I just came across some really cool upholstery-weight fabrics from Etsuko Furuya at the local fabric shop. They were colorful and bold - definitely a source we'd like to keep in mind if I'm one day reupholstering furniture. And they inspired me to try to find more fun and quirky upholstery fabrics to keep filed away in a corner of my mind:
If I wanted to give an old piece of furniture a quirky and unexpected look, I'd definitely go with any of these:
1: Kirsikka by Marimekko
2: Nani Iro by Kokka
3: Echino by Etsuko Furuya
4: Yuka by Alexander Henry
5: Nigella by Amy Butler
These are just some favorites of mine. For some good general advice about shopping for upholstery fabric, see Good Questions: Upholstery Fabric Resources?
What's your dream fabric for giving new life to furniture through re-upholstery? Let us know below!
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I'm not sure I'd classify the Echino and Nigella fabrics as upholstery weight. They'd be ok for an ottoman or the seat of a dining chair, but they're really not sturdy enough for pieces like the chair pictured - at least, not if you plan to use them daily. Re-upholstery takes a lot of time, there's no point in using a fabric that won't hold up and will need to be replaced in a year or so.
I'm such a fan of bright upholstery. I recently had a vintage teak piece re-done in a green/turquoise upholstery grade fabric:
http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2011/06/guest-half-bath-update.html
My other half and I have completely fallen in love with the Kirsikka fabric by Marimekko, it's the first fabric we've both agreed on! Now we need to find something in the UK that is similar (and within our budget!!!)