Any recs. for a natural, good to higher end brand of LINEN fabric?

last year

I am planning on purchasing a new small sofa (english roll arm) and two swivel chairs with skirts for the living room of my guest cottage. I've looked at several brands, and think we are going to go with some Ethan Allen pieces - very affordable. My question is, where has all the good linen gone to? The salesperson swore I would never be able to tell the difference between linen and performance fabric. I know they are good for spills, pets, etc., but I don't have those issues, and CAN tell the difference. Apparently I have to purchase the furniture and have it recovered as EA does not do/warranty linen for their upholstered pieces?! I think this is bizarre. I have several samples, some which are very high end, but none that are the natural color I'm looking for. I've attached a photo of a Pierre Deux chair that is probably 15 years old - the company is out of business, too bad, but it has linen cecelia toile that is fantastic. There are no "comfort wrinkles" and the piece is definitely NOT wrinkled. Linen, in my opinion is great. I don't mind the fading, and I may be in the minority, but I APPRECIATE the natural fibers!

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JAN MOYER

last year

last modified: last year

First, for someone obsessed with natural fiber and quality, the last place I'd buy a sofa is Ethan Allen. You will wait the eon, and then another eon to recover at virtually ANY upholstery shop.

You're going to pay 150.00 to 200.00 for a single yard of the upholstery backed linen you NEED. Yes, it must be upholstery backed, and if you do not believe me, ask your upholsterer.

You need a design center and access to upper end brands; just a few of those mentioned above. I'd add Jane Churchill who has some wonderful natural tones.

Get yourself a designer. And I'd cancel the Ethan Allen, buy a Baker, a Hickory chair......and do a com fabric . By the time you're done, that sofa will still approach or exceed 10k, but your skin won't crawl. Either mfg, will upholstery back any linen you provide.

PS.........Ethan Allen is a very moderate source for those who both need and WANT performance fabrics . The highest end sources ( Scalamandre, Schumacher, etc have not ignored the category either, and luxury abounds in this classification. I wouldn't continue on the path you are on, given what you want. Ethan Allen? Not close to the quality of thirty , twenty years ago. Not close. Don't put a fortune in fabric on a very mediocre quality sofa, is the point.

Think "luxury" doesn't know what people want?? See below.....read the details

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Comments (19)

elcieg
last year
last modified: last year
100% linen means only 15,000 rubs, dry clean only, and, yes, it can and does wrinkle.

15,000 rubs is way down on the scale for long wear. Dry clean only means you can not spot clean. Go with Ethan Allen if you like the furniture, as for the fabric you choose you want at least 35,000 rubs, but that number is at the low end. Look for a fabric with more polyester than linen in the mix.

Pierre Deux, loved it all, but it didn't move on with fabric blends. Remember?

You might enjoy this blog.

http://thepeakofchic.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-ever-happened-to-pierre-deux.html

I went to college in Harvard Square, way back when, and Pierre Deux, Liberty, McMullen were our choices of clothing. As we walked the Square, we were astounded with an new store dedicated to Marimekko. Time to change the wardrobe?
elcieg
last year
Just thinking, you may want to salvage the fabric...you could recycle it and have accent pillows made.
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I was told by a salesperson once that patterned fabrics are more expensive because of the matching work that had to be done during upholstering. We have a sofa from Storehouse that stills looks good after 10 years (our kids are ages 9 and 8, so that tells you something). I don't know who really makes it -- the tag inside says "DECOY" with a picture of a duck (?), and the fabric is just listed as a synthetic blend. But my kids have jumped on it, stood on the arm and fallen backward, and spilled on it. The fabric is not at all pilly. However, a chair we bought at the same time is Olefin and it is all pills (and, as dcollie says, not comfy!). Chenille feels so nice in the store; I wonder how it holds up? We also have a Sherril sofa that is 10 years old and it looks the same as the day we bought it. But it didn't get the hard use the other one did. It is covered in a tapestry fabric listed as a cotton/poly blend.
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I have tried it all. I basically use this process. I have harder water. I ALWAYS prewash everything...in cold water, with a little liquid soap. It could be a couple squirts of dish soap, or I also use BioClean liquid laundry soap this way: I add some to an old dishwashing liquid soap bottle and fill with water. Then I squirt some of this into prewash. I use cold Prewash, to remove proteins. Once prewash is done, I then fill ' WHITES '...with hot water. I use then: homemade soap: ( depending on what I have at moment I make it )...either all borax...I use 2 boxes and put this in a container on dryer. I add one whole ounce of lemon essential oil. ( and stir very carefully so that it all mixes ..lemon also helps to remove oily stains ) Or, I use 1/2 washing soda and 1/2 borax. So one box to one box. I then still add one full ounce of lemon essential oil and stir. ( also can use lavender as this is a disinfectant ..but so is lemon ) From this, I use about 1/2 cup scoop for full load, or less if only several things and water level is set to low. For whites I use about 3/4 cup of Biz...and add that in too. I let the whole thing soak for an hour or more...depending on what I am doing. Then I set the washer to agitate. I get great whites, and stains are basically gone. For dirty things, like dish rags, etc...I usually buy only white..and I do use some bleach for this. But..one can also use hydrogen peroxide. I let the whole load of rags soak for 30 minutes to kill germs and then I start wash process. For darker things, I use same process of cold prewash. then, I either use warm or cold full wash, using only BioClean liquid soap, or you could use some other. For stains, I use biz. Or with in a warm wash, use the borax/washing soda..and let soak, for several hours. Depending on how dark the colors are, etc. I choose either biz/ or my own mix. One can also use oxyclean.. bu I usually don't use this, so I have little experience. Hope this adds some help to all ! Mernie
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@Sheila Rush have you picked flooring, counter tops, cabinets, backsplash yet? Those fixed elements should really help decide your wall color. Also how light or dark you want your walls, Natural Choice is the lightest with an LRV of 73, Natural Linen has an LRV of 66 and Accessible Beige is the darkest with an LRV of 58. All three of your choices are part of the yellow hue family, but AB and NL are closer to the red side of the color wheel (warmer) and NC is closer to the green side of the color wheel (cooler). Hope that helps!
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hollyhobbyist
Original Author
last year
Thanks - enjoyed the blog! - I still love toile - it's classic, and I might just use it as a "neutral base" for my furniture. And it's "in style" - not that I would need that affirmation ;-) https://www.bhg.com/decorating/lessons/expert-advice/what-is-toile/

I think performance fabrics might be necessary for outdoors, but in my living room, I'd like linen. But that said, I might consider a corduroy that is a blend for this particular space. I suspect retailers motives in pushing the performance are profit driven rather than concern for consumers' stains. The feel of performance fabrics is like nails on chalkboard for me - I just can't sit on something upholstered in it and be happy. But we are all different. The feel is MORE important than the longevity - why sit on something that makes your skin crawl just to say that it lasts? So if I have to reupholster with less "rubs" then I will. This chair is 15 years old and would be good for much more. Show me one that feels (and lasts) like Jean Munro's Cecelia toile, and I'll consider it!!
palimpsest
last year
https://designs.cowtan.com/Search/F/Brand/All/Colour/All/Category/Linen/New/0/Page/1
palimpsest
last year
https://calvinfabrics.com/fabrics/?search_query=&page=1&limit=21&sort=featured&Fiber%20Content=NATURAL&Fiber%20Content=BLEND&Primary%20Fiber=LINEN&category=18&is_category_page=1
palimpsest
last year
https://www.jimthompsonfabrics.com/products
hollyhobbyist thanked palimpsest
hollyhobbyist
Original Author
last year
thank you! looks like some great fabrics
chispa
last year
I would recommend a visit to a large design center that has showrooms for the major fabric designers like Schumacher, Kravet, Lee Joffa, Thibaut, Cowtan & Tout, Quadrille, etc. All of them now carry performance or indoor/outdoor fabrics that feel like regular fabric.
Mrs. S
last year
last modified: last year
There are so many different types of long-wearing fabrics for sofas. Of course it depends on your tolerance for longevity, and fabrics are rated as others have pointed out.

Your comment that The feel of performance fabrics is like nails on chalkboard for me makes me think that maybe you are speaking of the microfiber materials, since that's how they make me feel, too. But I wouldn't lump those microfiber materials in with everything that can be deemed a "performance" fabric. There are just so many types and "feels" of good quality fabrics today.
spammie
last year
I’ve bought a lot of linen from fabrics-store.com for clothes, toweling & curtains. They have a Facebook page with lots of users who are happy to givefeedback & show photos of their work.
PRO
JAN MOYER
last year
last modified: last year
Or.............take your chances, have your upholsterer send it for backing.

As below. Obviously, buy a sample yard first, and discuss w/ him first. yes.......they have more colors

https://www.onlinefabricstore.com/11-oz-oatmeal-belgian-linen-fabric-.htm
elcieg
last year
DEFINITELY, try this site. It has many of the fabric houses that Jan mentioned.

https://www.fabricguru.com/toile-drapery-prints
hollyhobbyist
Original Author
last year
Thank you all for the input. Jan, you confirmed much of what I have suspected.

I guess my issue is twofold: 1) the furniture (sofa & chairs) and 2) the fabric.

Sofa – I want an English roll arm sofa, and chairs that “go with.” Husband loves the idea of swivels, so I’m trying to honor that for the chairs. I consulted with a local designer, and she suggested Lee. We went to a large design center that offers Lee, but in my opinion their roll arm is too deep for our (especially my husband’s) tastes. And it really wasn’t that comfortable. There were few other furniture options to speak of at the center which surprised me. So, no sofa. I went home, did a little online research, and found the lovely Kravet Allegro roll arm:

https://www.kravet.com/media/pdf/furniture/Kravet_Allegro_Sofas_Tearsheet.pdf

…and petite allegro chairs that appear to be a great match for my needs (+ swivel).

https://www.kravet.com/media/pdf/furniture/Kravet_Allegro_Petite_Chair_Ottoman_Tearsheet.pdf

After pricing them, I learned that they were quite a bit more expensive than Lee items, even with discounts, without any fabric, and then I began to wonder, “What would happen if I order these pieces and they aren’t comfortable? And I just spent all this $?” On top of that, these are for the guest cottage that we just built and are living in until we start building the main house next year. So, I’m thinking, is it worth it? I have been on the fence with this issue for months, and husband saw the roll arm sofa at EA. Not the greatest quality, but less $, and pretty comfortable for the price/place. But really not "right."

If I knew the Kravet was comfortable, I’d probably just get it and end the back and forth. Do any of you own a Kravet Allegro? It looks great, but does it feel great? Which segways into the next issue – fabric. The design center had a bonanza of choices, but I had no idea how to put them together. I guess I had imagined having someone go through books with me ( i had no idea there would be endless rooms with racks of fabrics, albeit lovely ones) and make suggestions? Needless to say, I had a nice time, and came home with a large number of samples (Colefax and Fowler, Rogers and Goffigon, Schumacher, Jane Churchill, to name a few), but no definitive “result.” Some of the linen is backed with fabric, but most are not. I didn’t know that the pieces needed to be backed with fabric, but that makes sense.

Which leads me to the Pierre Deux comment. Sure, my chair old toile chair needs an update, but I love the style, depth, and everything about it. Pierre Deux, come back, and bring a roll arm sofa with you!

Am I making this too hard? Overthinking it? What would all of you do? Go with the Kravet and risk it? Look for another roll arm option that can be “verified” as comfortable? Take a couple days and go to NC? That sounds a bit daunting. Opinions welcome.
hollyhobbyist
Original Author
last year
The place is small, and furnished sparsely with a few of our old bits - we have only been here a short while. Window seats to be built this fall - they need fabric too! Small kitchen, adjacent.
PRO
Sabrina Alfin Interiors
last year
First, no designer showroom will have every single piece they manufacture on the showroom floor. It's just not possible to have that much square footage to house every permutation. So when I do "sit tests" with my clients, I ask the rep to show us the closest version they have on the floor to the one we actually want and test those. Also, keep in mind that the showroom models often don't have the upgraded filling in them. Lee Industries does a "Cloud 9" package that upgrades everything to down, and is far cushier than the standard filling.

If that doesn't work for you, then I'd suggest going to a custom furniture maker/upholsterer you might have locally who caters to the design trade. They will have several chair frames you can modify to your correct dimensions and you can sit on all the ones they make. You may need to hire a designer to access this, as you would for any other designer showroom at a design center. For example, in San Francisco where I live, there's a place called Hardesty Dwyer that specializes in new build, one-off pieces.
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JAN MOYER
last year
last modified: last year
You need a brick and mortar quality furniture store. Or an interior designer . Your toile chair?? That is an English body/frame so familiar, you can find it nearly anywhere. You'll find it at Taylor King, Lee Industries, CR Laine ....you'll find it online; Serena and Lily, Williams Sonoma.......even Perigold.

You want a verified comfortable roll arm sofa? You can skirt, no skirt , any fabric, com, not com.....nails, no nails!! Eight way hand tie, spring down cushion seats But you need a designer or brick and mortar.

Why not instead repeat the English arm? .....also verified comfy!! Why? Pitch. A word nearly nobody mentions. You're IN it : ) all the way. Love no back cushions for a very tidy look and easy for down fill accent pillows.

Will you be able to test drive? Not likely.

My personal dream sofa? Below ....... and a live in puffer/ fluffer: ) Yes, in WHITE linen. Or a sumptuous chocolate mohair, or velvet. Ahhhhhhh.

Get. Thee. A. Designer.

Your coveted Kravet? Unless the pic is wrong? That is NOT a roll arm. Just sayin as below...Your link goes here.
hollyhobbyist thanked JAN MOYER
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JAN MOYER
last year
PS.?Kravet is essentially a distributor. They "make" nothing.
hollyhobbyist thanked JAN MOYER
hollyhobbyist
Original Author
last year
I stand corrected on the arm - English it is. Thanks for the input - the Haydon looks great!!

Any recs. for a natural, good to higher end brand of LINEN fabric?

JAN MOYER

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