Bouclé, YOU SAY?

This classic fabric has been given a new lease on life in contemporary shades, modern production and minimalist pieces. A textile expert gives us the scoop on how to style and care for it

- Words by CHRISTI NORTIER

Bouclé has come full circle – if you'll excuse the pun (the name is taken from the French word for ‘curled’).

The fabric was created in the 1940s, after American furniture designer Florence Knoll briefed fellow designer Eero Saarinen to design her a chair she could “really curl up in”.

He took the brief to heart and created not just a snug chair, but also a fabric made of looped yarn woven into a soft textile. And so bouclé was born and spread across décor and fashion – including the renowned fashion house of Coco Chanel, where the fabric has become one of its signatures.

It’s no secret that soft-curve furniture has been on trend for two seasons running, but the recent resurgence of minimal, 70s-inspired Italian design has brought bouclé fabric out of the Mid-Century house and into many more modern homes.