Harris Tweed Sofa: Style, Quality and Comfort
A fabric so world-renowned that it has an Act of Parliament protecting the name from unauthorised use, Harris Tweed has been milled by the inhabitants of the Outer Hebrides for centuries. The fabric of choice to make warm, hard-wearing and fashionable hunting and shooting attire for the landed gentry, it is produced using traditional methods in an enormous variety of colours and styles. Unlike the popular image of tweed, it is famously soft and comfortable but also strong and resilient, and so it is no wonder that its use has quickly expanded to furnishings and interiors.
How it is made
Harris Tweed is made from Scottish wool, blended together to get the right mix of characteristics, and is literally ‘dyed in the wool’; in other words, dyed before it is spun into yarn. This makes it possible to create an incredibly diverse variety of shades, blends and hues and is one of the things that makes this type of sofa so distinctive. The dyed wool is then woven into yarn and delivered to weavers, many of whom work in their homes: it is woven at 3 specialist mills, however, there are many producers that are self-employed artisans working for themselves in their own home. This results in the incredible variety of Harris Tweed, but also the unique way that industrial quantities of it can be produced without compromising on traditional methods and the care and attention that go into each length of cloth.
Harris Tweed Hebrides Range
Harris Tweed Styles
The diversity of this style of sofa is that there is no single style of fabric; rather, you have a huge array of different cloths to choose from. Whether it’s a classic herringbone pattern in subtle shades of grey and oatmeal flecked with brighter colours, a classic tartan, or a rich orange, purple, or red, Harris Tweed always possesses depth and quality of colour that makes it unmistakable.
Harris Tweed Lomond Chair
As for how it feels, there’s a reason why this style was so popular with the wealthy for outdoor clothes. It’s soft and warm in winter, but breathable in hot weather. The result is that a Harris Tweed sofa or chair is extraordinarily comfortable and inviting to sit in.
What makes Harris Tweed furniture unique?
Part of what makes people fall in love with this furniture is the knowledge of the heritage behind the cloth. With every stage of the manufacture of the cloth done on a handful of small Scottish islands, by local people, many working from their own homes, there is simply no other fabric on earth quite like it. That makes a Harris Tweed armchair or sofa more than simply beautiful or comfortable, though it is both of those things; it also makes it representative of an unbroken history or quality and artisanship that many people want to support and participate in.
Harris Tweed Orkney Range
Harris Tweed furniture is instantly recognisable without being brash or overpowering – it lifts a room and makes it effortlessly warmer, more elegant and more inviting.
The Harris Tweed Range
It’s not just sofas and chairs that can be made out of Harris Tweed, of course. Other items, including curtains, scatter cushions and ottomans are all incredibly popular, and a great way to make more use of this diverse, beautiful and functional fabric.
