Bar Stool Upholstery Guide: Vegan Leather, Velvet or Bouclé?

For most kitchens, vegan leather is the most practical: it wipes clean, resists spills and is the most abrasion-resistant of the three. Velvet suits a softer, richer look and hides wear in dark colours; bouclé suits a warm, textured, Scandinavian look and kitchens used a little more gently.

The table compares the three fabrics we use. All are upholstered by hand over cold-cut foam at 55 kg/m³ on a beech plywood core, so the difference between them is feel, look and care, not comfort.

Yes, it is the most practical choice for a kitchen. Our vegan leather is rated for 300,000 Martindale rubs, far beyond what a kitchen stool will see, and its surface is treated to resist stains, so spills and fingerprints wipe off with a damp cloth. It also meets the European fire-safety tests for upholstery, EN 1021-1 and -2.

It comes in jade black, latte, coffee bean and sand, and suits both black steel and oak frames. Jade black is the classic choice for a family island; latte and coffee bean bring warmth to a black frame. Unlike animal leather, it does not need conditioning and will not dry out.

Yes, if you want a soft, rich surface and choose a darker colour for everyday use. Our velvet has a dense short pile, is rated for 130,000 Martindale rubs and has a water-repellent finish, so spills bead on the surface and can be blotted before they soak in. It is also OEKO-TEX certified.

Velvet changes subtly with the light and the direction of the pile, which gives it depth, and a jade black or taupe velvet hides everyday wear well. Brush it occasionally with a soft brush or the upholstery nozzle of a vacuum to keep the pile even. See velvet bar stools for more.

Bouclé is practical with sensible care and the right colour. Its looped yarn is rated for 50,000 Martindale rubs, well above the level usually recommended for heavy domestic use, is OEKO-TEX certified and has been tested for resistance to pet claws under BS 8479. What bouclé needs is blotting rather than rubbing, and a vacuum now and then.

It is the warmest fabric to touch and the most textured to look at, which is why it suits Scandinavian and natural kitchens. Ivory bouclé looks beautiful but shows marks sooner; greige and black are more forgiving. See bouclé bar stools for more.

It is the number of rubbing cycles a fabric survives in a standardised abrasion test before it shows wear. For domestic seating, around 15,000 to 25,000 rubs is usually considered normal use and above 30,000 heavy use; contract seating in cafés and hotels typically asks for 40,000 and more.

Our three fabrics are rated at 50,000 for bouclé, 130,000 for velvet and 300,000 for vegan leather, so all three are comfortably above heavy domestic use. Martindale measures abrasion only; stains, sunlight and cleaning matter too, which is why choice of colour is just as important. Our guide to whether expensive bar stools are worth it covers the other quality checks.

Vegan leather is the easiest with children, because anything from yoghurt to felt-tip pen wipes off. With pets, bouclé tested for claw resistance and a dark velvet both work well; avoid pale colours in both cases. Whatever you choose, a darker shade forgives far more than a light one.

On Freja and Svea the cushion is fixed with two screws and can be replaced, which is worth knowing in a family kitchen: a seat that has been through too much can be renewed without replacing the stool. Our guide to cleaning bar stools has the right method for each fabric.

Order fabric samples and look at them in your own kitchen, in daylight and in the evening, next to the worktop and the floor. Colours on a screen are never quite right, and upholstery changes with the light more than any other material in the room.

As a rule, repeat a colour already in the kitchen: ivory or latte with white marble, jade black with black fittings, coffee bean or taupe with warm oak. Our fabric samples are free, and they are the surest way to avoid choosing a colour you will not love. See how to choose bar stools for the other decisions.