Your search is over! Jacquard fabrics can add that unmistakable opulence to your home. Let’s explore what Jacquard is all about and ways to integrate it into your house’s interior design.

The world of interior design is embedded with textures, colours, patterns, materials, shapes, and infinite other décor elements that one can combine to tell an inspirational story and add character to a living space. Regarding materials, one of the most popular choices is Jacquard, which is only understandable. Jacquard weaves spell luxury and festive vibes while conveying a sense of classic serenity. This fabric has a long and rich history, and while it once was available only to high-level-of-wealth statuses, Jacquard is now accessible to the general public. So, if interiors from Italian movies like Dangerous Beauty have always fascinated you, learn that you can bring that kind of sumptuousness into your own home with richly-decorated materials like Jacquard.

Find here insightful information about this sophisticated fabric and ways to include it in your home’s interior design.

black red and white floral textile

What Is Jacquard Fabric?

This posh-sounding name designates a specially woven fabric that can be made from various materials, including cotton, silk, and synthetic fibre. Patterns on Jacquard are made of varying stitch types and numerous coloured yarns. The design is woven directly into the material and enters into the fabric surface, which is not easy to achieve, hence the fabric’s high price in the 19th century.

Nonetheless, what makes Jacquard fabrics so unique is the way in which the material is woven. It would be wise to consider that fabrics with stamped or printed patterns or designs are not Jacquard but merely imitations because creating authentic Jacquard involves a Jacquard loom. Why Jacquard? Because Joseph Marie Charlie, nicknamed Jacquard, is the inventor of this machine. The Jacquard device allows for creating complex patterns in a much more satisfactory time than with a traditional loom. Until Jacquard’s invention, luxurious clothing and indoor decorations made from richly-patterned fabrics were merely the domain of nobility and royalty.

How to Identify a Genuine Jacquard

It’s easy to get lost in the hundreds of materials available on the market that are similar to Jacquard. Still, this particular fabric has something that stands proud against other materials – the so-called “embossed” patterns. These designs are slightly raised due to the way in which they’re woven, meaning you’re likely to feel these raised portions when you run your fingers across the material’s surface.

Moreover, most Jacquard fabrics have floats on the back (long strands of yarn). These floats occur when patterns change in colour and move to the original hue later in the design. You’re also likely to spot a reversed design version on the material’s rear. This negative image, though, is not raised as in the case of the front surface but rather in dips.

When these aspects are considered, it would be much easier to spot a fake Jacquard.

What are the Types of Jacquard Fabrics?

You’ve heard it right – there are several types of jacquard fabrics. The Jacquard term is used generically to designate the way in which these fabrics are created. As previously mentioned, Jacquard fabrics are made from a broad range of materials, such as linen, cotton, wool, silk (natural fibres), acrylic, and polyester (synthetic yarns). Jacquards can be knitted using only one of the above-mentioned fibres or a combination of more.

The resulting fabrics, which we know as Jacquards today, include:

  • Brocade: This material dates back to the Middle Ages and was initially made from silk to enhance royalty’s houses. In 2022, it’s available in wide varieties and features slightly raised designs that are a bit distinct from Damask or Matelassé.
  • Damask: This fabric is usually monochrome and reversible, with an intricate pattern that is nothing but elegant and soft.
  • Matelassé: The Matelassé clothing and indoor decorations have highly raised portions and are designed as heavy textiles meant to resemble a Province-like vibe. Most Matelassé fabrics are made from cotton, rarely from chenille or polycotton.
  • Brocatelle: This one is almost the same as Brocade, with the mention that the former requires a Jacquard loom exclusively, unlike the latter which can be produced on any loom able to weave textile.

Each has a unique, alluring vibe but a common creative process.

Ways to Incorporate Jacquards in Your Interior Design

Jacquards can be integrated into any home interior to convey that luxury vibe that once characterised 19th noble houses. Here’s how:

  • Curtains: One of the most powerful ways to spice up the atmosphere of your bedroom is to dress up the windows with Jacquard curtains. The material used for draperies is up to you; it can be cotton, linen, silk, or even polyester, depending on the overall result you want to achieve. One thing is for sure: Jacquard curtains are the response to that luxurious, expensive-looking, and cosy design.
  • Furniture upholstery: Are you bored of your actual furniture but don’t want to invest in a new one? Jacquard fabrics might be just what your sofa and armchairs need. This makes for unique furniture pieces that breathe new life into your old living space and enhance your home’s versatility, as a high-quality Jacquard can withstand everything from spillages to stains.
  • Accessories: If you’re an indoor design enthusiast, you probably know what decorative sofa or bed items can do to a room. If you choose your Damask bedding correctly, you can feel like you are in a lord’s chamber. This type of Jacquard spells luxury and elegance without being stuffy or dated. Neutral hues such as browns, greys, and crips whites are classic choices, but you can choose any colour that fits your room’s style.
  • Duvets and coverlets: It’s all in the details – those small furnishings like chair coverings, tablecloths, cushions, napkins, and wall hangings can make or break your home interior, so make sure you give them the proper attention. One sure-fire way not to get wrong with them is to choose a timeless, versatile material like jacquard. This is one of the few fabrics that can transform run-of-the-mill pieces into collection items, so feel free to give this fabric a try.