Velvet – the perennial favourite for upholstery.

A true classic

Luxurious, bold; velvet is definitely still a popular choice for upholstery.. Stylists and designers praise this gorgeous material for its combination of sophistication and modernity.  It’s been popular in both home interiors and on the catwalk, and it’s showing no sign of waning.


We love the silky and plush finish that velvet gives to your upholstery, making it the ideal fabric to cover your sofa or armchair. It always injects some glamour into your home. With its beautiful characteristics, we can only expect this rich and decadent material to stay on trend.

Photo: Scandi inspired design with our Atlas sofa.

So much choice

There is the most wonderful range of velvets right now. From the classic Omega velvet from Linwood, to the soft touch of Amalfi velvet from J Brown- as shown above on our Atlas sofa. Or experience the silky modern feel of Warwick Lovely. All these beautiful fabrics are available in wonderfully diverse colourways, from naturals and neutrals, to rich jewel like tones. There are bold printed velvets in fabulous designs, such as this Clarke & Clarke Exotica print on our Smithfield sofa. And textured velvets can also bring an extra dimension to your scheme.

Photo: Our Smithfield sofa goes bold with this vivid printed velvet from Clarke & Clarke.

Why not visit one of our destination showrooms to have a look at our range and speak to one of our design consultants.

Choosing the right fabric – the ‘rub test’

Some velvets are more hard-wearing than others. Most upholstery fabrics have a rub test rating, which is how we measure their durability. The test indicates how much abrasion a fabric can take before there is a noticeable change in surface appearance or loss of colour. The British Standard for furnishing fabrics with a pile structure, such as chenille and velvet, should reach at least 15,000 rubs, although Delcor usually recommend fabrics that are 20,000 rubs and above. You may wish to go for a more robust fabric with a higher rub rating, or for a finer velvet with a lower rating, depending on your needs. Many of our best loved velvets have very high rub counts, and some have stain resistance built into the fibres. So you can experience the luxury of velvet whilst also being practical. Our experts can advise you on the rub rating and durability of your chosen fabric.

Finding your feet

With a bespoke sofa or an armchair you can choose everything from the model and size right down to the feet. Dark wood legs will complement a deep purple or blue fabric, or you might prefer metal legs if you’re going for a modern look. See our feet options page for a selection of styles. If a new sofa isn’t on the cards you could always consider introducing velvet accents into your home with cushions or a footstool.

chelsea-footstool-bespoke

Photo: Chelsea footstool-why not add this into your scheme as a practical feature piece?

Find more inspiration with these articles:

How to create a sense of luxury in your home with Delcor. – Delcor

How to decide your sofa fabric. – Delcor

At the heart of every Delcor Masterpiece. Find out about our hard wood frames-guaranteed for 50 years. – Delcor


Take a look at a selection of our velvet products on our Pinterest page.