Upholstery Velvet – Sourcing Luxury Velvet (Mohair) in The UK
Posted: 16 February, 2011 Filed under: Contract Fabric, Domestic Fabric, interior, interior design, interior designer, interiordesign, Product Comments, Upholstery, Upholstery Fabric | Tags: domestic fabric, domestic fabrics, fabric, interior design, mohair velvet, mohair velvets, textured upholstery fabric, Upholstery, upholstery linen, upholstry fabric, velvet, velvets Leave a comment »
Luxury Mohair Velvet For Upholstery
Luxury Upholstery Velvet is notoriously difficult for interior designers to consistently source. Sourcing a generic velvet is easy enough but often velvets vary greatly in quality with many being relatively cheap and scoring relatively well with Martindale results but they just look ‘cheap’. The look and feel of the velvet are, after all, two of several important reasons why you are specifying it in the first place.
A further problem is the composition. When, for example, you say you want a Mohair Velvet that is what you want: a velvet made out of Mohair and NOT lots of other things PLUS a bit of Mohair.
Whilst Mohair velvets are generally very good across the market they too can vary significantly in quality. So even when you buy a Mohair Velvet you are not necessarily getting the durable, luxury, fantastic looking product that you hoped for.
Further complications come when looking at Velvets made of a mix of yarns. Well some of the mixed fibre yarns too are actually excellent in quality!
So I guess I’m saying that there really is no sure and fast way of knowing that what you are buying without actually seeing the fabric AND being assured of its technical characteristics, notably Martindale as we are considering upholstery here.
Most KOTHEA luxury upholstery velvets have inherent Martindale rub tests of in excess of 20,000 rubs with several collections exceeding 100,000 rubs fo rcontract usage – 20,000 Martindale being eminently suitable for domestic upholstery.
In addition to non-velvet, textured upholstery we have many luxury velvets suitbale for upholstery including Italian Silk Velvet (high quality, luxury velvet), Cashmere & Silk Velvet (the ultimate velvet), trevira Velvet (inherent fire retardancy), Mohair Velvet (high quality, luxury velvet),
Most of our velvet is available by the metre with no minimum quantities.
Related Articles
- Fabric Tips #12: Rolling a velvet (kothea.com)
- Mohair Velvet & Other Velvets (kothea.com)
- Fabric Tips #11: Mohair Velvet – How To Store (kothea.com)
- Contract Upholstery Fabric – How to Specify It (kothea.com)
- Upholstery Linen – Sourcing Luxury Linen in the UK (kothea.com)
Fabric Tips #13: Velvet Curtain Making
Posted: 14 February, 2011 Filed under: Curtain Fabric, Fabric Tips, interior design, interior designer | Tags: contemporary fabric, contract fabric, contract fabrics, cotton velvet, curtain, curtain fabric, domestic fabric, domestic fabrics, fabric, Fabric Tips, ideas for designers, interior design, linen velvet, Mohair, mohair velvets, silk velvet, silk velvets, textured upholstery fabric, upholstry fabric, velvet, velvets 3 Comments »
Image by tenz1225 via Flickr
Here are some additional pointers to consider when you are making a curtain using a velvet. Remember that a velvet is just a type of fabric and the fibre(s) that the velvet is made from is important.
So for example we would always recommend that you line a curtain. This gives a superior appearance but also reduced the amount of light going through the fabric hence limiting as much as possible the effect of any fading.
If the velvet has a pile that can be flattened in one direction then we would recommend that you have the pile going downwards for SHINY velvet fabrics and PATTERNED VELVETS.
If however you make up the curtain with the pile upwards then this will deepen the colour so you cold make the curtains this way for cotton velvets and Trevira Velvet and Mohair velvets.
These are general guidelines and it is not necessarily wrong if you make up the curtain ‘the other way’ just so long as you understand the implications to the finished look and performance of the material.
Related Articles
- Plus Size Velvet (fatchic.net)
- New Fabric Trends Update Your Decor (chicagonow.com)
- Mohair Velvet & Other Velvets (kothea.com)
- How-To: Custom Rollup Curtains (craftzine.com)
- Roller curtains with your graphics on them (hackaday.com)
- Fabric Tips #11: Mohair Velvet – How To Store (kothea.com)
- Fabric Tips #12: Rolling a velvet (kothea.com)
Fabric Tips #12: Rolling a velvet
Posted: 14 February, 2011 Filed under: Contract Fabric, Curtain Fabric, Domestic Fabric, Fabric Design, Production & Details, Fabric Tips, interior design, interior designer, Upholstery, Upholstery Fabric | Tags: contract fabric, contract fabrics, curtain fabric, domestic fabric, domestic fabrics, fabric, Fabric Tips, fabrics, interior design, linen velvet, mohair velvet, mohair velvets, silk, silk velvets, Textile, textured upholstery fabric, Upholstery, upholstery fabric, velvet 4 Comments »
Image via Wikipedia
You’ve just ordered a new velvet and unrolled it to admire your purchase. But how do you re-roll it?
When you roll almost any fabric you should have the face on the inside. With a velvet this is the pile so you have the pile on the inside.
Some, but not all, velvet piles stand straight up others will ‘lay down’. for the former it does not matter which way you then roll the fabric (provided the pile is on the inside). However for typically longer pile which lays down (ie you can brush it flat with your hand in one direction only) then you should roll the fabric down the pile as you return it to its roll.
Hopefully that made sense. Good luck.
Related Articles
- Mohair Velvet & Other Velvets (kothea.com)
- Projects ” How-To’s ” Red Velvet Valentine Whoopie Pies (cutoutandkeep.net)
- ‘VELVET’ SURPRISE: Moe Tucker, tea party fan (politico.com)
- Red Velvety (farhanahizani.wordpress.com)
Raffia Wallcovering
Posted: 7 February, 2011 Filed under: Contract Fabric, Environmental, interior design, Panelling & Wallcovering, Upholstery, Upholstery Fabric | Tags: interior design, raffia, textured upholstery fabric, upholstery fabric, upholstery linen, upholstry fabric Leave a comment »
Raffia adds texture as a wallcovering. As a natural product it has many benefits for the interior designer including a degree of thermal insulation and the ability to be adhered directly to wall surfaces or fastened to wall surfaces or ceiling when wrapped around wooden panels.
With Wyzenbeek rubs of 40,000 KOTHEA’s 2011 Raffia (Raphia) are also eminently suitable for a wide range of upholstery uses.
Raffias can usually be fire treated to meet a wide range of contract requirements including hotels and marine installations.
This type of raffia weave has been used for thousands of years perhaps most famously as Japanese Tatami mats. They are of course one of today’s modern day design staples for a clean, modern look.
Links:
- What is Raffia? (brainz.org)
- Upholstery Linen – Sourcing Luxury Linen in the UK (kothea.com)
- Home improvements: How to insulate a bungalow (telegraph.co.uk)
- Mohair Velvet & Other Velvets (kothea.com)
Contract Upholstery Fabric – How to Specify It
Posted: 9 January, 2011 Filed under: Contract Fabric, Environmental, Fabric Tips, interior design, interior designer, interiordesign, interiors, Panelling & Wallcovering, Upholstery, Upholstery Fabric | Tags: contract fabric, contract fabrics, domestic fabric, textured upholstery fabric, upholstery fabric, upholstry fabric 2 Comments »Here is a VERY quick guide to specifying contract fabrics. Contract Fabrics 101 if you like. It shows you the main areas you need to consider.
1. Determine Use
Is it panelling or seating? for the latter you will need to consider flammability (cigarette, match and crib 5) and abrasion (Martindale)
2. Fabric Composition
The composition of the fabric including the yarn and weave will affect the fabric’s long term wear, appearance and technical performance.
Natural fabrics such as wool can be more expensive but generally offer good feel and technical characteristics such as natural flame retardancy.
Man-made fabrics usually are more easily cared for but can look cheap if not properly chosen.
3. Flammability
The single standard for contract seating which is acceptable throughout the EU is EN 1021 Parts 1 and 2 (cigarette and match). Higher level standards in the UK are BS 5852 and BS 7176.
The standard which applies to vertical surface fabrics is BS 476 Part 7.
4. Abrasion
You should be looking at the Martindale properties of the fabric. <Here> is more information on the Martindale rub test.
5. Environmental Considerations
Generally natural fibres like wool are good. And man-made ones less so, NYLON is not great.
6. Care and maintenance
Generally contract fabrics will look bad because of dirt rather than because they wear out. So follow the manufacturers instructions on care and maintenance. Basically wipe away stains quickly and vacuum clean regularly.
Black Velvet – Even Better Italian Silk Velvet In Black
Posted: 22 September, 2010 Filed under: Domestic Fabric, home decor, interior, interior design, interior designer, interiordesign, interiors, modern homes, modern interiors, Upholstery, Upholstery Fabric | Tags: contemporary fabric, domestic fabric, domestic fabrics, mohair velvet, mohair velvets, silk velvet, silk velvets, textured upholstery fabric, upholstery fabric, upholstry fabric, velvet, velvet upholstery, velvets 4 Comments »
Black Velvet – only to be enjoyed by those who appreciate that black is the new black! KOTHEA have a range of velvets with shades of black colourways in most of those velvet collections.
“Black Diamond” is the colourway name for the Italian Silk Velvet (100% Silk Pile) with the code 777-108-900.
You can get black silk velvet samples here from KOTHEA if you are a trade professional. Just click the link.
KOTHEA velvets are the best in the market. We only sell top market fabrics, mostly to top European Interior Designers and Architects. Here are some more bits of technical information on our black Italian Silk velvet fabric:
Width: 140cm
Composition: 100% Silk Pile
No repeat, plain.
Abrasion: Martindale 20,000.
Available from stock, normal delivery within 5 days.
Minimum Order length: 2m
Martindale Rub Test – Updated Information
Posted: 13 July, 2010 Filed under: Upholstery, Upholstery Fabric | Tags: contract fabric, contract fabrics, textured upholstery fabric, upholstery fabric, upholstry fabric Leave a comment »
Martindale Rub Test Information for upholstery has been updated in one downloadable pdf document. I have put together a few posts I have made into this one file.
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Mohair Velvet, Silk Velvet: How to upholster using it
Posted: 19 June, 2010 Filed under: Fabric Tips | Tags: contract fabric, contract fabrics, domestic fabric, domestic fabrics, Fabric Tips, linen velvet, mohair velvet, mohair velvets, silk fabrics, silk velvet, textured upholstery fabric, upholstery fabric, upholstry fabric, velvet, velvet upholstery, velvets Leave a comment »Mohair Velvet and Silk Velvet buyers consider this: You have just invested a considerable amount of money in a high quality silk velvet or mohair velvet. Are you really considering upholstering with it yourself. Use an experienced upholsterer who, to be brutally honest, should not need the instructions that follow.
Some velvets are woven with a nap others are not. It is not a problem either way. If there is a nap you need to know which way it goes as that affects the process of upholstering. When you run your hand down the mohair velvet or silk velvet the smoothed direction indicates the direction of the nap. Remember this, it is important.
I’m assuming that you have already checked that the fabric is not damaged and that each piece is from the same dye lot.
The nap should be upholstered downwards for:
- the back;
- the seat; and
- side surfaces.
The nap should be upholstered from the outside inwards for:
- arm rests.
How do you flip your cushions? Top to bottom or left to right?
Most people flip from top to bottom. It is therefore standard upholstering practice to upholster the front and the back the opposite way. IE when they are flipped over the nap is the same.
You should use a layer of wadding between the foam and the fabric. The wadding can be either cotton or synthetic it does not really matter but check with any fire rating requirements. Again check that you are using the right kind of foam but HR foam or cold foam are both fine.
However if the pile is vertical then we advise the additional use of a cotton slip-cover.
Going back to the foam for a minute we advise that you use white wadding. In certain circumstances it is possible that grey wadding will ‘bleed’ causing marks on your beautiful Mohair Velvet. For example this may be caused from moisture used in the cleaning process.
Always use wadding on the arm rests as a protective layer to help eliminate ‘sharp’ edges. Using wadding on arm rests will thus reduce wear and tear considerably.
For the piping never use synthetic piping cord, always use cotton piping cord. As with the arm rests this will reduce wear and tear by eliminating the ‘sharper edges’.
Again to reduce wear and tear also use the length of the fabric to make the piping. this will look better as well.
Happy Upholstering
KOTHEA 2010 Fabric Collections
Posted: 14 June, 2010 Filed under: Contract Fabric, Stuff We're Doing, Upholstery Fabric | Tags: contemporary fabric, contract fabric, contract fabrics, curtain fabric, cushion fabric, domestic fabric, domestic fabrics, fake leather, faux leather, faux leather upholstery, interior design, mohair velvet, mohair velvets, natural linens, textured upholstery fabric, upholstery fabric, upholstry fabric, velvet 1 Comment »
Finally! Our summer collections have been decided and we will begin to introduce the new designs and colourways throughout the remainder of this year. We have been inundated with new work in the first part of this year causing our blog posts to be curtailed and our ‘spring’ collection to nearly be an autumn/fall collection. Not that we really do seasonal collections in any case.
I will return later in another post to KOTHEA’s quite remarkable sales figures for the financial year just finished. Most surprising, especially considering we are in the midst of a recession. We had our best ever year and by quite a large margin.
We expect some coverage of the new collections in World of Interiors and Elle decoration but, again, more on that at another time.
Where can you see our collections? Well, we are as elusive as ever but we are starting to digitize some images to our flickr feed (click the images on the right or here). The flickr update is ongoing, there is information on flickr now but some of the images are not final and some images do not have full associated descriptions / product details but we are woking on that this week. Our usual clients will receive the new collections in due course starting in late summer; if you need them more urgently for pressing projects of course we will be happy to oblige. Please get in contact in the usual way.
Not all are in production yet but most sampling is available now.
As a very broad summary we have:
1. New colours of several existing ranges including faux leather;
2. More velvets including patterned and crush;
3. Striped, double width linens;
4. Upholstery weight linen; and
5. A few more interesting one-off designs in limited colourways like the one heading up this blog post.
Share, Accredit & Enjoy!
A Chat With Verity du Sautoy – Her Thoughts On Winter Fabrics
Posted: 7 February, 2012 | Author: Nathalie Arrigone | Filed under: Companies, contemporary interiors, Contract Fabric, Domestic Fabric, home decor, interior, interior design, interior designer, interiordesign, interiors, Press Releases, Upholstery, Upholstery Fabric | Tags: cashmere throw, Cashmere wool, contemporary fabric, contract fabric, contract fabrics, cushion fabric, domestic fabric, domestic fabrics, fabric, faux leather upholstery, ideas for designers, interior design, KOTHEA, luxury cashmere throw, luxury fabric, mohair velvet, mohair velvets, natural fabric, silk velvet, Textile, textured upholstery fabric, upholstery fabric, upholstery linen, upholstry fabric, velvet, velvets | Leave a comment »Truly beautiful Cashmere Silk Velvet by KOTHEA
KOTHEA Fabric Picks For A Chilly Winter’s Day
With Verity du Sautoy of KOTHEA.
We love the seasons. All have their beauties and all have touched our senses in memorable ways over the years. Winter is no exception: lower, more balanced light; quietness and chaos with both the shopping and the weather; festive celebrations; the cuddle of a loved one; the hope and expectation of early spring flowers grasping for rare and tiny glimmers of light; and, perhaps, the welcomed warmth of a beautiful fabric.
Some of my best memories are centred on family: a warm fire; a little baby; or a bouncing toddler. Then an old children’s classic on the iPlayer watched on my Mac as it balances precariously on an elegant coffee table. I stroke my children’s hair with one hand and rest my other hand on my sofa. A generous cushion is warm, encapsulating and a bit of fun for the little ones to hide under. The curtains are not yet fully drawn but they smooth the boundary to the cold outside and give us tantalising glimpses of the world beyond – should we venture too close to the sheers that offer the final, soft protection from the elements.
Dominika B Tana Lawn
I work for a fabric company. I love fabric. I can’t pretend that it (fabric) is a be-all and end-all to life and that somehow it will make your life complete. It can’t. But what it clearly can do is complete the sensory experiences in the parts of life that, if you choose, you have control over…the parts of your home. Memories are not just photo-like snapshots in your brain; they are stored, multi-sensory splashes of emotion.
Here are my Winter picks. They are actual ‘picks’ that I’ve recently purchased or are about to purchase.
Take my sofa as an example. My sofa isn’t Read the rest of this entry »
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