Understanding Upholstery Fabric: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Whether you're an interior designer, upholsterer, or simply a creative homeowner, understanding upholstery fabric is the first step to creating lasting, beautiful interiors. With so many materials, styles, and performance factors available, choosing the right fabric can feel overwhelming—especially if you're just starting out. That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive beginner’s guide. From durability ratings to design aesthetics, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to select the perfect upholstery fabric for your next project.

Upholstery fabric is a textile designed specifically for covering furniture like sofas, chairs, ottomans, and headboards. Unlike standard fabrics, upholstery textiles are engineered to withstand daily wear, resist fading, and offer tactile and visual appeal in high-traffic spaces. These fabrics can be woven or printed, natural or synthetic, soft and subtle or bold and expressive.

If you're new to the world of interiors, it’s worth reading our essential guide to upholstery fabric and its role in interior design to understand how much of a difference the right material makes.

Each fabric type offers different qualities and finishes. Here’s a quick primer on the most popular options used in design projects:

1. Linen and Linen Blends

Linen is loved for its relaxed texture and breathable quality. At Saint and Poet, we use linen and linen-blend basecloths to give our prints a soft, natural handfeel while maintaining structure for upholstery.

2. Velvet

Velvet adds depth and drama to a space. It catches light beautifully and brings a touch of luxury to upholstery—but can be best used in lower-traffic areas unless it's performance-treated.

3. Cotton and Cotton Blends

These offer a balance of softness and durability, and work well for relaxed, casual interiors. Cotton blends often add strength through polyester or linen content.

4. Synthetic Fabrics

Acrylic, polyester, or nylon-based fabrics are often used for their stain resistance and durability—ideal for commercial settings or homes with children and pets.

Not all fabrics are created equal. When assessing upholstery textiles, keep these key indicators in mind:

🔹 Martindale Rub Test

This test measures how much wear a fabric can take. A score of 25,000+ is suitable for general domestic use; Saint and Poet’s upholstery fabrics typically exceed 35,000, offering strong performance for everyday use.

🔹 Crib5 Fire Treatment

For commercial or hospitality spaces, a Crib5 fire treatment is often legally required. We offer Crib5 treatment upon request for all our fabrics—get in touch if you’re specifying for public interiors.

🔹 Colourfastness

High-quality printed fabrics like ours are designed to resist fading from light or cleaning, keeping your chosen palette bold and true over time.

Think about how and where your fabric will be used.

• High-traffic seating? Go for strong, tightly woven fabrics with high Martindale ratings.

• Accent furniture? Try a bold print like those in our Sketch Collection for a visual statement.

• Child-friendly homes? Consider darker tones or patterned designs that disguise marks.

Always request samples and test for texture, stretch, and colour in your own space.

While durability matters, upholstery fabric is also a major storytelling tool in interiors. At Saint and Poet, we believe that fabrics should evoke emotion and express character.

Whether you're drawn to modernist geometry, hand-drawn motifs, or painterly brushstrokes, our collections are designed to inspire creativity and bold choices. If you love tonal warmth and playfulness, for instance, explore our pink upholstery fabrics for a versatile and expressive palette.

And if you’re new to pattern mixing or unsure how to begin, our upcoming article on how to style bold upholstery fabricswill offer step-by-step guidance.

The most successful interiors are built around fabrics that speak to you. Begin with a swatch that catches your eye or a palette that evokes a feeling—then build from there. Upholstery fabric isn’t just a technical component; it’s a foundation of mood, texture, and design language.

You can start your journey by exploring our full range of modern and characterful upholstery fabrics, or browse curated collections like the Simplicity Collection for clean, sculptural shapes.