Innofa is a relatively young Dutch company specializing in textiles made from wool knit, a strong and resistant natural fiber that meets the necessary requirements for home and contract upholstery and offers an added advantage due to its elasticity : A minimal percentage of nylon and polyester allows the fabrics to be worked in relief, giving them a truly inspiring three-dimensional and tactile appearance.
With a long history in the textile industry, Innofa fabrics can also be used for decorative and acoustic purposes in interior design projects. But where it has truly revolutionized furniture upholstery, especially seating, is in the soft stretch of the fabric, which allows for a unique way of accentuating curves. Even the most complex pieces, with their organic shapes, can be easily upholstered in record time.
Gentry sofa and Klara Chair, design by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso
Nuvola armchairs from the Italian company Gervasoni
Major Italian design companies have been pioneers in incorporating their innovative fabrics into their collections. In fact, Innofa has developed some exclusive upholstery fabrics for specific furniture pieces, such as those pictured: Patricia Urquiola's seats upholstered in Big Braid and Big Pois for Moroso, or the armchairs in Pied de Poule for Gervasoni. These fabrics not only give the pieces a textured finish full of nuances, but they are also very warm to the touch and offer a pleasant feeling of comfort when seated, enveloping you and adapting naturally to your posture. Kvadrat and other leading companies in the sector will definitely have to step up their game to surpass these new upholstery processes.
Bed by Elina Busmane for Nakts Mebeles
It is also a fantastic option for headboards and bed frames if you want to combine comfort with an avant-garde style, as shown by the Latvian-based company Nakts Mëbeles, whose bedroom collection includes some designs upholstered in Innofa textiles; for this particular one, Stitch wool in anthracite and Knit Linen in pearl gray have been chosen.
Kavai Armchairs by LK Hjelle
In Scandinavia, the qualities of these elastic fabrics have been recognized, and during the last Stockholm fair, several companies have already opted for Innofa products, such as Offecct, One Nordic, and the Norwegian company LK Hjelle, which has chosen Uniform upholstery to cover the Kavai armchairs, whose backrest folds into a hard felt sheet and where you can see how the fabric adapts perfectly to the contours like a second skin.
Borre Designs for Paris Fashion Week 2011
The fashion sector could not be left behind and has also taken note of the possibilities of these woven wools; the Dutchman Borre Akkersdijk presented his first collection at Paris Fashion Week in 2011 with these garments created with Innofa fabrics: Coats, dresses and capes with a futuristic aesthetic with marked color gradations that did not leave the attendees of the show indifferent.
More information – Kvadrat, much more than a textile factory
Sources – Innofa , Architonic , Lambert Kamps, Established&Sons , Gervasoni , Nakts Mebeles , Colby Stacey