Upholstery fabric is chosen on appearance and lived with on behaviour. The differences between the common options are real and they show up within the first year.
Plush Velvet
Dense short pile, soft to touch and visually rich. It shows every mark of a hand across it, which some people love and some find irritating.
It holds pet hair readily, shows watermarks if cleaned carelessly, and can snag under claws. It is the most luxurious feeling and among the most demanding.
Microfibre Leather
A coated synthetic that wipes clean with a damp cloth. It resists snagging, does not hold hair, and is the most practical option in a household with children or pets.
The trade is feel: it is smooth rather than soft, and it can be cold to sit on. Ranges that offer it alongside plusher fabrics, of the kind at hobestluk.net, are covering both preferences rather than assuming everyone wants the same thing.
Corduroy
Ribbed cotton or synthetic with a tight structure. Considerably more durable than it looks, hides hair reasonably, and tolerates claws better than most piles.
It has become the default for contemporary soft furniture partly because it photographs well and mostly because it survives real use.
Chenille
Soft and textured, with a characteristic depth. It sits between velvet and corduroy on both comfort and durability.
It holds hair more than corduroy and less than faux fur, and it is pleasant enough that people forgive the maintenance.
Faux Fur
The most tactile and the least practical. Long pile mats with use, holds everything, and is difficult to clean.
It suits a piece used occasionally rather than daily, and it is a poor choice in a household with animals since the hair becomes indistinguishable from the pile.
Matching Fabric to Household
- Children and pets: microfibre leather or corduroy
- Adults only, occasional use: velvet or faux fur
- Daily heavy use: corduroy
- Anything that will be washed frequently: check the cover is machine washable
- Warm rooms: avoid coated fabrics, which do not breathe
Colour Behaves Differently by Fabric
Pile fabrics shade as they are brushed in different directions, which means a velvet or corduroy piece looks different from each side of a room.
That is inherent rather than a fault, and it is why photographs of these fabrics vary so much between listings.
Cleaning by Fabric
Pile fabrics should be brushed in the direction of the nap after cleaning, or they dry looking patchy. Coated fabrics wipe and need nothing else.
Water rings on velvet are the classic error: blotting with too much water leaves a visible edge. Cleaning the whole panel rather than a spot avoids it.
Judge It in Person Where You Can
Fabric is the property least conveyed by a photograph. Where samples are available they are worth requesting, particularly for anything with a pile.