Our favourite ideas for decorating with velvet
Sumptuous in texture and rich in its range of colours, velvet is one of the most useful weapons in a decorator's arsenal. Although printed and woven textiles might get more attention in an interior, plain fabrics are extraordinarily useful. As interior designer Alidad recommends, it's best to ‘cover the main, large surfaces in your rooms in plain fabrics, then use cushions, rugs and ceramics to add pattern.’ 'Velvet is a good plain fabric to use as it comes in beautiful colours,' says interior designer India Mahdavi. 'I use velvet a lot because it's soft and curvy and I like straight flashes of colour in a room.' The soft, inviting nature of velvet makes it particularly good for places like Britain, where we spend much of the year trying to avoid the cold, rainy weather outside – it's a lovely option for sofas and chairs, and can also work well for door curtains when you want to add extra warmth to a space.
Wondering which velvet to choose? India Mahdavi recommends 'Opera' cotton velvet from Pierre Frey, while Rachel Chudley loves ‘Schumacher’s sumptuous signature cotton velvet, called ‘Gainsborough’. I love it for the colours, there are nearly 300 of them! ‘ Max Rollitt, like many other designers, opts for ’Rose Uniacke’s velvet options – delicious both in mohair and in cotton.’
Paul Massey1/13With her lampshade-making business starting to take over her west London family home, Rosi de Ruig moved operations to a nearby studio and took the chance to give the Victorian house a vibrant new look. Ottoline’s ‘Chintz Constance’ wallpaper in light blue and marigold extends onto the wooden trim above the bed, which was inspired by a design by Veere Grenney. Bed curtains in an inky velvet from Tinsmiths contrast with Cathy Nordström’s ‘Marianne’ linen in red, chosen for the curtains at the window.
Mariell Lind Hansen2/13When Louis Hagen Hall was asked to reinvent the home of two musicians in Primrose Hill, the trio’s enthusiasm for 1970s LA architecture dovetailed perfectly. In the raised seating area in the main living space of the house, the seats were built in Elm by Studio Hagen Hall. They’re upholstered in velvet by The Cloth Shop. The ‘Folk’ pouf is from noo.ma, the carpet is Balsan’s ‘Les Best’ range, the wall lights are ‘Orleans’ by Faro and the table lamp is ‘Bellhop’ by Flos. The artwork, by Jess Kanda, is entitled ‘Fawn’.
Michael Sinclair3/13In this imaginative London house by Rachel Chudley, the red hand-dyed velvet curtains by Lucy Bathurst of Nest Design, which hang from a bespoke copper rail picks up on colours in the ‘Verdure’ wallpaper in tapestry green by Melissa White for Zoffany.
4/13Velvet doesn't have to be all about rich colours and jewel tones. In this sophisticated Kensington flat, a headboard in ‘Verdi’ mohair velvet by Janet Yonaty is wonderfully understated against walls in C&C Milano’s ‘Volterra’ linen in dust.
Jasper Fry5/13An olive green sofa is a classic for a reason and can work well in almost any kind of interior. In this London house by Rachel Aisling Walker, the sofa was designed by Rachel and is upholstered in Rose Uniacke's ‘Heavy Weight Cotton Velvet’ in umber.
6/13In the living room of Nicolò Castellini Baldissera’s sumptuous Milanese apartment, the antique sofa and lounge chairs are upholstered in deep blue and marigold-coloured velvet found in a fabric shop on Milan's Via della Moscova.
7/13Rachel Chudley has used velvet to brilliant effect in the bedroom of her former house in east London. She designed this headboard using inspiration from the toleware lights by the bed, and upholstered it in a rich, fiery orange velvet which brings a vibrancy and warmth to the room.
Michael Sinclair8/13A new-build in central London has been transformed into a pied-à-terre with personality thanks to the subtle layering of materials and use of warm, earthy shades by New York-based interior designer Jessica Schuster. In the living room, a ‘Martt’ sofa by Charles Tassin from Galerie May – in ‘Streamline’ cotton velvet in ocra from Mark Alexander – and a pair of Sixties leather tubular lounge chairs by Olivier Mourgue are arranged around a ‘Graphium’ Sahara Noir marble coffee table from M2L.
Davide Lovatti9/13Walls in ‘Nabis’ by Adam Bray for Papers and Paints set off a mix of Ensemblier furniture in Tara Craig's tiny London flat. A ‘Hanmer’ sofa in a Jasper fabric by Michael S Smith and a George Spencer velvet is paired with ‘Montgomery’ chairs in Howe’s ‘Knurl’ linen, a ‘Trafalgar’ armchair in Howe leather and a ‘Lissadell’ ottoman in ‘Nathalie’ cotton by Claremont.
Michael Sinclair10/13The sofas in Guy Tobin's south London house were made for the space; a sensible investment in a small living room. They have been covered in cotton velvets – the yellow one is in Lelièvre’s ‘Cosmos’.
Lucas Allen11/13In the second smallest house in Manhattan, a velvet sofa takes centre stage between two silk-covered chairs. The pink velvet sofa was bought at auction by the owners, who have paired it with pink floral cushions.
Jake Curtis12/13A large banquette sofa designed by Nick Plant and upholstered in Adam Bray's purple 'Greville' mohair velvet stands out against distressed mirror glass in this living room of a London flat designed by Adam Bray.
Simon Brown13/13Linwood's 'Moleskin Velvet' fabric in mustard was used for the banquette seating in this dining nook in the former flat of Princess Beatrice's husband, Edo Mapelli Mozzi.
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