Woven Fabrics: An Interior Designer's Guide to Luxury Textiles

Step inside our Buckhead showroom and you’ll understand why Lewis and Sheron has been Atlanta’s destination for exquisite furniture and fine fabrics for decades. From the handcrafted lines of Verellen and Wesley Hall to the curated textures of Lee Industries, every piece tells a story of quality, comfort, and design mastery. But what truly brings these forms to life? The fabric.

The right textile can transform a high-end Wesley Hall sofa from simply beautiful to a breathtaking centerpiece. But with a world of weaves at your fingertips, how do you choose the one that delivers both style and substance for your Atlanta home? Understanding the fundamental differences between weaves is the key to unlocking a truly bespoke design. This isn't just about color; it's about performance, texture, and the story the fabric tells.

This guide is your strategic resource for navigating the most essential examples of woven fabrics. Forget generic descriptions. We're giving you actionable insights straight from the experts at Lewis and Sheron. Whether you're a designer sourcing fine fabrics in Alpharetta or a homeowner in Milton looking to specify custom upholstery, this list is your roadmap. Consider this your personal consultation before you even walk into our Atlanta fabric showroom, equipping you with the knowledge to bring your vision to life.

1. Cotton

Cotton is the undisputed workhorse of the textile world. It’s a natural fiber spun from the soft, fluffy bolls of the cotton plant, and its versatility is legendary. Its appeal lies in its straightforward, honest character: it's breathable, soft, and highly absorbent. From crisp voiles to heavy-duty bull denim, cotton can be woven to suit nearly any purpose.

Why It's a Staple for Home Interiors

In the world of home decor, cotton is foundational. Its strength and adaptability make it a go-to choice for everything from casual slipcovers on Lee Industries chairs to structured upholstery and drapery. The fiber takes dye beautifully, resulting in rich, vibrant colors that can anchor a room's design palette. It's the perfect blend of performance and timeless style for any Atlanta interior design project.

Performance & Practical Application

• Durability: High-quality cotton weaves, like canvas or twill, offer excellent resistance to wear and tear, making them ideal for high-traffic furniture.
• Breathability: Its natural structure allows air to circulate, which is why cotton is a top choice for upholstered pieces in warmer climates like Atlanta.
• Care: Generally easy to clean. For luxury custom upholstery, however, professional cleaning is recommended to maintain the fabric’s integrity and color. Always check the specific care code.

Designer Insight: We often recommend high-quality cotton blends for clients seeking both luxury and practicality. A cotton-linen blend offers the soft hand of cotton with the elegant texture of linen, perfect for achieving a sophisticated yet relaxed look in a Buckhead or Roswell home.

At the Lewis and Sheron showroom, you'll find an extensive collection of designer fabrics, including performance cottons curated to inspire your next project.

2. Wool

Wool is timeless, luxurious, and built to last. Harvested from the fleece of sheep, this protein-based fiber is celebrated for its remarkable warmth, resilience, and sophisticated texture. Its complex, crimped structure creates tiny air pockets that provide superb insulation, making it cozy in the winter yet surprisingly breathable in warmer weather. Wool brings an unparalleled sense of quality and comfort to any high-end furniture collection.

Why It's a Staple for Home Interiors

In high-end interior design, wool is synonymous with quality and endurance. Its natural strength makes it a premier choice for heirloom-quality upholstery, drapery, and rugs. Wool fibers take dye with exceptional depth, creating a saturated, nuanced color that resists fading. For a library in a Milton estate or a cozy family room in Alpharetta, a wool fabric provides both visual warmth and long-lasting performance.

Performance & Practical Application

• Durability: Wool has a natural crimp that allows it to stretch and return to its original shape, making it highly resistant to wrinkles and crushing. This makes it an excellent investment for Wesley Hall sofas and chairs.
• Flame & Stain Resistance: The fiber is naturally flame-retardant and has a protective lanolin coating that helps repel stains and water.
• Care: Wool upholstery should be vacuumed regularly. For spills, blot immediately and consult a professional cleaner. Always refer to the specific care code.

Designer Insight: For clients seeking a fabric that exudes quiet luxury, we often suggest a felted wool or a wool-blend boucle. Its rich texture adds incredible dimension and a sense of coziness, perfect for crafting a sophisticated, inviting atmosphere in a Buckhead or Roswell home.

Explore the depth and beauty of designer wool textiles at the Lewis and Sheron showroom, your essential Atlanta interior design resource.

3. Linen

Linen is the epitome of effortless, natural luxury. Crafted from the strong fibers of the flax plant, it’s one of the oldest and most respected textiles in history. Its distinct character comes from a crisp hand, a subtle natural luster, and a textured weave that breathes beautifully. Prized for its exceptional coolness, linen is a fabric that only gets softer and more comfortable with age, developing a graceful patina over time.

Why It's a Staple for Home Interiors

In the sphere of high-end interior design, linen brings an air of relaxed sophistication that is hard to replicate. Its organic texture and elegant drape make it a superb choice for breezy draperies and light upholstery. Whether used for a slipcovered Verellen sofa in a sun-drenched Roswell living room or for elegant dining napkins, linen adds a layer of quiet, understated quality. It's the secret to that coveted "lived-in luxury" look.

Performance & Practical Application

• Durability: As one of the strongest natural fibers, linen is exceptionally durable and resistant to pilling, making it a sound investment for heirloom-quality pieces.
• Breathability: Its natural absorbency and quick-drying properties make it incredibly breathable—an ideal feature for furniture in the warm Atlanta climate.
• Care: While known for its characteristic wrinkling (which adds to its charm), linen can be professionally cleaned or gently laundered. High-quality linens become softer with each wash.

Designer Insight: For clients in Buckhead and Alpharetta seeking a look of pure, livable luxury, we consistently turn to Belgian linen. Its superior quality and rich texture are unmatched. To learn more about this exceptional textile, discover the heritage of Libeco linen and why we feature it so prominently in our collections.

Visit our Atlanta fabric showroom to experience our curated selection of fine fabrics and linens, perfect for your next custom upholstery or drapery project.

4. Silk

Silk is pure opulence. A natural protein fiber harvested from the cocoons of silkworms, it has defined luxury for centuries. Its unmatched softness, subtle sheen, and fluid drape make it one of the most coveted examples of woven fabrics. Silk’s luminous surface interacts with light in a way no other fiber can, creating an atmosphere of pure elegance and sophistication.

Why It's a Staple for Home Interiors

In high-end interior design, silk introduces an immediate sense of refinement. It is the perfect choice for formal draperies, where its graceful drape creates stunning, pooled effects. Silk is also a premier material for decorative pillows, elegant upholstery on accent chairs, and luxurious lampshades. For those looking to create an exceptionally lavish retreat, silk is the answer.

Performance & Practical Application

• Luster & Drape: Silk’s smooth, triangular fiber structure reflects light beautifully, creating its signature shimmering appearance. Its light weight allows it to drape gracefully.
• Strength: Despite its delicate feel, silk is surprisingly strong. However, it is susceptible to sun damage, so it's best used in lower-traffic areas away from direct sunlight.
• Care: Silk requires special handling. Professional dry cleaning is a must for upholstery and drapery. For luxurious bedding options, consider exploring high-quality silk pillow cases that often require gentle hand washing.

Designer Insight: We love incorporating raw silk or dupioni into our designs for clients in Buckhead and Alpharetta. The natural slubs in the weave add a rich, organic texture that balances the fabric's inherent formality, making it perfect for a statement piece that doesn't feel overly precious.

Discover our curated collection of designer silk and silk-blend fabrics at the Lewis and Sheron showroom, where timeless elegance meets exceptional quality.

5. Denim

Think beyond your favorite pair of jeans. Denim is a surprisingly versatile and stylish woven fabric with deep roots in durability. It is a sturdy cotton twill textile, recognized by its characteristic diagonal ribbing that gives it incredible strength. Traditionally dyed with indigo, this rugged fabric has transcended its workwear origins to become a chic and unexpected choice for modern interiors.

Why It's a Staple for Home Interiors

In home decor, denim introduces a casual, lived-in elegance that feels both timeless and fresh. Its inherent durability makes it a brilliant choice for high-use furniture like family room sofas, ottomans, and accent chairs. The fabric’s texture adds visual interest and a touch of relaxed sophistication. It’s a material that says "style" without trying too hard, a perfect fit for luxury furniture in Atlanta that needs to perform.

Performance & Practical Application

• Durability: As a twill weave, denim is exceptionally resistant to snagging and tearing, making it perfect for homes with kids, pets, or high traffic.
• Character: Denim ages beautifully, developing a unique patina and softness over time that enhances its appeal.
• Care: Generally easy to maintain. For custom upholstery, spot cleaning is often sufficient, but professional cleaning is best for preserving the structure and deep indigo color.

Designer Insight: We love using a high-quality, dark-wash denim to upholster a statement piece in a study or a relaxed living space in an Alpharetta home. It provides a masculine yet sophisticated edge and pairs beautifully with the leather and wood accents found on Ambella furniture for a rich, layered look.

For those looking for robust performance, Lewis and Sheron offers a selection of heavy-duty bull denim that provides the perfect foundation for custom upholstery projects demanding both style and strength.

6. Twill

Instantly recognizable by its signature diagonal rib, twill is a textile powerhouse. This distinct pattern isn't just for show; it's the result of a weave that creates a durable, opaque, and beautifully draping fabric. This construction makes twill one of the most resilient examples of woven fabrics, prized for its strength and ability to hide soil. From rugged workwear to sophisticated upholstery, twill delivers unmatched performance.

Why It's a Staple for Home Interiors

In home design, twill is celebrated for its hardworking nature and refined appearance. Its tight weave makes it an excellent choice for upholstery that needs to withstand daily life, from a family room sectional to dining room chairs. The diagonal texture adds subtle visual interest, and the fabric takes dye exceptionally well. It’s the perfect fabric for creating tailored, clean lines on furniture and custom headboards.

Performance & Practical Application

• Durability: The inherent structure of the twill weave provides superior resistance to tearing and abrasion, making it a fantastic investment for high-use furniture pieces.
• Wrinkle Resistance: Twill naturally resists creasing more than plain-weave fabrics, keeping upholstered items looking crisp and neat.
• Care: While very durable, care depends on the fiber content. For high-end twill upholstery from our designer fabric collections, professional cleaning is always the best route.

Designer Insight: We frequently specify a heavy cotton or wool twill for custom upholstery in family-centric homes from Marietta to Milton. Its ability to withstand wear while maintaining a polished look is invaluable. It’s a designer’s secret weapon for creating spaces that are both luxurious and livable.

Explore the possibilities at our high-end furniture store in Buckhead, where our collection of designer twill fabrics offers the perfect blend of strength and style for your Atlanta home.

7. Satin

Satin isn’t a fiber but a specific weave, renowned for creating a fabric with a lustrous, smooth, and almost liquid-like surface. This signature sheen is achieved by floating warp yarns over several weft yarns, minimizing interlacings and allowing light to reflect uniformly. While traditionally woven from silk, modern satins are also crafted from polyester or specially treated cotton, making this luxurious weave accessible for various applications.

Why It's a Staple for Home Interiors

In interior design, satin introduces an immediate sense of opulence and glamour. Its smooth surface and elegant drape make it a perfect choice for formal draperies, decorative pillows, and luxurious bedding. The fabric’s reflective quality can brighten a room and add a layer of sophisticated texture, contrasting beautifully with matte finishes like linen or wool. For a touch of formal elegance, satin is an unparalleled choice.

Performance & Practical Application

• Luster: Satin’s primary appeal is its high sheen, which adds a formal and decorative quality to any piece.
• Drape: The weave structure gives satin a fluid, supple drape, making it ideal for creating graceful folds in curtains or soft, plush throw pillows.
• Care: Due to its delicate nature and tendency to snag, satin often requires special handling. Professional cleaning is highly recommended for upholstery and drapery to preserve its luster and structure.

Designer Insight: We love incorporating satin as an accent fabric to elevate a space. Think satin banding on a drapery panel or a set of lustrous satin pillows on a Wesley Hall sofa. It adds that perfect touch of glamour, creating a polished, high-end look sought after in many Alpharetta and Buckhead homes.

Explore the world of elegant textures at the Lewis and Sheron showroom, where our designer fabric collections provide the perfect finish for your most sophisticated design projects.

8. Canvas

Canvas is rugged strength personified. It’s a heavy-duty, plain-weave fabric traditionally made from cotton or linen, renowned for its incredible durability. The secret to its power lies in its construction: thick, tightly woven yarns create a formidable barrier against wear and tear. While its origins are in practical applications like sails and tents, modern canvas has evolved into a sophisticated and versatile choice for stylish interiors.

Why It's a Staple for Home Interiors

In home decor, canvas brings a grounded, casual elegance and unmatched performance. It’s the perfect choice for pieces that need to withstand daily life, from hardworking family room slipcovers to durable cushions. Its substantial weight gives it a beautiful, clean structure for upholstery and Roman shades, while its smooth surface is an excellent base for printing, allowing for endless design possibilities.

Performance & Practical Application

• Durability: With exceptional tensile strength and abrasion resistance, canvas is one of the most durable fabrics available. It’s an ideal choice for high-traffic seating.
• Structure: The tight, plain weave gives canvas a firm body that resists sagging and stretching, making it perfect for upholstery that needs to maintain a crisp, tailored look.
• Care: Most cotton canvas is relatively easy to care for. For high-end upholstery on fine furniture, professional cleaning is always the best route.

Designer Insight: We love using a high-quality, solution-dyed canvas for outdoor cushions in homes from Milton to East Cobb. For an interior, a soft, washed cotton canvas on a Lee Industries sofa delivers a relaxed, coastal feel that is both sophisticated and incredibly livable.

Explore the potential of this workhorse fabric at our Atlanta fabric showroom, where you’ll find performance-grade and designer canvas options ready to bring enduring style to your home.

9. Jacquard

Jacquard is a marvel of textile engineering. It refers to a highly decorative fabric where the pattern is woven directly into the material, rather than being printed on top. This is achieved using a specialized Jacquard loom, which controls individual threads to create complex designs like damasks, brocades, and tapestries. The result is a fabric with unmatched depth, texture, and permanence.

Why It's a Staple for Home Interiors

In luxury interiors, Jacquard fabrics are synonymous with opulence and sophistication. Their inherent elegance makes them a premier choice for statement pieces, from formal draperies to ornate upholstery on a signature armchair. The woven-in pattern provides a tactile and visual richness that printed fabrics simply cannot replicate. For homeowners in Alpharetta or Milton looking to infuse their space with timeless grandeur, a Jacquard fabric is the ultimate selection.

Performance & Practical Application

• Durability: Because the design is part of the fabric's structure, it won't fade or rub off over time. These are robust, often heavyweight textiles built for longevity.
• Aesthetic: The patterns can range from subtle tone-on-tone damasks to vibrant, multi-colored florals and geometrics, offering immense design versatility.
• Care: Due to the complexity of the weave and often the high-end fibers used, professional dry cleaning is almost always recommended.

Designer Insight: We often use Jacquard fabrics to create a focal point. Upholstering a classic Wesley Hall settee or creating custom pillows in a rich brocade adds an immediate sense of history and luxury. This is how you create truly exquisite furniture collections.

Explore our curated selection of fine fabrics, including exquisite Jacquard tape and fabrics, at the Lewis and Sheron showroom to find the perfect piece for your design vision.

10. Corduroy

Corduroy is a durable woven fabric with a distinctive "cord" or "wale" pattern. This signature texture comes from twisted fibers woven in parallel, creating raised tufted cords that run vertically. Typically made from cotton, corduroy masterfully combines a soft, velvety hand with a robust structure, making it a unique and stylish choice among designer fabrics.

Why It's a Staple for Home Interiors

In home interiors, corduroy brings an immediate sense of cozy sophistication. Its plush texture invites touch, making it an exceptional choice for upholstery that aims to be both comfortable and visually interesting. Perfect for a library armchair or a family room sofa, corduroy adds a layer of warmth and vintage-inspired charm that feels both classic and current.

Performance & Practical Application

• Durability: The fabric's tight weave and piled construction make it highly durable and resistant to pilling and abrasion, ideal for hardworking furniture pieces.
• Texture: The distinct wales add visual interest and a soft, comfortable feel. The width of the wale can range from fine "pinwale" to thick "wide-wale."
• Care: To maintain the pile, vacuum upholstery regularly with a soft brush attachment. For spills, professional cleaning is often recommended.

Designer Insight: We love using a wide-wale corduroy to upholster a statement piece in a Buckhead study or a cozy Milton media room. It offers a wonderful alternative to velvet, providing a similar plushness but with a more structured, casual feel that feels both luxurious and completely approachable.

Discover the tactile appeal of designer corduroy fabrics at the Lewis and Sheron showroom, where texture and quality come together to create unforgettable interiors.

Comparison of 10 Woven Fabrics

Weave These Fabrics into Your Next Design

You've just toured the world of woven fabrics, from the humble strength of cotton to the opulent artistry of jacquard. Seeing these examples of woven fabrics on a screen is one thing. Understanding how they translate into a tangible, luxurious living space is where the magic happens. The difference between a good design and an unforgettable one often lies in these very threads.

The key takeaway isn't just knowing the names. It's about grasping their strategic application. It’s understanding that the tight weave of a performance twill makes it a brilliant choice for a family-room Wesley Hall sofa in a high-traffic Buckhead home, while the delicate drape of silk is best reserved for elegant draperies in a formal dining room in Roswell.

From Theory to Tangible Luxury

Mastering these concepts transforms your design process from guesswork to intentional artistry. You can now walk into a project with the confidence to specify not just a color, but a construction. This command of material knowledge is what separates amateur decorators from seasoned design professionals.

Consider these actionable insights:

• Prioritize Performance with Weave: The structure of a weave directly impacts durability. For custom upholstery on high-use pieces like a Lee Industries chair, prioritize tightly woven fabrics like canvas, denim, and high-quality twills.
• Leverage Weave for Visual Effect: Think about light. A satin weave will reflect light, adding a glamorous sheen. A slubby linen plain weave will absorb light, creating a soft, organic feel perfect for the sophisticated-casual aesthetic seen in many modern Alpharetta homes.
• Combine and Contrast Textures: The most compelling interiors mix different weaves. Imagine pairing the rugged texture of a heavy-duty canvas on a Verellen sofa with smooth silk-blend pillows and the intricate pattern of a jacquard on an accent chair. This creates a layered, sensory experience.

For those eager to go even deeper, understanding everything you need to know about upholstery materials can provide a foundational knowledge base that complements the visual and tactile experience of selecting fine fabrics in Alpharetta.

Your Atlanta Design Partner

Navigating the vast universe of textiles can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to do it alone. This guide to examples of woven fabrics is your starting point, but the next step is to experience them firsthand. At the Lewis and Sheron showroom on Collier Road, we bridge the gap between inspiration and execution. Our design experts are here to help you match the perfect Verellen sofa with an exquisite Belgian linen or find a resilient fabric for restoring a family heirloom.

We invite Atlanta's interior designers to join our Lewis and Sheron Trade Program for exclusive access and support. We welcome homeowners from Milton to Marietta to explore our curated collections. Stop imagining how a fabric will feel, and come discover it for yourself. Let’s weave your vision into a stunning reality.

Ready to feel the difference a masterfully woven fabric makes? Visit Lewis and Sheron Textiles in our Buckhead, Atlanta showroom to explore thousands of designer fabrics and see our high-end furniture collections in person. From luxury furniture in Roswell to fine fabrics in Forsyth County, we are your partners in creating timeless, exquisite interiors.