Click on sample to see more colourways

Samples

This page shows a selection of our range of horsehair fabrics. Although the same historical designs and colours from 1750 onwards are still produced, many new colours and contemporary designs have been added in recent years. We have an extensive range of nearly 200 horsehair fabrics and are also able to weave custom colours for a minimum of 20 meters. Please complete the attached enquiry form if you would like further information or samples of our horsehair fabrics.

The blue/black check was originally used by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in the late 1800’s for covering the Argyle Street Tearoom chairs. John Boyd Textiles are delighted to have been able to exactly reproduce the horsehair fabric with blue and black hair and it has now been woven for the first time in over 100 years. The new colourways of this design have been very well received by contemporary designers and architects. The fabric is now called Dales, named after a type of horse like the other horsehair fabrics in our collection.

The Ermine black ER/601/1 horsehair fabric was originally used by Sir Edwin Lutyens for his original Napoleon chair made in 1919, the original is now in the V&A museum. We are still producing the same fabric on the same loom for reproductions of this chair made by the Lutyens family. Some of these chairs can be seen in the Theo Fennell showroom on Fulham Road.

Horsehair fabrics are woven with a cotton warp and horsehair weft across the width of the fabric. Horsehair is sourced from live horses to give the best quality fabric.

Black horsehair is overdyed to give a pure shiny black sheen to the fabrics. Mixed Grey horsehair is a mixture of brown tones and is used undyed to give a wonderful natural strae in the fabric. Both types of horsehair give a fabric width of 65cms (26″).

Natural white horsehair is in the natural form to give the lovely pale ivory coloured fabrics and is also bleached and dyed giving an exceptional range of colours. These horsehair fabrics are 56cms wide (22″) due to the shorter length of white horsehair.

Stock is available of most of the horsehair fabrics in the range to enable prompt delivery.

In recent years, John Boyd Textiles is able to offer the service of hand embroidered designs on horsehair fabric. We are able to reproduce any design with no minimum. Recent projects have involved reproducing crests for King Gustav III of Sweden and St Andrews Golf Course Board room chairs.

Appaloosa AP/613/2 Red/Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Bashkir BA/602/1 Black
0.65m width

Caspian CA/612/1 Black
0.65m width

Connemara CO/206/5 Red/black
0.65m width also in other colours

Dales DA/681/5 Black/Yellow
0.65m width also in other colours

Diluvial DI/605/14/2 Green/Black/Red
0.65m width

Ardennais AR/SK100/72
0.56m width also other colours

Breton BR/205/14 Green
0.56m width also in other colours

Checkerboard DA/683/1 Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Criollo CR/230/6 Cream
0.56m width also in other colours

Dales DA/684/7 Brown/Yellow
0.56m width also in other colours

Durano DU/608/1 Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Ermine ER/601/1
0.65m width also in other colours

Galiceno GA/SK619/6 Ivory
0.56m width

Jutland JU/609/3 Blue/Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Milzig MI/SK646/19 Brown/Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Noriker NO/307 Light Grey
0.65m width also in other colours

Paso PA/524 Turquoise/Grey
0.65m width also in other colours

Rottaler RO/422 Blue/Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Falabella FA/611/4 Green/Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Gotland GO/607/3 Blue/Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Konik KO/614/19 Black/Mouse
0.65m width also in other colours

Milzig Herringbone MI/656/44
0.65m width also in other colours

Oldenburg OL/616/24  Brown
0.56m width also in other colours

Pinto PI/SK621/4 Green/Black
0.65m width

Salerno SA/606/3 Pale Rust
0.56m width also in other colours

Fredericksborg FR/605/25 Gold/Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Holstein HO/603 Beige/Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Lusitano LU/604/3 Blue/Black
0.65m width also in other colours

Neapolitan NE/637/2 Green/Beige
0.56m width also in other colours

Orlov OR/632/1 Black
0.65m width

Ricana RI/620/6 Ivory
0.56m width also in other colours

Selle SE/900/15 Light Grey
0.65m width also in other colours

Selle II SE/900/9 Black Linen/Grey
0.65m width also in other colours

Tarpan TA/700/13 Blue/Gold
0.65m width also in other colours

The sample images are for illustrative purposes only. The colours shown are accurate with the constraints of lighting, photography and the colour accuracy of you screen. Please request samples if accurate colour representation is required.

Embroideries

John Boyd Textiles has an extensive range of both classical and contemporary embroidered designs on horsehair fabrics, such as crests, medallions, feathers, flowers, and bees.

In addition to this selection of designs, John Boyd Textiles also offers the service of being able to embroider any design onto horsehair fabric. Designs can be exclusively developed for a customer or customers own designs can be reproduced from outline drawings, sketches, or photographs. The embroidered horsehair fabric is popular all over the world and recent custom embroidery projects include the Swedish, Norwegian, and Thai Royal Palaces, and St. Andrews Golf Club board room chairs.

The finer horsehair fabrics, such as the Breton and Criollo range, are especially suited for the embroidered designs as these have been woven with a finer cotton warp yarn and horsehair weft to enable more detailed work.

All embroidered designs are made to order using special hand embroidery techniques, and there is no minimum order quantity.