I have young kids and a set of dining chairs that need to be reupholstered. I figured I should go with something durable for the next few years.
I found some polyurethane/rayon fabric from Knoll (Knoll Whip) that looks good against the wood frames of these chairs. The fabric does not feel as pliable as the boucle wool blends that are typically used and I am concerned whether it will drape well over the curved edges. The current upholstery on these chairs is a black leatherette (vinyl, I am assuming).
I probably have a swatch of that somewhere but I am not sure where. Some of their vinyl-type fabric is heavier with less give to it. All of it will curve around the seat edges just fine but it's the corners you need to worry about. Heavier, stiffer vinyl will probably be hard to stretch smoothly around the tighter curves.
Vinyl can tear easily, too, so you have to be careful about how much you stretch it and then staple it. I've had pneumatic staples cut right through some vinyls, and you can't always pull misplaced staples out without tearing. It can be tricky stuff.
THAT SAID...have you thought about a heathered charcoal gray wool? wool is actually pretty easy to clean and dark gray hides an awful lot of stuff that would be very obvious on a medium to light fabric. The heathered effect hides lighter crumbs. It also looks KILLER with teak. Bonus: super easy to work with.
You can always put towels down on the seats just for mealtimes, too---for a few years.
swatches below:
1. Maharam/Kvadrat Hallingdal 180 - super durable, but it's scratchy
2. Maharam/Kvadrat 180 Divina Melange wool felt
3. Maharam/Kvadrat 192 Tonica (same weave as Hallindal but finer gauge--not as scratchy)
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