All about fabrics: A buyer's guide to home textiles Home Textile Fabrics make up such a big part of home décor, from sofas and chairs to headboards and bed linen to decorative items like cushions, throws and table runners. With Asian Paints launching three lines of furnishings, furniture and lighting – Ador, Nilaya and Royale – we delve deeper into common fabrics for the home, their uses along with styling and maintenance tips. NATURAL FABRICS These fabrics are made from natural fibre and usually come from animal or plant-based sources. The following are the most common natural fabrics used in home décor. Cotton: It is a versatile and extensively used fabric that is the most popular choice for home furnishings. Available in a variety of weights, Cotton Fabric can range from budget-friendly to luxurious. Cotton is durable and drapes well. It is easy to clean at home – some items being machine washable – as well as being resistant to fading and pilling. However, it does tend to wrinkle and stain easily. Silk: A luxurious option, silk imparts a rich, opulent look to a space. It is best used in formal spaces or for areas that are used sparingly. The expensive fabric needs to be treated with kid gloves since it is not stain-resistant and the fibers weaken over time when exposed to sunlight or moisture. Linen: It is soft, comfortable and fairly resistant to fading and pilling. Breathable and lightweight, it also naturally resists bacteria making it a good option for those with allergies. Available in a variety of textures, Linen Fabric is a wonderful way to add an earthy aesthetic and visual interest to the space. It wrinkles easily and can shrink considerably, so it is recommended to have your linen textiles professionally cleaned. Leather and suede: An extremely durable option, high-quality leather holds up well against wear and tear as well as stains. It comes in various textures, grain finishes and colour options. With proper care, good leather will last a very long time. With age, the leather softens and develops its own unique character – just like an old pair of comfy jeans. Another type of leather, suede is softer with a velvety appearance. However, it stains easily and requires a lot of care. Watch out, cotton: Tencel fibers are having a moment. If you've shopped for just about anything made of fabric lately – whether it's clothing or bedding – chances are you've come across this fiber. You've probably also seen a bunch of claims tied to it, promising incredible softness and eco-friendly practices. Tencel is a brand name for a set of fibers called lyocell and modal (think of it like Band-Aids are to bandages or Kleenex are to tissues). These fibers are known for feeling super soft and are widely used in a sustainable fashion. Tencel Fabric is somewhat similar to rayon (i.e. viscose) because they're what the industry refers to as "regenerated cellulose" fibers. Manufacturers take wood pulp, dissolve it in a chemical solvent, then push it through an extruder to form the fibers. The big difference is rayon requires more energy and chemicals to produce, which is both wasteful and toxic for the workers who make it. Tencel, on the other hand, uses chemicals that are less-toxic and get recycled in the process so there's minimal waste. It also uses wood from trees in sustainably-harvested forests. There are as many as 1000 types of bamboo grown in different types of climatic conditions all over the world. Owing to all these facts, growing bamboo is considered sustainable for the environment. Due to the softness, smooth flowing, gentle drape, etc., Bamboo Fabric has received the status of being eco-fashionable in the fashion world. Even the pricing of bamboo is economical at least when compared with silk and cashmere. Today, the sales of bamboo garments have been boosted with increasing environmental awareness among the people. It is considered to be the new eco-chic as well as functional fabric. Theres a reason for bamboo fabrics for becoming so popular. They are softer than cotton and its texture is more like silk. You may have already caught its luster out of the corner of your eye, but if you haven't, mulberry silk is about to have a monumental moment. This Mulberry Silk Fabric is popping up in home goods and summer-ready fashions, looking absolutely enticing and feeling even better (trust me on this). But what is mulberry silk? Why is it held in such high esteem? Is it purely an aesthetic luxury, or are there other benefits that make it a worthwhile investment? Well, mulberry silk is often regarded as the highest-quality silk there is. That's largely because the silk worms are nurtured in a way that creates a textile that's nourishing to humans. "It's the earliest animal fiber used for clothing, so the most genuine 'silk,'" says Danielle Wu, founder of More Sunday, which makes loungewear and pillowcases out of the material. "It's unique because the silk worms that we harvest the fibers from are only fed mulberry leaves. Mulberry leaves are rich in nutrients and protein, so the result is a thread that is long, continuous, and contains 18 amino acids and proteins that can nourish our hair and skin." In a way, it's the ultimate feel-good fabric, one that'll help you radiate in all different way. Cotton fabric is a natural cellulose fiber derived from the cotton plant (a member of the mallow family). It's one of the world's oldest and domesticated non-food plants, with an agricultural history dating back 6,000 years.1 Cotton is one of the most versatile types of natural fibers on the planet—it's the leading natural fiber in the textile industry and a go-to fabric for bedding. Benefits of Cotton Sheets There's a reason why cotton has made such an indelible impression on human culture. The benefits of 100% Cotton Textile Sets go above and beyond pure coziness and include: Breathability – Cotton is an extremely well-ventilated fabric and can tamp down temperatures for sleepers who tend to overheat in bed. Organic cotton is particularly breathable—because it's cultivated with zero pesticides, the cotton ball develops longer fibers that can admit more air into the textile weave. Softness – Cotton sheets are renowned for their supple, ultra-gentle feel. Plus, the more you wash them, the softer they'll get. Hypoallergenic properties – Cotton is a non-irritating fabric, making it a friendly choice for those with sensitive skin and looking for the best sheets for allergies. Combined with its intrinsic breathability, cotton offers a great choice for summertime sheets by eschewing any extra aggravation to sunburns, heat rashes, or itchiness. Overall, cotton's fresh, light build and cozy feel make for an idyllic year-round sheet.