Velvet Furniture and Decor Ideas

Velvet upholstery certainly isn’t new in the world of interior design. It’s been around for generations, enjoying numerous revivals and different style iterations, and it continues to enjoy popularity today. There are many reasons people from different generations continue to gravitate towards velvet. Velvet carries a richness and opulence that naturally brings a little glamor into any room. However, it’s also full of texture and extremely tactile, making it ideal for everyday living as well.

No matter how you choose to incorporate velvety fabrics into your home, the luscious, soft look and feel will keep your space feeling elegant year-round. Keep reading to learn how you can bring velvet furniture and home décor into your home in a way that suits your home style and looks current with today’s biggest trends.

What is Velvet?

Velvet a woven tufted fabric that features even cut threads with a short pile. These cut threads are what give velvet its distinctive soft feel. Traditionally, velvet was woven from silk. However, it’s more commonly constructed from less expensive fibers today, such as cotton and wool. Today, there’s also a range of synthetic materials that are used to create velvet, including polyester and nylon.

When it comes to upholstered furniture and home décor items, there’s a wide range of velvets available on the market, and the quality ranges greatly. Typically, you’ll get what you pay for with higher quality velvets made of natural fibers, especially silk, costing significantly more and giving you the softest, luscious feel.

A Royal History

Used by European royalty and nobility in the 16th and 17th centuries, velvet furniture had a reputation for being at the height of great wealth and luxury. Today, velvet fabric has been modernized to be more versatile, comfortable and easier to clean. Velvet is a multi-seasonal fabric choice in interior design, and there are also alternative fabric options that offer a similar velvety soft look and feel.

Velvet Design Trends

Rich colors, especially jewel tones, have commonly been associated with velvet. In recent years, green and blue velvet sofas, especially in tones such as emerald and teal, have been extremely popular in interior design. Green velvet sofas and chairs were featured all over the spreads of interior design magazines, as well as Instagram and other social media posts from design influencers. They have also been easy to spot on display at furniture showrooms—and quite likely a friend or two’s living rooms as well. While boldly colored velvet furniture continues to be available, there’s a recent shift to lighter tones.

Consider the following velvet interior design trends:

• Pastel colored velvet furniture can bring an understated elegance to your space.
• Neutral colored velvet sofa and seating offers a clean and contemporary alternative to bright and bold velvet pieces.
• Velvet furniture silhouettes are leaning away from traditional shapes and towards clean, sleek shapes.
• Multi-textured velvet furniture may feature a combination of velvet and another fabric.

How can I incorporate velvet into my home?

Whether you choose a classic, vibrant velvet sofa or go with one of the latest velvet trends to create a lighter, airy space, it’s easy to incorporate your favorite piece into your home. Consider some ideas of simple ways you can incorporate velvety fabrics into your lush oasis.

Velvet Sofa

A larger piece that might take more of a commitment is a velvet sofa, or a sofa upholstered with a similar, super-soft fabric. Often featuring a classic design with traditional elements such as deep button tufting, scrolled arms and nailhead accents, a velvet sofa can change the whole look of your living room. There are also many sleek and modern sofa designs available to suit more contemporary aesthetics. Whether composed of sophisticated curves or featuring crisp lines, velvet or velvet-like sofas are certainly statement pieces.

When it comes to velvet sofas, these pieces aren’t solely about the curb appeal. It’s also about comfort. A sumptuous velvet sofa makes a super inviting spot for you and your guests to sit and chat over coffee or curl up for a movie marathon with an equally cozy throw blanket or two.

Velvet Chairs

Bringing a velvet chair into your living room, whether it has a classic or contemporary design, will punch up your design and give guests a comfy spot to sit. A velvet accent chair, upholstered in smooth velvet with a subtle pop of color, pairs beautifully with any accent pillow of your choice. Whether you're enjoying your favorite book or catching up in conversation with a loved one, this chair is perfect for yourself and your guests to relax in.

If you’d like to add texture and elegance to your dining room space, a velvet chair set is the perfect way to add a pop of color and a sophisticated look that’s sure to impress at dinner parties, yet versatile enough for everyday dining. For timeless appeal, you can choose a classic design which includes upholstered velvet with an exposed wood frame, perfect to complete the formal dining room of your dreams.

Velvet Ottomans

An ottoman is quite frankly a multipurpose gem. This versatile piece can be wheeled around the living room for extra seating, extra storage or even a place to set your personal buffet of snacks during your movie marathon. Easy to clean, a velvet ottoman or an ottoman covered in a similar fabric is perfect for a living room that’s looking for some texture. It also makes a beautiful addition to the bedroom, positioned at the end of your bed to keep extra bedding handy.

Velvet Pillows and Throw Blankets

Velvet pillows and velvet throws are the easiest and most affordable way to add these luxurious, on-trend fabrics to your home. Add some oomph to your sofa or accent chairs with plush velvet pillows in your favorite hues. You can be more subtle with your décor by choosing light colored velvet accents that let texture be the star of the show.

Velvet Headboards

An elegant velvet headboard with beautiful details such as channel tufting is a soft and romantic choice for a master suite. Light colors are especially well suited to cultivating a relaxing and peaceful vibe in your bedroom oasis. Choose from a range of styles to suit your design tastes, from classic to modern. Velvet can also bring in some nice contrast to farmhouse style bedrooms and other rustic designs.

A Custom Choice

One of the charms of velvet furniture is that it carries an intrinsic richness and tactile appeal that’s hard to match in other fabrics. To create a truly bespoke look in your living room or bedroom, consider custom order furniture options in your favorite velvet or velvet-like fabric. An interior designer can help you choose from many different fabric and design options, so you can bring home a piece or set that truly enhances your home and complements your lifestyle.

Velvet Care

While choosing a type of furniture, it's good to know what to expect for maintenance and longevity. Although this fabric is stunning with its soft sheen look, light colored velvet furniture often has a demanding upkeep. A lighter velvet will make stains or discoloration more visible, but taking care of your furniture in these easy ways will maintain the aesthetic of these beautiful pieces longer. For basic maintenance of your velvet piece and many similar materials, vacuum regularly by using an upholstery attachment of the vacuum. After vacuuming, a dry brush with soft bristles can be used to remove any leftover dust or fuzz. When treating the accidental spill or stain, as with any furniture, you will want to make sure to treat them as soon as possible. You should consult manufacturer’s directions before applying any type of cleaner to your velvet furniture, and take advantage of available warranties.

The next time you are looking to refresh a bit of your home, consider adding a new velvet sofa, chair or other piece of furniture or home decor. Velvet never goes out of style and always keeps your space looking and feeling stylish. Take your time in picking out your piece and enjoy the divine look and creamy feel of velvet and velvet-like fabrics.