out for: it can pill slightly in high-wear spots over time, particularly on arms.
Best in: almost any colour. Chenille is the safe choice and there's nothing wrong with that.
Bouclé and teddy
Looped, nubbly textures. Bouclé has small tight loops; teddy is longer and shaggier.
Good for: a soft, contemporary look. Bouclé in cream is the fabric behind most of the sofas you've seen on Instagram in the last two years.
Watch out for: claws. The loops snag, and a cat that scratches will pull threads. If you have cats, choose something else — we'd rather tell you now than replace it later. It also shows dirt more readily than the others, and cream is the most popular colour, which compounds it.
Quick answers
Children? Jumbo cord or chenille.
Cats? Not bouclé or teddy. Jumbo cord is the safest.
Dogs? Chenille or jumbo cord in a mid tone. Avoid dark velvet unless your dog is dark.
Guest room or low use? Anything. Choose on looks.
You want it to look expensive? Plush velvet, in mink or grey.
See it before you decide
Photographs on a screen only tell you so much, and colour varies between phones. Message us on WhatsApp and we'll send you close-up photographs of the exact fabric in the exact colour you're considering, taken in daylight.
All our sofas are made to measure, so you're not limited to whatever a warehouse has left — you pick the fabric and we build it.
WhatsApp: 07555 320914
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