Choosing Upholstery Fabric for a Florida Home

Fabric that looks right under shop lighting behaves differently in a Florida house with west-facing windows and a long, humid summer. In Volusia County, sun and moisture do more to a sofa than most people expect, and a fabric that looked perfect in a catalog can look tired after a couple of seasons. A little thought before you choose saves a lot of regret later. These are the things we ask customers to consider first.

Sun comes first

Sunlight fades dyes and weakens fibers, and a sofa facing a big window or a sliding door gets it every afternoon. Deep reds, dark blues and strong solid colors show fading soonest, because even a slight lightening is easy to see across one flat color. Patterns with several tones in the weave hide the same fading far better. Fibers that are colored all the way through hold up better than fabrics printed on the surface, so it's worth asking about the fiber content before you fall in love with a pattern. Window treatments help too. Shutters, blinds and draperies cut the glare that reaches your furniture, and we cover those choices in our window treatment article. Turning cushions and moving pieces a few feet each season spreads the wear and the light more evenly.

Humidity changes the choice

Humid air gets into everything, and upholstery is no exception. Natural fibers such as cotton and linen take on moisture, can stay damp longer and may hold odors in a closed-up house. Many synthetic and blended fabrics dry faster and shrug off damp days more easily. Leather does well in a home that's kept air conditioned, though it needs to stay out of strong direct sun. If a piece is going on a lanai or porch, that's a different category altogether, since it will see rain, mildew and sun together. We re-cover lawn furniture for customers here in DeLand, and the first thing we look at is whether the fabric and the padding can dry out when they get wet. Foam that stays soaked and a fabric that holds water will both fail early.

Think about how the room is used

A fabric is only a good choice if it suits the people sitting on it. Before you shop, settle a few plain questions about the piece.

• Who sits here every day, and for how long at a stretch.
• Whether there are children, pets or both in the house.
• Whether the piece sits in a family room where people eat and nap, or in a formal room that rarely gets used.
• How much direct sun the spot gets, and at what time of day.
• Whether the piece will need to be wiped down often.

A tight, even weave resists snagging from claws and belt buckles. Texture and small patterns hide wear and the occasional spill better than smooth, plain cloth. A pale solid in a busy family room looks wonderful for a month and then asks a lot of you. A dining chair seat takes more abrasion than a bedroom accent chair, so the two shouldn't be chosen by the same rules.

Test it before you commit

Choosing from a printed swatch or a photo on a screen is how people end up with the wrong color. Our showroom has a large selection of fabrics and sample books, and you're welcome to spend time with them. Bring a cushion, a paint chip or a photo of the room. Look at the sample in the morning and again late in the day, because color shifts with the light. Hold it against your rug, your wood tones and the wall. Run your hand across it and then your forearm, because in a Florida summer you'll often be sitting on this in shorts. Pattern scale matters too. A bold pattern that looks calm on a large sofa can overwhelm a small chair, and delicate prints can disappear on a big one. Ask whether you can take a sample home and leave it on the piece for a few days before you decide.

Match the material to the piece

Different materials suit different jobs. Woven fabrics are comfortable, come in a huge range of patterns and breathe well in warm rooms. Leather ages gracefully and wipes clean, which makes it a good choice for barstools and dining chairs, and we upholster with leather hides for customers who want it. Vinyl is practical where moisture and heavy use are certain. Whatever you choose, the cover is only part of the result. The padding, the way the pattern is lined up and the quality of the sewing all show once the piece is in your home. Our decorator service is there if you want a second opinion on bringing fabric, color and furniture together.

Bring a favorite chair, a photo of the room or a handful of swatches to our showroom on International Speedway Blvd, and we'll look at it all together. Call 386-734-1809 if you'd rather talk first, and ask for a free estimate on the piece you have in mind.