Textile Spotlight: Boucle

It’s been a while since I featured a textile, so it’s time for a spotlight, especially since there is one textile that is everywhere in home design: bouclé.

From the French word boucler which meands “to curl”, bouclé (or boucle) is a dimensional yarn fabric with small puffs or tufts that give it a soft and bumpy textured surface.

boucle chairs

Its texture is unique and created with a specific weaving process. Two strands are combined, one is kept tense while the other is loose and when pulled, forms loops. It can be created with wool, cotton, silk, or linen threads.

Boucle has been trending all year, but it’s especially hot right now, and it’s popping up everywhere in fall collections.

boucle chair

 

boucle chair

 

Truth be told, it’s not a textile I would personally choose for furniture in a light color because it is a higher maintenance fabric. I question its practicality on large pieces of furniture, especially in white.

boucle daybed

article chairs

boucle chair

tlc interiors

For me, boucle is yummy in darker hues.

boucle bench

house of scalamandre

boucle bench

The fabric was popular in fashion in the 1950s, Coco Chanel used it often to construct her famous posh suits and structured soft jackets inspired by menswear. We all remember the pink boucle jacket Jackie wore the day JFK was killed.

vogue 1952

 

I do love boucle fabrics for accessories like pillows and blankets and it’s a perfect texture for warming up beds and sofas in cold weather seasons.

fall pillows

 

lulu and georgia

throw blankets

decorative pillows

 

throw blanketpillowstorage ottoman

mustard blanketgreen pillow

mocha pillowbrass stoolpillows

 

Your thoughts on boucle? Would you choose it for furniture, accessories, or nah?