Channel tufting gives off a certain feeling; that feeling of sophistication with a taste of 80’s luxury and a past in 20’s Hollywood and, with the right combination of fabric and color, you can give this classic chic a modern twist. Whether it’s a contemporary tufted sofa, a classic tufted headboard, or even a treatment for walls, this padded, plush and plump look brings a stylish accent to your living room and bedroom furniture. Available in everything from velvet to leather and in every color under the sun, channel tufts are an excellent accompaniment to any household. Channel tufting has an aura of opulence and glamour that is quietly becoming a go-to throwback trend for all types of furniture. If you spend enough time in any place of distinctive interior design, like a high-end hotel or corporate office, you’ll undoubtedly come across this trend.

Now, the only thing left is to compare all of the different styles of channel tufting and for you to decide what style, is your style.

But First, What is Channel Tufting?

Before we can talk about the different styles of channel tufts, we need to talk about just what these words mean. Channel tufting can be separated into two distinct categories, channels and tufts. Arranged in a series of tubes or pockets, popular in many versions of channel tufted sofas with chaises, channels are sections of furniture padded for design and increased comfort. Usually, these pockets are arranged in a vertical pattern, though they are available in a horizontal design as well. To form this pattern, designers lay out the fabric onto the furniture and mark it; they then cut and sew or button the material into the furniture. This process forms the pockets that then get stuffed with padding and stitched closed. The choices of the designers can yield wide and flat channel tufts or thin and puffy ones, and everything in between.

Pure tufted furniture does not feature any form of channels and is instead created, usually, by sewing buttons into fixed positions on the fabric that then produces a similar effect to pure channeling, separating the fabric into sections to further secure the stuffing and keep the padding stationary.

Now that you have a better understanding of what channel tufting is and the process of making it, let’s move on to styles.

Finally, Channel Tuft and Other Styles

Channel tufting can be applied in many styles, to many kinds of furniture, and we’re going to examine just a few of the ones available out there. For example, some channel tufted headboards may have vertical, crossed with horizontal, thin and flat channels; tufted. Made by channeling the fabric in two directions, these headboards will tend to feature a checkered pattern that utilizes tufting on the cross-point to further fasten the padding and avoid unnecessary shifting.

Not all sofas that are tufted fall under the channel tufting category; other common types of tufting include button tufting, diamond tufting and biscuit tufting. For instance, a tufted sofa with chaise may feature cushions where buttons have been sewn to stabilize the padding and create a unique pattern. In these tufted sofas, there are no channels, there are no vertical or horizontal lines that section the fabric into pockets. The buttons are the only things used to secure the padding.

Meanwhile, some sofas may be purely channeled pieces of furniture. This is different, though still notable, than channel tufting, as the process tends not to produce visible channels. The sewing lines will be thick and puffy and only appear in a vertical or horizontal pattern on the cushions. There are many different styles utilizing the varied patterns of channel tufting and with such a long and storied history, there are sure to be more to come.

Channel tufting, the style that never died, had its heyday in the 20’s, a resurgence in the 80’s and is now back again with a modern twist. From chic leather to classic velvet, from channel tufted headboards to tufted sofas, this versatile style works on all furniture, goes with any room and has indeed become a go-to throwback trend.

Want to know what else is trending? Read our Hot Pairings: Brown Plus Beige blog post. Plus, our New Year's Design Resolution list has the latest trends for 2019.