Interior designers and homeowners alike appreciate the distinctive feel and appearance of the boucle. When this blended textile with its characteristic curl is chosen for designer chairs and statement pieces, retailers pay attention. But when market growth demonstrates the appeal of boucle chairs, there is all the more reason for buyers to cater to customer preferences.
This article highlights opportunities in the global market for boucle chair sales, how this fabric differs from others, and what to look out for when ordering boucle chairs for unique market tastes.
Table of Contents
Global market demand for boucle chairs
What to look for when buying boucle chairs
Selecting chairs for customers
Summary of insights
Global market demand for boucle chairs
According to Maximize Market Research, the value of the global boucle chair market in 2022 was USD 1.56 billion. This market’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) has a 6.8% projection between 2023 and 2029, placing its value at USD 2.47 billion at the end of this timeframe.
Additional information is available in the infographic above, indicating the value of commercial and residential interest and which countries are projected to generate the most sales in the boucle chair market.
Google Ads keyword search data
According to Google Ads, keyword search interest in boucle chairs was an average of 49,500 monthly in 2022. By December 2023, this figure rose to an average of 60,500 searches, an increase of 18,18%.
Why are boucle chairs so popular?
Boucle chairs are luxurious and elegant, making excellent statement pieces, all of which are sought-after qualities by interior designers and homeowners. The boucle fabric also has a distinctive curl, another desirable feature that brings a diverse textural quality to a living space. Besides these qualities, boucle chairs are designed in various styles for different purposes, ensuring their versatility for home, office, or other locations.
What to look for when buying boucle chairs
Material type
Buyers should look for several characteristics when buying boucle chairs. One of the most important is determining whether the material type is a boucle or something else. The following descriptions highlight the similarities and differences between boucles and other fabrics.
Boucle: Manufacturers create boucles from blends of wool or cotton or a blend of these natural textiles with synthetic fibers. Typically, this fabric will have a slight curl and small nubs that are soft and luxurious to the touch. The boucle curl and nubs are what should distinguish this textile from others.
The other fabrics below may mimic boucle, and sellers often use these names interchangeably with tweed, creating confusion. So, if there is any question about whether you’re buying boucle upholstery or something else, always ask the seller for confirmation.
Fleece: Although fleece may often look and feel similar to a boucle, it is made exclusively from synthetic fibers.
Shearling: Shearling is made from the skin and wool of a sheared lamb or sheep.
Sherpa: Sherpa usually has two sides; one looks like a fluffy sheep’s wool side, while the other has a smooth knitted texture. Sherpa is intended to look like genuine sheep’s wool but is faux shearling, made from natural and synthetic fibers.
Versatility
Manufacturers create boucle accent chairs in a variety of styles, including sofas, recliners, accent or statement pieces, and even rocking chairs. Besides these features, design inspiration is drawn from many sources. The result is often something like the round, quirky pumpkin-shaped static chair or the deliciously comforting round chair that hugs the user.
Designers dig deep to create static pieces in triangular shapes blended with wood and metal. Others feature swivel chairs in the iconic egg shape. Boucle chairs are also pushing the boundaries of modern design, appearing as small armless lounge chairs on metal bases that sit close to the floor.
While luscious, generous designs are familiar in sitting room suites, a more sophisticated, minimalist dining room chair design is also available. Yet, the creativity of these accent pieces does not stop there. The list of intriguing designs and styles of these chairs for every area of the home is virtually endless, giving buyers a unique perspective on market interests and preferences to stock items that sell well.
Durability
Regarding the durability of the boucle chair, Paula Cossarini, product design manager at Article, had this to say in an interview with Bazaar:
“Bouclé makes any piece of furniture timeless. The fabric has longevity and maintains a fresh-out-of-the-box appearance even after years of use.”
Besides longevity, Cossarini added that the uniqueness of this textile provided a comforting, cozy environment that also increased visual interest. Taken together, these comments from an expert indicate the many valuable qualities that sellers look for in a popular product.
Selecting chairs for customers
Retailers should consider market research when choosing different boucle chair styles and fabrics. They should also consider that natural fiber boucle is more expensive than blends, so while natural fibers align with higher-end markets, blends will suit a broad range of clientele.
However, serious interior designers are unlikely to even consider the cost of boucle chairs when the tactile, textural, and visual appeal of their décor depends on the unique value they get from this type of furniture.
- Market sector strengths: The infographic above indicates that the residential market for boucle chairs in 2022 was more robust than the commercial market.
- The popularity of boucle fabrics: In the same year, the same study also revealed the popularity of textiles, with wool (39%) and cotton (26%) topping sales and blends (21%) and other boucle types (14%) lagging.
- Type of boucle chair design: Additionally, chair style popularity in 2022 reflected the following values in order of importance for the different kinds of boucle furniture: lounge (27%), accent (23%), rocking (20%), dining (17%), and recliner (13%) designs. Although these figures will fluctuate over the next few years, they offer vital insights for buyers wanting to stock up on this type of furniture.
Summary of insights
Buyers have plenty of information to guide their boucle chair orders for the year ahead. From market studies that show positive growth in boucle chairs to Google Ads interest in this furniture, they can also look at data reflecting boucle fabric types and chair styles when placing orders online. Additionally, the images in this article offer inspiration related to the different chair styles available.
Buyers can also browse the vast selection of sellers in the Alibaba.com showroom to find products for their customers. Besides these tips, they can build solid and lasting relationships with suppliers for customization that meets their customers’ needs moving forward.
