A living-room sofa sees the remote and a throw. A kitchen chair sees soup, coffee, children's hands after biscuits and the cat that jumps onto it every morning. That is why fabric for a kitchen chair is chosen not by colour but by how it will be cleaned.
Let's look at the three most common options, velour, basket-weave fabric and eco-leather, and how to match one of them to your kitchen.
Short answer
Velour, if softness and warmth matter and children rarely eat at the table. Basket-weave fabric, if the chairs are in constant use and you want small marks not to show. Eco-leather, if the chairs simply need wiping after every meal.
What a kitchen chair has to face
Before comparing fabrics, be honest about what happens most often in your home:
- Water and drinks: tea, juice, a knocked-over glass.
- Grease: hands after eating, sauces, oil.
- Crumbs: bread, biscuits, cereal, especially if there are children at home.
- Claws: cats and dogs that consider the chair their own.
No single fabric is best at everything. Choose for the problem you have every day, not the one that happens once a year.
Velour: the nicest, but needs care
Velour is a fabric with a short, dense pile. It is soft, warm to the touch and shows colour best: the same shade looks deeper on velour than on basket-weave fabric.
In the kitchen it has two weak points. The pile collects crumbs, and you have to get them out with a brush or vacuum cleaner. And you can't rub a stain: the pile will lie the other way, and on light velour a "stain" will remain even after the dirt has gone.
Not all velour is the same: the properties depend on the specific collection. For example, the Divotex Monza collection is rated at 90,000 rubs and has an antibacterial treatment, and Artex Allure Premium at 100,000 Martindale rubs. So when choosing velour for the kitchen, don't ask "is it velour?" but which collection you are being offered.
Basket-weave fabric: practical and the least noticeable
Basket-weave fabric (rogozhka) has a distinct weave, similar to hessian but softer. The texture breaks up the surface, so small stains, dust and crumbs show least on it. It is the safest choice for chairs that are used every day.
The downside is that dust gets trapped in the weave, and you need to vacuum it more often than a smooth fabric. Claws can also catch a thread: in a home with a cat, go for a dense basket-weave fabric with a fine weave.
Eco-leather: wipe and done
Eco-leather is a smooth coating on a fabric backing. Its main advantage in the kitchen is obvious: spilt juice or greasy hands come off with a damp wipe in a few seconds, and nothing soaks in.
On the other hand, it is cool in winter and a little sticky in summer if you sit on it in shorts. Sharp claws leave scratches on eco-leather that can't be hidden. And alcohol and solvents damage it: clean it only with mild products.
Comparison in a minute
| Velour | Basket-weave fabric | Eco-leather | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To the touch | soft, warm | textured | smooth, cool |
| Water and drinks | blot, don't rub | blot | wipe |
| Grease | difficult | moderate | easy |
| Crumbs | get stuck in the pile | don't show, but need vacuuming | brush off |
| Claws | depends on the collection | can catch a thread | leave scratches |
For a family with pets or small children, a consultant will help you choose a fabric with the right properties: abrasion resistance, easy cleaning or stain protection. The exact properties depend on the collection, not on the name of the fabric type.
One kitchen, different chairs?
You don't have to choose one fabric for all the chairs. A common solution is eco-leather or basket-weave fabric for the seats where the children sit and velour in a similar colour for the rest. Or the same model in two fabrics: that way the chairs look like one set, and the practicality is spread by seat.
What MeBelle offers
All our chairs are upholstered in a fabric of your choice: velour, basket-weave fabric, eco-leather, chenille, microfibre and others. Selections by fabric: chairs in velour, in basket-weave fabric, in eco-leather. The frame is solid wood and plywood; the filling is polyurethane foam of varying density. 24-month warranty, 5 years on the frame.
How to clean each of these fabrics is covered separately: how to clean stains off upholstery. A general comparison of upholstery fabrics is in the article on types of upholstery fabric.
In brief
- Velour is the nicest, but stains can only be blotted and crumbs have to be cleaned out of the pile
- Basket-weave fabric shows dirt the least; vacuum it more often
- Eco-leather wipes clean in seconds but doesn't like alcohol or claws
- Choose for the problem you have every day: water, grease, crumbs or pets
- Properties depend on the collection: ask for its name, not just the fabric type
MeBelle chairs: velour, basket-weave fabric or eco-leather, your choice.
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