This Gorgeous Fabric Instantly Says “This Place Is Expensive”

Have you walked into a chic hotel, buzzy restaurant, or an incredibly well-designed apartment recently and thought, “Wait, why does this room feel so expensive?” If the answer is “yes,” there’s a decent chance it’s because of the use of one particular fabric: Tiger Mountain. This stylized tiger-striped jacquard velvet by Dedar Milano has become a darling of the design world, showing up everywhere from upholstered banquettes to headboards to wall panels — and in high-profile places like the The Wall Street Hotel and The Manner Hotel in New York. 

“For Dedar, textiles are never merely decorative,” says Raffaele Fabrizio, Dedar’s creative director and co-owner. “They evoke emotion, memory, and fantasy, giving interiors a sense of depth and transformation.” He explains that Tiger Mountain plays with the duality of the tiger itself, a creature that has long symbolized both fear and fascination in human culture. “The tiger exists as both a real and mythological figure,” he says, adding that the fabric channels “unease and wonder” while also tapping into the nostalgic innocence of childhood fantasies.

Part of what makes the pattern work so well is that it doesn’t read like a traditional animal print. The muted coloration, velvety texture, and slight abstraction soften the boldness of the motif, making it feel moodier and easier to use in interiors. 

Designer Kevin Klein recently selected Tiger Mountain for the penthouse at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles because of its retro charm. “It has a sort of ambiguous retro charm to it that makes it seem like it could be from any era, much like the life cycle of the penthouse at the Roosevelt Hotel, which has spanned nearly 100 years,” he says. Rather than toning the print down, Klein leaned into its theatricality by pairing it with playful, intentionally crude artwork. “The overt playfulness of the artwork makes the fabric somehow feel a bit more benign,” he says.

That contrast is key. The fabric works best when it’s balanced with materials that ground it and keep it from veering too precious or over-the-top extravagant. Designer Lizzie Green says she was drawn to Tiger Mountain because it brought major character to a room while still feeling soft and comfortable. To keep the room from tipping into maximalism overload, she paired it with rustic materials like an antique wood table, oak flooring, and antique brass lighting. “This balance helps it feel chic and fresh,” she explains.

The good news for anyone not designing a five-star hotel? You don’t need to upholster an entire room in tiger velvet to capture the same effect. The real lesson behind Tiger Mountain’s success is contrast and restraint. One statement fabric instantly looks more elevated when it’s paired with earthy woods, aged metals, soft lighting, and pieces that have a sense of history or imperfection. A single bench cushion, dining banquette, or accent chair can deliver the same boutique hotel energy without overwhelming your apartment. Even a pair of pillows can go a long way in injecting a little life into a stale room. 

Scale also matters. Designers tend to use the fabric in contained ways, wrapping it around a banquette, lining a headboard wall, or using it on one sculptural furniture piece rather than scattering it throughout a room. That restraint is what keeps it looking intentional instead of hokey or themed. It also helps that the palette itself is relatively grounded. Unlike brighter animal prints, Tiger Mountain’s muted tones almost behave like a neutral, which makes it surprisingly easy to mix with linen, oak, antique brass, stone, and other tactile natural materials.

Animal print may never fully disappear from interiors, but Tiger Mountain proves there’s a new way to do it: less glam-rock excess, more moody sophistication. And yes, Tiger Mountain is a splurge that you won’t regret.