Sofa Swatch Guide
How to Choose the Right
Sofa Fabric or Leather at Home
Choosing your sofa is only part of the decision. The colour, texture and finish of the upholstery can completely change how a sofa looks and feels in your home.
That’s why we’d always recommend seeing your chosen fabric or leather in person before making your final decision.
A colour that looks perfect on a phone or laptop can appear warmer, cooler, lighter or darker once it’s sitting alongside your own walls, flooring and furniture. Different materials also feel very different in person - something photography alone can’t fully communicate.
Your free sofa swatches let you see and feel the upholstery where it actually matters: in your home, in your light and alongside the rest of your room.
How to check your sofa swatches at home
Don’t make your decision as soon as the mail arrives.
Give yourself a little time with your samples. Move them around the room, compare them against the surfaces that will surround your sofa and look at them under different lighting conditions.
There are five things we’d recommend checking before choosing your upholstery:
• Colour
• Light
• Surroundings
• Texture
• Practicality
Check Your Swatches in Different Light
Look at Them Throughout the Day
Natural light changes constantly.
A fabric that looks warm and creamy in morning light can appear noticeably cooler later in the day.
Darker fabrics may look rich and detailed in bright daylight but much deeper under artificial lighting.
Leather can change too. Its grain, sheen, natural markings and colour variation can become more or less visible depending on the direction and strength of the light.
Look at your swatches in:
• Morning daylight
• Bright afternoon light
• Overcast or lower natural light
• Evening lighting
• Lamps and ambient lighting
Don’t necessarily look for the colour that looks best at one particular moment. Look for the one you’re happiest living with throughout the day.
Move them
Around the Room
Don’t simply leave your samples on a coffee table. Place them where your sofa will actually sit and move them around the room.
Hold them against walls, position them near windows and compare them against other furniture pieces.
A colour that appears neutral on its own may reveal warmer or cooler undertones when placed beside other finishes in the room.
This is often where swatches become invaluable.
You’re not choosing a colour in isolation, you’re choosing something that needs to work as part of the entire room.
A swatch should never be viewed in isolation. We'd recommend placing it next to the following:
How to choose a sofa colour
How will your swatches work with your wall colours?
Place your swatches directly against your wall colour or wallpaper.
Neutral upholstery in particular can have subtle undertones that aren’t immediately obvious online. Comparing it directly against the room will help you see whether the tones naturally complement one another.
Do your rugs and curtains complement your chosen swatch?
Your sofa will sit alongside some of the largest areas of colour and texture in the room.
Compare your samples with rugs, curtains and other soft furnishings to see whether the colours and textures work together rather than competing with one another.
How does your new sofa fit with your existing furniture?
Consider wood tones, leather upholstery, flooring and any furniture that will remain in the room.
Warm oak, pale stone, darker woods and existing upholstered pieces can all influence how your new sofa colour appears.
Could accessories help bring your scheme together?
Scatter cushions and throws give you more flexibility because they can help bridge colours and introduce contrast.
If you’ve already chosen accessories you’d like to keep, compare them with your swatches. Alternatively, use them after choosing your sofa to bring different tones in the room together.
Don't just look at your swatches
Feel Them
Two sofas in almost identical colours can feel completely different depending on their upholstery.
Run your hand across each swatch. Fold it slightly. Look at it from different angles. Pay attention to the surface texture and how the material catches the light.
A velvet can feel smooth and luxurious. Chenille tends to have a softer woven character. Bouclé creates a much more pronounced tactile texture, while woven fabrics can provide a flatter, more structured finish.
With leather, look at the grain, surface finish, softness and natural variation. Different leather finishes can offer very different balances of natural character, durability and everyday practicality.
The question isn’t simply “Which colour do I like?”.
Ask yourself “Which material would I actually like to sit on and live with every day?”
Think about texture aswell as colour
Choosing upholstery isn’t just about finding the right shade.
The texture of the material plays a major role in how a sofa feels and how it contributes to the overall atmosphere of the room.
A velvet can create a smoother, richer appearance, while chenille tends to feel soft and relaxed. Bouclé introduces more visible texture and warmth, while woven fabrics can provide a more understated, contemporary finish.
Don’t judge texture from photography alone. Seeing and handling the actual upholstery will give you a much better understanding of its character.
Fabric and leather both have their own unique characterics. To understand fabric in more detail we've put together a comprehensive guide to how to choose a fabric sofa. If you're looking for more information and guideance leather our how to choose a leather sofa guide will help you naviagte the types of leather and which 1 will be best suited to your lifestyle.
Compare Similiar Colours
Side by Side
Don’t be afraid to order several versions of what appears to be essentially the same colour.
Three beige fabrics may look almost identical online but completely different together.
One might have a warm yellow undertone. Another may lean towards grey. Another could contain a mixture of coloured yarns that gives it much more depth when viewed up close.
Comparing similar shades directly against one another is often much easier than trying to choose between them individually online.
We’d recommend ordering three to four of your favourite options where possible.
Check The Fabric
From Different Angles
Some upholstery changes appearance depending on the direction you’re viewing it from.
This is particularly noticeable with fabrics that have a pile or surface movement, such as velvet.
Light reflects differently as the fibres move, which can make areas appear lighter or darker.
Hold the swatch vertically as well as horizontally and turn it towards and away from the window.
This gives you a much better idea of how the material may behave across the larger surface area of a sofa.
Think about how your sofa will actually be used
The best upholstery isn’t necessarily the one that looks best on the table.
It is the one that works best for your home and the way you live in it.
Think about:
• How frequently the sofa will be used
• Children and family life
• Pets
• Food and drink
• How much maintenance you’re comfortable with
• Whether the room receives strong direct sunlight
• Whether softness, texture or practicality matters most to you
Some collections may offer performance or easy-clean fabrics, while different leather finishes have different characteristics and care requirements.
If you’re unsure, bring your swatches into one of our showrooms or speak to our team and we’ll help you understand the options available on the collection you’re considering.
You can also read our Furniture Care Guide for advice on looking after different upholstery types, or explore our Furniture Care Plan for additional protection against staining, accidental damage and structural defects once your new sofa arrives.
Caring For Your FurnitureFabric or Leather Swatch? What should your look for?
When checking a fabric swatch
Look at:
Colour: including any undertones or variation in the yarn.
Texture: smooth, soft, woven, looped, brushed or pronounced.
Pile: whether the appearance changes when brushed or viewed from different directions.
Weave: look closely at how the yarns and colours combine.
Feel: you’re going to live with this material, not just look at it.
Practicality: consider how the particular fabric suits your household and everyday use.
When checking a leather swatch
Look at:
Colour: natural variation can form part of leather’s character.
Grain: different finishes can retain or alter more of the hide’s natural surface.
Markings: some leather types deliberately retain more natural character.
Finish: leather can vary considerably depending on how the hide has been treated and protected.
Feel: compare softness and surface texture.
Practicality: different finishes offer different balances of character, maintenance and durability.
How to Order Free Sofa Swatches
Almost all of our upholstered sofas, chairs and footstools online include the option to request free swatches.
Browse your favourite collection, select the colours or materials you’d like to compare and request your samples.
We’ll send them directly to your home so you can compare the actual upholstery before making your final decision.
Choosing Your Sofa Swatch: A Final Checklist
Before making your decision, ask yourself:
• Have I seen it in both natural and artificial light?
• Have I looked at it at different times of day?
• Have I placed it where the sofa will actually sit?
• Does it work with my walls and flooring?
• Does it complement my rugs, curtains and existing furniture?
• Have I compared it with similar colours?
• Have I properly felt and examined the texture?
• Does the material suit how the sofa will actually be used?
• Am I happy with how much care it may require?
• Would I be happy seeing and feeling this material every day?
If the answer is yes, you’ve done considerably more than simply choose a colour from a screen.
You’ve chosen the upholstery in the environment where you’re actually going to live with it.
Get Personal Advice from a
Loom Loft Lifestylist
Sometimes a few samples answer the question immediately. Sometimes they make you want to see more.
Our Loom Loft Lifestylists can also explain the different materials available on individual collections and help you compare colour, texture, practicality and care requirements.
Or if you prefer why not visit one of our showrooms, where you'll have the opportunity to compare a much wider selection of fabrics and leathers, see upholstery across full-size sofas and get help choosing the right option for your home
Sofa Swatch FAQs
Yes. Our sofa fabric and leather swatches are completely free, allowing you to see the colour, texture and finish of your chosen upholstery at home before deciding on your sofa.
Swatches can be requested from sofa collections on our website. Choose the upholstery options you’d like to compare and request your samples to be delivered directly to your home.
We recommend choosing around three to four options if you’re undecided between similar colours or materials. Comparing several swatches side by side often makes subtle differences in colour, undertone and texture much easier to see.
Screens reproduce colour differently depending on the device, brightness and display settings. Your home’s lighting also affects how upholstery appears.
This is why a fabric or leather that looks warm online may appear slightly cooler, lighter or darker in your room. A physical swatch gives you a much better representation of how the upholstery will look in your own surroundings.
Place your swatches where the sofa will actually sit rather than judging them on a table or in another room.
Compare them with your walls, flooring, rugs, curtains and existing furniture, and move them around the space to see how different surroundings affect their appearance.
Yes. Natural and artificial light can significantly change the appearance of upholstery.
Check your samples in morning and afternoon daylight as well as under your usual evening lighting. This helps you choose a colour you’ll be happy with throughout the day.
Look beyond colour and consider the fabric’s texture, weave, softness and surface characteristics.
Some fabrics, particularly those with a pile such as velvet, can also appear different depending on the direction of the fibres and the way light falls across them.
Look at the leather’s colour, grain, surface texture, softness and finish. Depending on the type of leather, natural markings and variations may form part of its character.
Different leather finishes can also offer different balances of natural appearance, protection and everyday practicality.
Swaches should be considered a guide rather than an exact colour reference. There can be some variation between a small sample and the upholstery used on a finished sofa.
Fabric can show subtle differences between production batches, while genuine leather is a natural material and will display variations in colour, grain and markings between hides. These varinances are considered natural characteristics rather than a fault.
We wouldn’t recommend deliberately staining or applying cleaning products to a swatch unless specified by the manufacturer.
Performance, easy-clean and specialist fabrics such as Aqua-Clean should be cared for according to their individual manufacturer’s instructions.
For peace-of-mind our Furniture Care Plan provides optional comprehensive cover against stains and structural defects. For more detailed information on how to care for your furniture; take a moment to read our Furniture Care Guide; where you'll find practical advice for a wide range of products including our upholstery.
Think about how the sofa will be used as well as how the material looks.
Consider everyday use, children, pets, food and drink, direct sunlight, the level of maintenance you’re comfortable with and whether you prioritise softness, texture or practicality.
Our How to Choose a Fabric Sofa guide explains the characteristics of common upholstery types including chenille, bouclé, velvet and woven fabrics.
Keep your favourite samples and compare them in your room over a few days rather than feeling you need to decide immediately.
If you’re still unsure, visit one of our showrooms with your swatches. Our team can help you compare the materials, look at alternative options and consider how different colours and upholstery types might work for your home.