All the feels: textured fabric is autumn’s big interior trend

Back in June, the very best interior designers gathered in Chelsea for WOW!house 2026. Although little known by the general public, this event will shape what we’ll see in our own homes in the coming months.

WOW!house involves leading designers partnering with top home brands to each create a room in a 600 sqm showhouse. It’s the biggest trend-setting stage of the season and one theme was seen time and time again. Textured fabric.

It’s true that all fabric has a texture but some are more tactile than others. Reporting on WOW!house 2026, House & Garden said it was the deeply textured fabrics that we should be leaning into.

The timing couldn’t be better. We’re in late summer heading towards autumn. This is when we seek cosier, warmer home furnishings as darker nights draw in. 

Head to your nearest High Street or browse online and you’ll notice the shift has already begun. Picnic sets and chintzy florals? They’re in the sale section. Look past the pumpkins (yes, they’re already appearing on the shelves) and you’ll see textured fabrics taking over.

Your guide to different textured fabrics 

If you like the idea of textured fabrics, here are some styles to look out for:

• Chenille – a soft, fuzzy fabric

• Bouclé – a bobbly, bumpy fabric made from looped or curled yarn

• Velvet – a thick, luxurious short-pile fabric

• Corduroy – fabric with alternate flat stripes and raised velvet stripes

• Piqué – fabric with a textured pattern that often resembles honeycomb, waffle or fine ribbing

• Tweed – a rough, thick-woven fabric, often check or herringbone

• Crewel - linen, cotton twill or jute fabric embellished with bold embroidery

• Cable knit jersey – stretchy fabric with a raised texture that is the result of hand-knitting or machine weaving

How to incorporate textured fabric into your home

The light touch

Accessories are your shortcut to textured fabrics. Concentrate on cushions, throws and footstools, which are all readily available online or in store. Don’t be frightened to mix textures. Pile your bed with chenille, crewel and tweed cushions, or drape an oversized, cable-knitted throw over one arm of a sofa. Footstools can become a practical focal point – look out for versions in hard-wearing wool and tweed.

Investment pieces

If you want to go big with texture, sofas, armchairs and headboards are where you should aim. You have two options. Either buy off-the-shelf items or have existing furniture reupholstered. Bouclé, corduroy and velvet will give you maximum touch-ability but be sure to check the fabric’s suitability: is it hard wearing and stain resistant?

Temporary drama

Catching the eye at WOW!house 2026 was textured fabric applied in unusual ways. Fabric panels hung from the walls or even stretched across the ceiling were at the very opulent end of interior design. If you like this idea, use self-adhesive wall clips or Velcro strips to affix the panels, which allows for the fabric to be changed quickly or removed. Just make sure the fabric isn’t too heavy. Another temporary way to introduce dramatic texture is to add the biggest rug a room will fit. 

Whether you’re looking to spruce up your home before you go on the market, or are looking to personalise a new property you’ve just moved into, textured fabric can be as subtle or as showy as you like.

Moving soon? Talk to us about your plans.