<h1>Furniture Care Guide: Boucle</h1>
<p>Bouclé fabric furniture was first created in the 1940s by Eero Saarinen at the request of Florence Knoll. Knoll wanted a chair that she could “really curl up in” and Saarinen took this quite literally. The designer presented her with the famous <a href="https://www.knoll.com/product/womb-chair">Womb Chair</a> which was upholstered in bouclé, a type of fabric that requires repeated looping to achieve a textural, fleecy pile. The name bouclé also translates literally ‘to loop’ or ‘to curl’ in French. </p>
<p>Here, we explore what bouclé fabric is and how best to preserve it - due to the lush pile of this iconic fabric, you’ll want to ensure that it remains plush, soft, textural and clean for years to come.</p>
<h2>What is bouclé fabric?</h2>
<p>Derived from the French term “boucler” meaning “to curl”, bouclé is a unique and cosy yarn fabric made from looped fibres. Brought to the attention of the masses by designer Saarinen and his Womb Chair in the 1940s, bouclé was an extremely popular material in mid-century design throughout the furniture and fashion worlds - keen culture vultures will know that Coco Chanel was a huge fan of the fabric, and it remains the fabric of choice for many of their iconic jackets and suits.</p>
<p>Between then and now, bouclé has been waiting in the wings for it’s grand revival. It’s safe to say it is back, as people look to furnish their homes in iconic investment pieces that prove to be timeless. </p>
<h2>What is bouclé fabric made of?</h2>
<p>Often referred to as nubby or bobbly in texture, bouclé is a heavy fleece-like material typically made from wool, although cotton, linen, rayon, alpaca and even silk blends have also been used in the same technique too. The unique texture of bouclé not only provides warmth in the thermal sense, but also in the visual sense too - it is undeniably cosy and inviting.</p>
<p>Bouclé is extremely versatile and durable. Due to the way this natural fabric is made, it is extremely strong and easily withstands daily use, which makes it an ideal material for furniture, clothing and other upholstered interior accessories such as curtains.</p>
<h2>What is bouclé used for?</h2>
<p>Bouclé is used widely as an upholstery fabric throughout the interiors industry, and also for clothing brands ranging from the everyday to the designer. At Where Saints Go, we use it to upholster a range of unique furniture pieces including <a href="https://wheresaintsgo.co.uk/cheam-dining-chair-greige-black.html">accent chairs</a>, <a href="https://wheresaintsgo.co.uk/thaddeus-dining-chair-cream-boucle-fabric-golden-forged-frame.html">dining chairs</a>, <a href="https://wheresaintsgo.co.uk/lorenzo-bar-stool-grey-boucle-fabric-seat-solid-oak-frame.html">bar stools</a> and <a href="https://wheresaintsgo.co.uk/eden-round-velvet-pouf-greige.html">foot stools</a>.</p>
<h2>How to style bouclé furniture</h2>
<p>How you style your bouclé furniture will generally come down to personal preference. However, because the texture of the fabric itself adds a visible texture to the room, we would pair it with smooth, simple and streamlined pieces for a balanced look and designer-worthy composition. You can get some inspiration from our article on the <a href="https://wheresaintsgo.co.uk/blog/introducing-the-thaddeus-collection.html">Thaddeus Collection</a>.</p>
<h2>How to clean your bouclé furniture</h2>
<p>Bouclé furniture is generally quite low-maintenance, however it does still require some upkeep to preserve it’s beautiful texture and cleanliness. As it is a woven material, naturally bouclé can capture dust and dirt within its looped yarn. For general upkeep, WSG suggests <strong><em><u>gently</u></em></strong> vacuuming your bouclé furniture an upholstery attachment every few months to keep them looking their best.</p>
<p>If the worst does happen and you spill something on your bouclé furniture, it’s best to act quickly if you want to ensure it doesn’t stain. First you should gently blot out what you can with a clean dry cloth or paper towel before blotting again with a damp cloth. Depending on your personal preference, you can dampen this cloth with a gentle, water-based and bleach-free cleaning solution, but be sure to carry out a patch test somewhere discreet first. Dab at the stain softly, working from the edges to the centre.</p>
<p>After cleaning, you should allow the fabric to air dry before using the soft bristles of a good quality clothes brush to refresh the curls.</p>
<h2>Bouclé furniture dos and donts</h2>
<p>If you follow any rules when it comes to your bouclé furniture, let it be these simple few:</p>
<p><strong>DO </strong>give it a gentle brush with a soft-bristled brush or vacuum with the upholstery attachment occasionally to preserve the texture and avoid flattening.</p>
<p>When cleaning a stain or spillage, <strong>DON’T </strong>scrub the material, this can cause the curls to lose their structure and is generally bad practise in any furniture care.</p>
<p><strong>DON’T </strong>get your bouclé wet if you can help it, and definitely don’t use heat to dry it, as this can cause the curls to shrink.</p>
<p><strong>DO </strong>clean up any spillages or stains as soon as you can, gently blotting them with a clean damp cloth and taking care to avoid bleach-based cleaning products when doing so.</p>
<p>PLEASE NOTE: These procedures are to be undertaken at your own risk by a recommended process of spot-testing any solutions first. Where Saints Go will not be held responsible for any damage incurred.</p>
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January 20, 2025