Why damaged upholstery fabrics deserve a happy ending

Liza Bryan will never forget the moment she first saw the settee of her dreams. It was at Marburger Farm in Round Top, Texas—the twice-yearly antiques show where the Atlanta-based designer was sourcing pieces for clients. Bryan, a finalist for Southeastern Designer of the Year in 2022, knows quality when she sees it. The black and gilt regency frame was striking enough, but what stopped her was the luxury upholstery fabric. Vintage Fortuny: colors rich and complex, a silvery-gold color with the kind of soft patina that emerges over decades. She describes what happened next with characteristic candor: “Did I need it—no! Could I afford it—no! Did I have a place for it—no! Did I want it—yes!”

She bought it on the spot.

Then, the “white-glove” transport service shoved it through her door and tore the fabric on the arm rest.

Bryan was devastated.

For most designers, this moment means the start of a familiar journey. You source replacement fabric, completely recover the piece, and take your losses. The upholstery industry operates on this logic—that fabric is meant to be replaced. Bryan couldn’t help but wonder: was this remarkable fabric worth saving?

The restoration decision

That question reveals the fundamental divide in contemporary upholstery. Some fabrics are interchangeable: their value lies in newness, in matching a current aesthetic, in serving immediate needs. Other fabrics carry qualities that deepen with time. They cannot be replicated by simply ordering new yardage.

Bryan recognized what she was looking at: fabric that had aged beautifully. “The richness of the color, the faded sheen of the once-silvered-gold ground.” The vintage Fortuny upholstery had developed the particular character that comes only from years of use, from subtle shifts in how light catches the surface, from the gentle wear patterns that give a textile life.

“Fabrics should stand the test of time,” Bryan observes, considering her living room and her other forty-year-old sofa, still upholstered in its original Brunschwig & Fils cocoa velvet. Not because she can’t afford to replace it, but because the fabric has earned its place. The velvet has softened, developed subtle variations in pile direction, acquiring patina over years of enjoyment. “My living room is classic, but not formal and stuffy,” she explains. “What makes something wonderful and extraordinary is getting to use it every day.”

What makes fabric worth restoring

The question of whether to restore or replace upholstery fabric clarifies what luxury actually means in this context. True luxury reveals itself in how materials respond to use—whether they develop character or simply deteriorate, whether they become more precious or merely tired.

Some contemporary high-end upholstery fabric is treated as temporary—something to refresh a room or chase trends. The assumption is that the fabric has a limited lifespan and will inevitably fade, thin, or lose appeal. Industrial fabrics reinforce this cycle with inks that fade, pile that crushes, weaves that thin at stress points. They were never designed to improve with age.

Bryan’s settee proved the opposite. The vintage Fortuny fabric possessed depth worth restoring. Well-made printed cotton or velvet is designed to improve with age. Pile settles into subtle variations that catch light differently, hand-blocked printing maintains clarity while softening, colors gain warmth without fading. “When a fabric ages as beautifully as the antique it’s applied to, that’s what design should be about,” says Bryan.

The work of restoration

Bryan’s restoration required six months. First, she sourced complementary fabric: Fortuny’s Farnese Frieze in Majolica Green & Silvery Gold, which when flipped revealed tones that harmonized with the damaged vintage material. Then she found the right upholsterer: Desmond Sandoval at Westside Upholstery, whose expertise allowed him to blend new fabric with the aged, preserving the settee’s history while repairing the damage.

Most contemporary upholstery fabric cannot be restored in this manner. Restoration succeeds when working with textiles that improve rather than merely endure—materials created with the understanding that fabric must live on. Bryan’s restorer took existing fabric from the back and sides and blended it into the damaged area. It was painstaking work, but worth every hour.

“It was truly a miracle,” she says. “It was the glass slipper for my Cinderella!”

Designing for decades

Interior designers selecting upholstery face the pressures of short-term thinking. Clients demand immediate results. Photography requires strong visual impact. Trends shift rapidly. Yet the most successful interiors, those that continue to satisfy years after installation, typically involve designer upholstery fabric chosen for qualities that transcend their moment.

Designers must think long term. Instead of asking how fabric photographs, consider how it will feel after five years of use. Rather than selecting materials matching current trends, choose fabrics with sufficient complexity to work as styles change. Evaluate not what looks best new, but what will age with dignity.

Certain luxury upholstery fabric brands distinguish themselves through generational expertise—houses that understand not just how to produce beautiful material, but how that material will perform over decades of use. This knowledge manifests in choices about fiber quality, dye formulation, printing methods, finishing treatments. The resulting fabrics cost more initially but justify that investment through durability, repairability, and the capacity to develop character rather than simply wear out.

Even limited budgets can incorporate luxury upholstery fabric strategically, through pillows, a single chair, focused accents.

Bryan compares fabrics and furnishings in a room to the theater: “There should be some divas—the luxury fabrics—and supporting players. However, all players should be high-quality.”

Smart designers consider the durability of a fabric, not just how it looks in the showroom. “It will elevate the room,” Bryan adds.

The final result

Bryan’s restored settee now occupies her living room and is constantly in use. The blended fabrics show their age differently, creating subtle dialogue between vintage and new. This layering of time would be impossible with materials designed for uniform appearance. She describes the luxury upholstery fabric as “stunning”—not because the restoration erased damage but because the work honored what made the fabric valuable in the first place.

For designers working in high-end interiors, Fortuny’s upholstery collections—printed cottons, velvets, and complementary weaves—offer materials tested by time rather than trends. Our experts have creative solutions to even the most challenging upholstery projects. Just request some samples or learn more through Fortuny Pro.

Bryan’s restoration stands as proof of what becomes possible when working with materials designed to endure. “I love, love, love looking at my Cinderella each and every day,” she says.