Bouclé upholstery: what to expect from a looped cloth
Bouclé is a cloth of loops: from a distance it looks like freshly carded wool, and close up it is a landscape of tiny curls. That is what makes it lovely, and also what makes it delicate, because a loop can catch. Here is what the people who make it, and the people who make furniture with it, have to say — and what to ask before you choose it.
By Royal Stitch · Published
Illustrative imageWhat it is
Bouclé isn’t a fibre but a kind of yarn. Encyclopaedia Britannica defines it as a three-ply novelty yarn in which one ply forms loops at intervals. Merriam-Webster traces the word to the French bouclé, “curly”, from boucler, to curl.
It can be wool, cotton, synthetic or a blend. The cloth woven from that yarn inherits its loops, and its texture with them.
The loop
One ply of the yarn forms loops at intervals.
The snag
A claw or a key pulls out a loop and damages the weave.
Trimmed
A loose thread is snipped; pulling it only draws out more.
Loops catch
FibreGuard, an upholstery fabric firm, warns that a bad snag can pull out a loop and damage the weave. In its guide to pets it explains that dense weaves stop claws catching, and that textures such as bouclé are more prone to snagging if roughly handled. Feather & Black, which makes beds and headboards in bouclé, says to watch out for keys, jewellery and the claws of pets that curl up on it.
If a thread works loose, Feather & Black advises trimming it promptly so it goes no further, and FibreGuard says not to tug it but to snip it with small scissors.
Pilling and fibre
Pills form where there is rubbing. Kvadrat, the Danish upholstery textile maker, explains in its technical guide that synthetic fabrics made from continuous-filament yarn don’t pill.
FibreGuard goes further, arguing that 100% natural-fibre bouclé stands up worse to wear, pilling and staining than today’s synthetic blends. That comes from a firm that sells synthetic fabrics, so it is worth checking against each cloth’s technical sheet.
Looking after it
Feather & Black recommends vacuuming weekly with a soft brush attachment, so dust doesn’t settle between the loops. Spills are blotted with a clean, dry cloth, never rubbed, and for a deeper clean it suggests a professional.
FibreGuard explains why you don’t rub: scrubbing, stiff brushes and harsh products can break the loops.
Where it shines
Given all that, bouclé shines where it is treated gently: a reading chair, a headboard, a sitting-room sofa without cats. In a house with pets, or on a sofa that sees a lot of people, a bouclé with small, tight loops — or a blend made for the job — makes more sense, and it is worth asking its technical sheet for the abrasion and pilling results.
What to ask before you choose it
With these answered, bouclé is chosen knowing what you are buying:
- Fibre
- Wool, cotton, synthetic or a blend?
- Loop
- Large and open, or small and tight?
- Tests
- What does its technical sheet say about abrasion and pilling?
- Cleaning
- What does its maker ask for? Water, or professional cleaning only?
- The household
- Are there pets? How many people will sit on it?
The service
A piece in bouclé?
Sofas, armchairs and headboards upholstered to order for Costa del Sol villas, commissioned by owners or by their interior design studio. The service page explains how the work is done.
Sources
What bouclé is comes from Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster; use and care, from two fabric makers and a furniture maker. Each source was found by searching the publisher’s own site.