Boucle is back

In the past couple of years, boucle has breezed back into our lives like it never left. Design legend has it that the fabric, which takes its name from the French word for curly, was first made for architect Eero Saarinen’s Womb chair in 1948. It seemed to fall out of favour after the 1970s but is back with a bang, tying into the trend for heavily textured environments. “From a construction perspective, the dimensional weave and tactility of boucle have taken it into the realm of ‘always in’, much like classic textiles such as linen or linen-look sheers and velvet,” explains Lucy Ovenden from James Dunlop Textiles. Boucle is the perfect match for curvaceous furniture forms and now comes in more shades than classic cream. There are even outdoor upholstery boucles, such as Sole Boucle by Mokum, so you can take the lovely, nubbly fabric alfresco.