Banquette seating comes in such a wide range of colours, styles and fabrics – it can be difficult to know exactly what will be right for your needs. Banquettes and benches are a bit different to free-standing seating, and it’s important to get the fabric right to make sure it works effectively for your requirements.

Whether your priority is style, comfort, or practicality, there are a few things to consider when choosing the right fabric. We’re breaking down some of the most popular fabrics to use for banquette seating, and where they work best.

Faux leather

If you’re running a fast food diner or a family friendly restaurant, a faux leather fabric could be a good solution for your banquette seating. Available in a wide range of colours, it can easily be tailored to your style and aesthetic – while still being a practical choice.

If your target market features a lot of parents, teenagers and young children, then you probably don’t want to spend a lot of money on real leather that could end up damaged. Faux leather gives you the same look and feel, and is easy to wipe clean making it a good option for spillages and sticky fingers.

Leather

Another popular fabric option is of course the real deal. Brown leather is great for pubs and rustic-looking restaurants, as it provides a timeless and classic look. Leather looks great against wood, metal and dark wall colours, making it a popular option for countryside retreats. It’s still easy to clean up, so it’s ideal if you’re serving up pub grub alongside gravy and pints of beer.

Black leather offers a sleek and sophisticated style, making it suitable for a wide range of establishments from hotels to high-end restaurants. The black works well with all kinds of interior décor styles and hides a multitude of sins, so it’s a very versatile option.

Velvet

For a more luxurious and modern feel to your banquette seating, you could consider a beautiful velvet fabric. Looking great in a range of colours – from mustard yellow and dusty pink to deep purple and turquoise – velvet makes a statement and looks striking in trendy restaurants and bars.

As it’s a little more difficult to clean than the leather options, velvet is best suited for cocktails and nibbles rather than hearty meals – however a velvet fabric with a bold pattern could help to disguise any unwanted spillages.

At Craftwood, we make our banquette seating bespoke to order, so whatever your requirements are we can work with you to create the optimal solution. We have a long list of suppliers for our seating, meaning we can offer all kinds of fabrics, patterns and colours.

If you’re still not sure what will be best for you, we’ll match you up with your own project manager who can help you with examples, inspiration and advice.