From curtains to sofas, furnishings come in a wide range: here is advice on how and what to pick
Your home should be the story of who you are and its collection of what you love. Furnishings are to a home what clothes are to an individual.
Soft furnishings, like curtains, cushions, carpets, and upholstery, bind all the elements of an interior together to create a cohesive look. “Selection of the furnishings should be done keeping various things in mind such as the area of the house, functionality of the area, lighting, the design story of the house and finally reservations, if any, towards a particular colour,” said Adetee Sawhney, director and principal designer of ALTUS Luxury Living in Delhi.
What should go up first: the curtain or the sofa upholstery? The chicken-and-egg problem at home has a solution. “Sofa fabrics are chosen before the curtains. The colours should complement each other. The actual flow is that selection of the furniture is done based on the design theme finalised. This is followed by upholstery, curtains and then the rugs,” said Sawhney.
Curtain calling
Home furnishing trends favour designer window blinds and natural-material curtains like linen. People are picking naturally textured fabrics with simple borders that complement the look of their modern home space. In classical homes natural silk is being used.
“Curtains come in every type—there are heavy curtain fabrics, medium and light, big print and small print according to the window size and room, whether you want to add horizontal or vertical borders. You need to coordinate with the rest of the room. Know the kind of fall you are looking for,” said Arun Garg, founder of Maishaa, a Delhi-based premium furnishing store.
Curtains come in designs like floral, striped, geometrical, abstract, paisley, traditional or modern. “For curtains, make sure whichever fabric you choose falls well and is not too stiff. Appreciate the difference between a natural fabric and a natural-looking fabric. For e.g, if you are looking to get a linen or silk curtain, the inherent quality of these fabrics is to look crumpled, which is the beauty of any pure linen and silk,” said Sachin Chauhan, director, Dialogues by Nirmals, a bespoke home furnishing store in Gurugram.
Curtains should have weight: it is one consideration households overlook while selecting fabric. Weight keeps curtains taut and provides the desired drapes. Use a heavy lining to improve the fall and increase the life of curtains. Make sure you choose sheers along with your curtains.
Different fabrics are used for sofa upholstery, with leather being the most durable material. Fabric sofas are colourful, come in a variety of models and are cheaper than leathers. Fabrics are porous so they can suffer from spills a lot. Scratches and damages may occur with frequency. Nevertheless, if you still prefer the fabric choice, linen, canvas and microfiber are endurable choices.
Silk, cotton, and canvas are vulnerable.
If you choose neutral fabrics, you can decorate however you like. “One very critical tip for procurement of any fabric is to check the Martindale of the fabric. The results of a Martindale test show how much wear and tear a fabric will take before there is a noticeable change in appearance. The higher the score, the more durable the fabric is,” said Chauhan.
"Fabrics with a low rub score are light or easily damaged furnishing fabrics. For heavy traffic and high maintenance areas poly-blends are much more suitable as compared to any natural fabric as the maintenance requirement is low and longevity is more. Choose colours and patterns/textures that are soothing to your eyes and don’t make you feel claustrophobic or bored after a certain period of usage.”
At Maishaa, there are various designs available ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,500 per metre. The Maishaa Essence (54’width) range costs between Rs 2,100 and Rs 3,970.
How should you select sofa upholstery? Maishaa’s Garg said, “Keep in mind the colour of the wall, flooring, colour of rest of the furniture and the topography of the place you live. Basically, the whole room should be well coordinated. Consider your personal taste of colours, print and textures plus the shape and pattern of the sofa. If you choose a printed fabric for Chesterfield sofa it will not work, a particular geometric pattern might not look good on round edges.”
Maintenance mandate
Dust sofas daily, vacuum often and get steam cleaning done once in a couple of months. Use a lint brush and brush your fabric sofa to remove any pet hair and lint. Lint brush is a must-have sofa cleaning tool. To remove stubborn stains, use a mixture of white vinegar with water. Gently rub in a circular motion with a soft, microfibre cloth.
Mix a mild laundry detergent with water or a specialty upholstery product for an all-over clean and to sanitize/deodorize your fabric sofa. Make sure to avoid oversaturating and scrubbing your sofa or risk damaging the fabric. Let the sofa fabric upholstery to air dry.
Dry clean curtains or hand wash them. One must try to opt for washable textile that would not shrink or expand after a few washes.
Finally, the cost of home furnishing depends a lot on your taste and budget. There’s no rule that says your house must be completely furnished 6 months, or even a year after you move in. A house is a long-term commitment. Slow down and let your decorating happen at a relaxed pace.
| Sofa Fabrics | Price (Rs per metre) |
| Boucles | 2,250/mtr onwards |
| Velvets - Solids, prints and jaquards | 895/mtr onwards |
| Linen | 1,750 |
| Cotton | 1,190 |
| Prints | 1,250 |
| Leatherette - Solids and Textured | 895 |
| Poly blends - Solids and textured | 995 |
| Chenille - Solids and Jaquards) | 1,100 |
| Suedes - Solids and embossed) | 1,395 |
| Silk Jaquards | 3,950 |
Source: Dialogues By Nirmals
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