When it comes to adding texture to a room, there’s perhaps no better way to incorporate it than an accent chair. Whereas a textural sofa runs the risk of overpowering a room, and a textural pillow can feel underwhelming, a textured accent chair can make just the right impact. Choosing a textured upholstery can be tricky, however. In addition to visual and tactile preferences, different textures require different care. Here, we break down some of the basics.
Velvet
While not as high impact as materials like boucle or sheepskin, velvet offers a luxuriously soft surface that appears to reflect light. Designers love velvet for its deep, saturated color and luminous sheen. Velvet chairs make great accent chairs for the living room or dining room since they can add subtle texture with the added benefit of being easy to clean. As with any fabric, don’t let spills sit, but if you opt for a dark color velvet, most will hide even set-in stains.
Wool
If you desire more tactile texture, wool can be a solid option for an accent chair. Wools range from mostly one-dimensional to extremely curly textures like boucle. Wool upholstery is a popular pick for retro furniture peces, as it showcases rich, bright colors extremely well. It’s worth noting that some people find wool upholstery itchy. So if you’re choosing an upholstery for a chair that will be used by a number of people, you may want to consider something less polarizing and universally comfortable such as leather or velvet.
Sheepskin
Sheepskin — it’s not just for rugs! Sheepskin chairs are ideal for spaces where you want an ultra-cozy touch. Keep in mind that the unique look of sheepskin upholstery comes with tradeoffs; i.e. sheepskin isn’t the easiest material to keep clean. For the sake of maintenance, most chairs will showcase a low to mid-pile sheepskin, but regular vacuuming and swift blotting when spills occur are mandatory to keep it looking good.
Beads
For the ultimate touch of texture, there’s nothing like a beaded chair. Most beaded chairs are Yoruba chairs. Yoruba chairs hail from Nigeria and were originally created as thrones for the kings and queens of the Yoruba tribe. Today, these chairs are available in a wide range of colors and patterns, making them ideal for those who crave a textural moment that tops all others.
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Lead photo design by Angela Chrusciaki Blehm / Photo by Sarah Dorio