Fabric Buying Guide

Expert advice on choosing upholstery, curtain and furnishing fabrics.

Tartan Fabric

Tartan Fabric Tartan remains one of the most popular furnishing fabrics for upholstery and curtains. Whether you're considering traditional tartans, contemporary checks or weathered designs, these guides will help you choose the right tartan for your project. Read the Guides → Tartan Fabric: Choosing the Right Tartan for Your Home How to Choose Tartan Upholstery [...]

Why Choose Corduroy Upholstery Fabric?

Why Choose Corduroy Upholstery Fabric? If you're considering corduroy for an upholstery project, you've probably already been drawn to its distinctive texture and appearance. What often surprises people, however, is that corduroy isn't just attractive, it's also one of the most practical upholstery fabrics available. One of the strongest arguments for choosing corduroy is that [...]

How to Choose Tartan Upholstery Fabric

Step 6: Speak to Your Upholsterer Before ordering fabric, obtain a fabric estimate from your upholsterer. Tartan upholstery often requires additional fabric to allow patterns to be positioned and matched correctly. Fabric requirements depend on: Furniture size Cushion arrangement Pattern repeat Upholstery style An experienced upholsterer will be able to calculate this accurately and help [...]

How to Choose Tartan Curtain Fabric

Step 4: Think About the Overall Interior Tartan works beautifully with: Natural wood furniture Leather seating Wool accessories Painted cabinetry Country house interiors Contemporary rustic schemes Consider how the colours within the tartan relate to existing flooring, sofas, rugs and wall colours. The most successful schemes often pick up one or two colours already present [...]

What is Corduroy Fabric?

What Is Corduroy Fabric? Introduction Corduroy is one of the most distinctive upholstery fabrics available. Known for its characteristic ribbed texture and soft touch, it brings warmth, comfort and depth to interiors in a way that few fabrics can. Unlike smooth fabrics, corduroy has a tactile quality that invites you to run your hand across [...]

The Truth About Heavyweight Tartan for Upholstery

The Truth About Heavyweight Tartan for Upholstery: Weight Doesn't Always Mean Durability When selecting tartan fabric for furniture upholstery, many people instinctively reach for heavyweight options, assuming that more weight equals better durability. After all, upholstery needs to withstand constant use, friction, and wear. However, the relationship between tartan weight and upholstery performance is more [...]

What is a Fabric Rub Test

What is a Fabric Rub Test At Spruce London we have a section in each product called Abrasion Test (Martindale Rub Test), this refers to a result obtained by testing the fabric with The Martindale Abrasion and Pilling Tester, this test is performed by our weavers the result is commonly known as a Rub Test, [...]

Why Use Tweed for Upholstery

Why Use Tweed for Upholstery? Tweed, like tartan, is a fabric with deep roots in traditional Scottish craftsmanship, and it has long been valued for its durability, texture, and timeless appeal. When applied to upholstery, tweed offers a number of benefits that make it a popular choice for both classic and contemporary interiors.

Best Fabric for Curtains

When deciding on the best fabric for curtains, the fabric you choose will dictate how your curtains perform and last, as well as how they look. Textured fabrics such as wool give a more luxury quality and natural feel, and will last longer, and there are lots of designs to choose from such as checks, plains, tartans, and herringbones, whereas synthetics or the current trend for prints have a more trendy, short term appeal.