The fabric of your seating plays an important role in your home theatre experience. Here is a short guide to get the right fabric that will match your style, family, kids and pets.

Getting the right home theatre system for yourself and your family means making a lot of decisions. There are so many options and customisations that it can be overwhelming. You can count on us to guide you and help you make the best choices that correspond to your budget, required comfort and the style of your home theatre. Contact us to chat about what the best options are for you.

There are many options to consider and one of the first to consider should be the fabric. Though this may seem unimportant, it can have an effect on the audio quality, visual affects on screen, comfort and durability. And not all fabrics are built equal. Follow through this easy guide to help you decide what fabric is best for your needs, and how to make it work in your home theatre.

What style do you like?

When it comes to style for home theatre, many people think of velvet, as it is the fabric made popular by cinemas. Velvet is plush and comes in deep colours, bringing the glamour of traditional theatre to your home. But it is not the only stylish option. There is suede leather which is equally classy and provides a premium look and feel. Leather is also modern, is very popular, and suits the look and feel of movie theatre seating. Both suede and leather come in a wide range of textures, colours and quality, giving you many options to choose from.

There are also hard-wearing upholstery fabrics that are ideal for home theatre. Just remember that bright colours and patterns can reflect on the screen and interfere with the view—so, keep it simple. When it comes to looks, clearly beauty is in the eye of the beholder and you are the one who needs to decide what appeals the most to you. However, there are other factors to be considered beyond looks which may help you make the right choice for your home theatre.

Durability of your fabric choices

The most important factor to evaluate durability is the abrasion or the number of ‘rubs’ the fabric can withstand before it starts to wear. Any fabric which is rated as less than 3000 rubs may not be ideal for your home theatre, especially if you have a young family, grandchildren, or pets. Most brands and manufacturers are happy to share the number of rubs, and this is definitely something you should check beforehand.

Another important factor is ease of cleaning. You may not want to use a fabric that looks great but gets dirty easily and cannot be easily cleaned. Leather, for instance, is durable and most stains can be cleaned with a soft cloth and soapy water. Harder stains can usually be removed with specialised leather-care products and buffed out gently. This is where fabrics like velvet or suede leather may not be the ideal choice for some families. They are not as easy to clean as leather.

The ease of use, cleaning and maintenance makes leather a great choice for families with pets. Claws will mark the leather but it helps to develop that beautiful patina that natural leather has as it ages.

Other factors to consider when choosing home theatre seating

  • Ask for samples of the fabric. It is suggested that you check out the samples of the fabric before you actually go ahead and use it. Testing out the look and feel of the fabric is really important before you go ahead and commit to it for your entire upholstery.
  • Try using darker shades. Darker shades help to combat the screen reflection issue which some lighter and patterned fabrics may face.
  • Understand the cleaning and maintenance guidelines of the fabric. Every fabric comes with its own guide on cleaning and maintenance. It’s a good idea to understand those to make an informed decision while choosing the fabric for your seating.

Your choice of fabric for your home theatre should be guided by factors beyond looks. While some fabrics provide great looks, they may be less appealing when you know about the comfort they offer and their durability or lack of it.  Your choice of fabric also depends on your family and whether kids and pets are a part of it. For a family of adults, you could worry less about ease of cleaning stains. However, with pets and kids, you may be faced with stains (and fur) more often, so it becomes an important factor.

Contact us to speak to one of our experienced experts who can help you make the right decision for your home theatre fabric and much more. After all, it is not every day that you build a home theatre of your dreams—let’s make it perfect.