Choosing Fabric for Your Furniture

By Monika Nemeth Interior Design Consultant

When it comes to choosing fabric for your furniture it's simple to start with look and feel, but you should also consider durability based on the needs in your home?  Do you have a dog or cat that needs to be near you when your relaxing on your furniture, do you have kids that somehow always forget to remember that you don't want them eating in front of the TV? If this high traffic, heavy use relates to your lifestyle consider the following:

1. A microfiber or perhaps leather covering, as these can withstand heavier use.
2. If going with a fabric, consider a woven patter over a printed pattern, as these also tend to last longer.
3. One key metric to look at is the thread count (the amount of threads per square inch of fabric). The higher the thread count, the more dense the fabric will be, and the more it will stand up to whatever your family can throw at it. 
4.  Finally, for that furniture that sits in a well lit room, be sure the fabric offers some fade resistance.