All about fabrics: A buyers guide to home textiles

Home Textile Fabrics make up such a big part of home décor, from sofas and chairs to headboards and bed linen to decorative items like cushions, throws and table runners. With Asian Paints launching three lines of furnishings, furniture and lighting – Ador, Nilaya and Royale – we delve deeper into common fabrics for the home, their uses along with styling and maintenance tips.

These fabrics are made from natural fibre and usually come from animal or plant-based sources. The following are the most common natural fabrics used in home décor.

• Cotton: It is a versatile and extensively used fabric that is the most popular choice for home furnishings. Available in a variety of weights, Cotton Fabric can range from budget-friendly to luxurious. Cotton is durable and drapes well. It is easy to clean at home – some items being machine washable – as well as being resistant to fading and pilling. However, it does tend to wrinkle and stain easily.

• Silk: A luxurious option, silk imparts a rich, opulent look to a space. It is best used in formal spaces or for areas that are used sparingly. The expensive fabric needs to be treated with kid gloves since it is not stain-resistant and the fibers weaken over time when exposed to sunlight or moisture.

• Linen: It is soft, comfortable and fairly resistant to fading and pilling. Breathable and lightweight, it also naturally resists bacteria making it a good option for those with allergies. Available in a variety of textures, Linen Fabric is a wonderful way to add an earthy aesthetic and visual interest to the space. It wrinkles easily and can shrink considerably, so it is recommended to have your linen textiles professionally cleaned.

• Tencel Fabric is somewhat similar to rayon (i.e. viscose) because they’re what the industry refers to as “regenerated cellulose” fibers. Manufacturers take wood pulp, dissolve it in a chemical solvent, then push it through an extruder to form the fibers.
• There are as many as 1000 types of bamboo grown in different types of climatic conditions all over the world. Owing to all these facts, growing bamboo is considered sustainable for the environment. Due to the softness, smooth flowing, gentle drape, etc., Bamboo Fabric has received the status of being eco-fashionable in the fashion world.
• You may have already caught its luster out of the corner of your eye, but if you haven't, mulberry silk is about to have a monumental moment. This Mulberry Silk Fabric is popping up in home goods and summer-ready fashions, looking absolutely enticing and feeling even better (trust me on this). But what is mulberry silk? Why is it held in such high esteem? Is it purely an aesthetic luxury, or are there other benefits that make it a worthwhile investment?

• Benefits of Cotton Sheets

  There’s a reason why cotton has made such an indelible impression on human culture. The benefits of

  100% Cotton Textile Sets go above and beyond pure coziness and include:

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