The winter months are quickly drawing in on us and it’s got me thinking about cozy fires and warm drinks in the pub. This month’s newsletter is going to focus on how to protect your soft furnishings from any unfortunate mishaps with fire. 

 

The Law: Fire Retardant Rules and Fabrics

The laws for our homes and commercial properties are different.  According to the FIRA “All persons involved in the supply chain bear the responsibility of ensuring compliance with the Regulations. Component suppliers (foam filling, covers etc), furniture manufacturers, importers, retailers, and re-upholsterers must all provide documentary evidence that the material complies with the Regulations”. 

This means that both us (the supplier) and yourself must make sure that all soft furnishings are suitable for the environment they are in. Of course this is a very serious issue but it should not take away from any creative ideas you have for the space you are transforming. It can be beautiful and safe. 

Your home is not subject to the same laws as commercial premises, so it is perfectly legal for your curtains and loose furnishings, like scatter cushions, not to be treated for fire retardancy, and we generally wouldn’t.  Your upholstered furniture will be made using fabrics that meet the domestic standard for fire retardancy. Some domestic fabrics are inherently Fire retardant. Wool, for example, is a great option as it’s warm, stylish, often British made and eco friendly. 

We are all about supporting British industries as they are so important. Some of our favourite British wool and wool mix ranges are Abbotsford’s ‘Country Classics’  Warwick’s ‘Amatheon’, and Abraham Moon & Sons’s ranges.

Warwick Fabrics Amatheon 11 colour card

Warwick Fabrics Amatheon 11 colour card

Moon wool herringbone pattern fabric samples.

Moon wool herringbone pattern fabric samples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial fire safety

For pubs and restaurants, the law is more demanding.

All furnishings in commercial settings must be treated to an industry standard. This ensures that if a fire caught hold in a building, the fabrics and foams will self-extinguish for long enough to allow evacuation. We have specific ranges that are ready treated and perfect for these settings and, by engaging the expert services of Gort Flameproofing services, https://www.fira.co.uk/images/FIRA-Flammability-Guide-PDF-with-links.pdf we can add further treatment processes to bring most domestic fabrics up to the required standards, and ensure everyone is able to relax around that crackling pub fire.

Style: The Art of Homey

Every space is different and so we know wool won’t fit all of them. We have worked on many pubs and spaces that have been safe and warm and cosy. 
Making your commercial space feel both polished and homey can be a little overwhelming so here are a couple of tried and tested ideas. Try mixing textures, eg, some wool and leather or cottons and velvets. This mixing creates visual interest without being emotionally demanding. The next thing to consider is colour. 

Leather sofa with wool plaid base and scatter cushions

Leather sofa with wool plaid base and scatter cushions

Warm orange chairs with comfy blue sofas.

Colour schemes

When thinking about colour, maybe look at deeper tones for seating. This may help to reduce noticeable marks and extend the life of your chairs and sofas. There are also some fantastic wipeable ranges out there for your home, like aquaclean from Ross Fabrics.  We are particularly loving forest greens and deep maroons this season but there’s a multitude of options. For your pub or restaurant you’ll want to select from our range of contract fabrics designed to withstand day to day high demand. 

 

Ross Aqua clean velvet colour card

Ross Aqua clean velvet colour card

Ross aqua clean velvet colour card

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Window Dressings



For window dressings, maybe choose a lighter tone of your seating fabric, or a complimentary colour: we want to create a harmony across your texture and colours to promote an atmosphere that is calm and cosy…ahhh that’s better, kicks off shoes and stares into the flames…

 

Made to measure curtains

Made to measure curtains in the Whitehouse Boutique Hotel

 

Our Workshop

In other exciting news we have been doing a bit of a shuffle around in some of our workshops so that we can work more effectively. It always feels good to shake things up a bit here. It means that we can get your soft furnishings to you as quickly as possible. 

We hope some of this information was helpful and you have been inspired to update your space in both a safe and exciting way. 

Till next time, 

Georgia and the team here at Niki’s Soft Furnishings.

Heritage fabric range by Prestigious Textiles showing a leather wing backed arm chair with a scatter cushion and a curtain in the background.

Heritage fabric range by Prestigious Textiles

Vision fabric collection by Prestigious Textiles showing a sofa with scatter cushions, fireplace and curtains.

Vision fabric collection by Prestigious Textiles