SHEAR COMFORT

More designers are turning towards soft, cosy and ultra- comforting shearling.

Shearling has been trending in the past couple of years, mostly in the form of statement autumn and winter jackets. Recently, though, interior designers have started to embrace this warm and cuddly fabric for upholstery purposes.

London-based interior design outfit Elnaz Namaki Studio has just launched Luuna, a collection of hyggeinspired pieces that use shearling as the core material. (Hygge, a Danish word referring to a quality of cosiness, is one of several popular, contentmentencouraging Scandinavian lifephilosophy buzzwords.)

Think classical mid-century sofas, benches and even ottomans, all dressed in sheep’s clothing. Shearling was chosen, thanks to its incredible softness, its connection to nature, and its allergen-free characteristics.

It’s no wonder that even wellnessobsessed actress-entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow is trying to peddle it: The Goop founder recently collaborated with furniture company CB2 to create a special edition chair swathed in shearling. Naturally, all 40 autographed pieces have been snapped up. Besides shearling, buttery suede and fuzzy corduroy have also gained popularity of late. Not the sexiest of fabrics by any stretch of the imagination, but seeking comfort and cosiness seems to have become of paramount importance today. The scary question is, when did we start needing all this buffering? When did the world we live in feel so crazy and unsafe? Questions worth pondering as we scan the daily headlines – with its profusion of gloom and doom – from the comforting safety of our snuggly spaces.