Crushed Velvet vs Velvet: What’s the Difference?

If you’re shopping for furniture, you’ve most likely come across velvet and crushed velvet. Both types of fabric are widely used in upholstering different furniture pieces, such as: beds, sofas and chairs. You might be wondering which is fabric type is better and easier to maintain? In this guide we’ll answer this question.

What is Velvet?

Velvet is a sleek, soft and shiny fabric that is commonly used in garment making, upholstery and other textile applications. Once synonymous with royalty and nobility, velvet has been a fixture of the fashion world and home décor for centuries.

Initially made from silk, velvet fabric has a sleek appearance and a soft and beautiful drape. It is a popular choice for evening wear and is often associated with a luxurious look.

In more recent times, less expensive materials like rayon, polyester, cotton, linen and wool are being used to make velvet. This has made it much more affordable and readily available.

Though not as exotic and made from pure silk, velvet still remains a prized fabric for making blankets, bedding, stuffed animals, bunnies and all other things that are supposed to be as soft as possible.

Above you can see the Valentino Sleigh Bed in grey velvet.

Note that velvet is not a specific type of fibre but rather a several layers of fabric that are woven together, with one layer on top of the other. It is made with a vertical yarn that is woven on a specific type of loom that spins the layers of fabrics simultaneously.

These fabric layers are then separated to create the pile effect, and afterwards, they are wound up on rolls. This process remains unchanged regardless of the material being used. These days, many velvet materials are produced with a combination of silk and non-silk fabrics and sometimes, synthetic materials are being added to make it less expensive. This makes velvet a bit harder to dye, but not.

What is Crushed Velvet?

Crushed velvet, on the other hand, is a type of velvet and is one of the most common types of velvet fabric. It is achieved by twisting the velvet fabric while wet producing a crumpled and crushed look. It can also be made by pressing the pile of fabric in a different direction.

Here you can see the Castello Bed in crushed velvet, which is more shiny and plush.

Although velvet generally has a lustrous look, crushed velvet has an even more shiny, patterned appearance and a unique,  stretchy texture. It is a popular material for furniture upholstery and is gradually becoming a popular choice for garment making.

These days, crushed velvet is usually made from silk and a synthetic material like polyester to achieve that stretchy look and to make it less expensive. In fact, there are now crushed velvet materials that are 100% polyester. This makes it harder to dye crushed velvet when compared to velvet.

Here are the key differences between velvet and crushed velvet:

Velvet:

• Produced by weaving different layers of fabric simultaneously
• It is a type of fabric
• Shiny appearance
• Not patterned; uniformed surface
• Does not require extra backing for reinforcement and stability
• Popularly used in dressmaking and upholstery
• Not stretchy
• Easy to dye

Crushed Velvet:

• Produced by twisting the velvet fabric while wet or pressing the pile of fabric in a different direction.
• It is a type of velvet
• More shiny appearance
• Patterned surface
• Requires additional backing to reinforce the fabric and make it stable
• Popularly used in upholstery for furniture
• Usually stretchy
• Less easy to dye because polyester