Bouclé Bobbles: soft fabrics build on the ’70s revival

(Web article written for Clippings)

The ongoing revival of this progressive decade in design now brings a particular texture back into focus: sumptuous boucle fabrics with the satisfying bobbly feel of irregular slubs and loops. Most often seen in white or ecru, these touchable textiles were all over the upholstery at every show this spring. With greater depth and warmth than plain woollen weaves, boucles lend a cuddly quality that’s deeply tactile and immediately comforting.

Cocooning upholstery and bobbly textures are tempting to touch and offer deep comfort.

Design practice Studio David Thulstrup has created Font, a collection of chairs with thick upholstered backrests inspired typefaces. Danish furniture brand Møbel Copenhagen has taken it into production this year and offers it with a fine bouclè cover: the Louison fabric by French brand Pierre Frey.

Image: Irina Boersma for Møbel Copenhagen

Gubi has re-launched the voluptuous Pacha lounge chair created by French designer Pierre Paulin in 1975. As a nod to the birth decade of the model, they’re showing it off in the Karakorum bouclè fabric by Italian manufacturer Dedar.

Image: Gubi

Belgian studio Destroyers/Builders studied architectural columns for a series of furniture pieces, which includes the compact and round Bolder stool. Its seat and feet are fully upholstered in a bouclé woven from wool, alpaca and mohair fibres.

Image: Destroyers/Builders

A fluffy off-white fabric subdues the sharp lines of Christophe Delcourt’s Eko sofa, softening the shape of each module and blurring the boundaries between them.

Image: Delcourt Collection

Vincent van Duysen has created the chunky Elain lounge chair with a deeply rounded back that surrounds a thick seat, for Italian furniture producer Molteni&C. Upholstered with a grainy bouclé cover, the sleek design feels edgier than it would in a plain woven fabric.

Image: Molteni&C

With their Woodstock fabric, the designers of Paris textile brand Boussac push bouclé into a direction that looks less like clouds and more like gritty gravel, but the mix of wool, alpaca and cotton still feels sumptuously smooth.

Image: Boussac

French textiles house Leliévre also picked Gubi’s Pacha chair to showcase their latest bouclé creations, tapping into the ’70s mood. Named Oreé Liege, the upholstery fabric is woven with irregularly thick yarns including a golden thread, creating a soft, uneven surface with a very subtle shine.

Image: Leliévre

The Enclose wingback chair by Swedish studio Norm Architects hugs its occupant in petal-like curves. It was launched at Stockholm Furniture Fair by Fogia and presented in a plush bouclé fabric.

Image: Fogia

We’ve also noticed the bobbly look of bouclé appearing beyond upholstery. Inspired by the knobbly surfaces of pebbled beaches, Copenhagen designer Margrethe Odgaard created the Pebble rug to feel stimulating underfoot. Produced by Danish brand Muuto, it is covered in hundreds of little firm woollen loops, each one a slightly different size and shape to the next. Image: Muuto

Counterintuitively, the soft bobbly look is even starting to appear in usually solid surfaces like ceramics, like the Gemma vase from Danish label Aytm.

Image: Aytm