Fabrics

One of the many freedoms that comes with choosing bespoke upholstery from Greengate is the ability to cover it in just about any fabric you like!

We believe there's more than enough choice in the market for gorgeous fabric designs, so we've concentrated on building our fabric library to showcase a good number of the leading UK and European fabric desiners. We enjoy working with cloths from all the major design houses, and occasionally some we haven't heard of before.

You may already know the fabric(s) you plan to use, in which case a big portion of the work is already done. However, in case time is needed to browse and consider some alternatives, we're ready to welcome you to browse fabrics at your leisure with a cup of tea or coffee, all with no sales pressure whatsoever.

Fabric Houses In Our Showroom

  • Chase Erwin
  • Colefax & Fowler
  • GP&J Baker
  • Ian Mankin
  • Ian Sanderson
  • Isle Mill
  • Jab
  • Jane Churchill
  • Jim Thompson
  • Larsen
  • Linwood
  • Manuel Canovas
  • Moon
  • Marvic
  • Nobilis
  • Pierre Frey
  • Romo
  • Swaffer
  • Titley & Marr
  • Warwick
  • Wemyss
  • Zimmer Rohde

Fabric Characteristics to Check

Some important issues to consider when choosing your fabric include

Fabric Width
Cloth should be at least 137cm (54") wide so that it cuts efficiently. We can use narrower cloths, but fabric usage may increase, sometimes dramatically, so this is something to bear in mind.
Fire Code
See box below: fabrics for use in the UK need to meet strict safety criteria and be certified by an accredited laboratory.
Pattern Repeat
If your chosen fabric has a pattern, we'll need to check how efficiently it will cut for the design you've selected. Larger repeats normally require more fabric, so this does add to the cost.
Durability
Depending where the upholstery will be used, and how often, it's important to consider the durability of the fabric. This is expressed via a "rub test" which was a Martindale score. Look for fabrics achieving at least 30,000 rubs on the Martindate scale.
Railroading
Some fabrics can be cut with the roll facing sideways, rather as if wallpapering a room with the paper running round the room rather than from floor to ceiling. Whilst this may sound strange, it is ideal for upholstery, so that can save fabric and therefore cost. It also eliminates many joins on the finished article, so in some cases, that's a styling win.

UK Upholstery Fabric Fire Regulations

Fabric for upholstery destined for the UK market must comply with government safety legislation. It's important to check with the fabric supplier whether this compliance has been achieved. Greengate is able to work with almost all fabrics, but in some cases, a cloth may require treatment before we can legally use it. We'll advise you on this technical point once a selection has been made. All the books in our showroom contain fabrics which already meet UK requirements, but if you are supplying your own cloth, this is something to check before making a final decision.

If the upholstery is not destined for the UK, customers should check with the jurisdiction into which the pieces will be imported to ensure compliance with local laws. Upholstery fire regulations are becoming more widespread around the world, and differnt approaches are being taken which may affect the way we need to manufacture your furniture.