I’m an interior designer – the viral ‘it chair’ now looks cheap and polyester, especially if you got a knock-off

AN interior designer has revealed the viral ‘it chair’ that now looks cheap.

So if you want your home to impress the pros, then you’ll need to listen up.

It’s been everywhere for the past three years, but it appears that boucle fabric furnishings might just be on the way out.

So if you bought into the trend and got yourself the popular ‘it chair’, which is now sitting pride of place in your bedroom or living room, then prepare to be attacked.

On a recent episode of The Ins & Outs podcast, Jojo Barr, an interior expert from House Nine Design, was joined by landscape design guru Pollyanna Wilkinson from Garden Design.

On the Masterclasses on Soil & Kitchen Islands episode, the duo discussed which design trends and interior materials are in and what is out. 

Pollyanna recalled: “I have seen rumblings that boucle furniture is on the out and I wondered what your thoughts were on that.”

Boucle is a fabric with a distinctive looped or bobbly texture that’s made from yarn with loops of various sizes.

It is a versatile and durable fabric that’s often used for upholstery, clothing, curtains, and bedding. 

It’s commonly made from wool, but can also be made from cotton, linen, silk, or polyester.

Boucle chairs took over the high street over the past three years and earlier this year, we saw shoppers race to Homebase, eager to nab a £225 dupe of the viral Soho Home £1995 boucle armchair.

To this, the interior pro Jojo explained: “I think boucle definitely went through a trend, I feel like everybody was putting boucle in their homes.

“I always am a firm believer in it not being the fabric itself so much, as to what it’s actually on, that is what’s going to date.

“So if you have it on a particular chair, that was a real chair of the moment, that might date. 

“I also think it’s the quality of the boucle, because there’s boucle and then there’s boucle.”

Jojo recognised that whilst you can find good quality boucle, if you get a knock-off, it will look cheap.

She added: “You’ve got cheap polyester boucle that every knock-off shop was doing and it’s quite bright white and it looks a bit cheap, that will date, for sure.

“But then if you have a really good quality boucle that looks beautiful, it will stand the test of time. And if it’s on the right chair or sofa, gorgeous. 

It is out. We’re on the downward slope

Jojo Barr

“It’s all about how you dress things, it’s a funny one. Things do come into trend, they get picked up, designers start to use them first.

“You see things too much, in everyone’s house and then you kind of get bored of it and want the next best thing.

“I’m a firm believer in if you buy right.”

Despite this, Jojo stressed: “It is out. We’re on the downward slope.”

But Jojo isn’t the only pro that is concerned for the boucle trend.

Interior design expert and Studio Dean founder Cathy Dean agreed, as she previously told Fabulous: “Sofas, dining chairs, ottomans all adorned with this white textured fabric offer you a seat at the same time as terrifying you that you may stain it with even the tiniest speck of dirt.

“This fabric is quite simply form over function and for me that just cannot fly.

“Homes are to be lived in, used, enjoyed and they should feel welcoming, comforting and be like a hug as you walk in the door.

“It’s just too much for everyday living.”