Design & Décor

Fabrics are wonderful. They create a whole different atmosphere in your home. Think of a plain wall with two bare windows. Now, imagine drapes at both windows from ceiling to floor. Immediately the room softens; the edge is gone. And of course, draperies are not the only fabrics in a room. You have upholstery, carpeting, pillows and throws, and sometimes fabric on the walls.

Today, finding fabrics for your interiors is easy. The hard part is in the selection, for there is an overwhelming choice of fabrics on the market today. There is no trend or anything “new” in types of fabric, but there are thousands of colors, patterns and textures from which to choose. The selection process is really a culling exercise. You begin by considering every fabric in terms of three basic guidelines: function, mood and harmony. Once you narrow your choices, selection becomes easier. In the end, what is necessary is to find a fabric that you love because the fabrics in our lives—the sofas, chairs and drapes in our rooms—are usually with us for eight to ten years. So, choose carefully.

Let's take a look at those three basic guidelines that will get you on the road to making some fabulous fabric selections for your home.

Function

The fabrics you select should be functional—they should be suitable for their intended uses. This is pretty much common sense. Think in terms of durability—will the fabric get frequent use, be subjected to aggressive wear-and-tear, or is it expected to last for years. How about fade-resistance? Will the fabric be near a sunny window? Is it dirt-resistant? Is it in a child's room or the formal dining room where it might be subjected to dropped food and spilled drinks. What about cost? Clearly, you have to select fabrics that fit within your budget. Determining the function of your fabric—all pretty much common sense considerations—helps to narrow down your choice.

Mood

Pick a mood—warm and cozy, formal and elegant, casual and earthy, soothing and serene (the trendy spa-like), masculine, rugged, feminine, romantic, whimsical, country, urban. Now think about fabric. Fabrics express mood in three ways: by their color, their texture and their pattern. These are all visible characteristics, and they are important to think about when selecting fabrics that express the mood of your room.

Color is often the first consideration for a room, and it is hard to select fabrics until you have determined the room's color scheme. Is it fire or ice—warm earthy tones or monochromatic? As with fabric, the many hues of paint can be overwhelming; but once a color scheme is determined, fabric selection narrows down considerably.

Texture is another major factor in creating mood. For instance, satin, velvet and silk suggest a more formal or elegant mood or one that is feminine or romantic while burlap, corduroy, tweed or cowhide leather imply masculinity or a rugged, casual mood. Select the major drapery and/or upholstery fabric in a texture that is suitable to the mood of your room. Rough textures are most often considered rugged, casual, unsophisticated or countryish. Smooth textures are most often considered delicate, formal, sophisticated or urban. Generally, you want to avoid a room in which all fabrics are either smooth-as-silk or rough-as-burlap. If the major pieces are smooth, consider using rougher textures elsewhere in the room, and vice versa.

Pattern is also important to the mood of the room. Patterns may be formal or informal, bold or demure, casual or elegant, geometric or freeform, floral or abstract, or modern or traditional. They can be sleek and sophisticated or primitive and rustic. For instance, florals are often considered delicate and feminine; plaid is simpler and less sophisticated; pastoral scenes are distinctly traditional; and geometric patterns are strictly contemporary.

I like to keep sofa fabrics solid—leather and suede are nice. Besides the draperies, the sofa is usually the most expensive piece of fabric in the room and one that is going to be around for a while. Keep it simple. Try a textured sofa, and then bring in prints with pillows, or cover a chair with a mini-print or geometric fabric. Be careful not to overdo florals; one is usually enough in the main body of the house. Match the fabrics in a room like you would match clothes. A room needs to look like a well-thought-out outfit. You wouldn't wear several florals or different geometrics. And just like clothing accessories put the pop in your wardrobe, let pillows and fabric accents put the pop in your room.

There is no correct sequence in which to consider these different criteria—you look at a fabric and simultaneously see its color, texture and pattern. If any one of these aspects is wrong for the mood you are seeking, discard it from consideration. There are plenty more from which to choose.

Style is another aspect of design to consider in terms of the mood you're trying to create. Suitability of style refers to its appropriateness to a historical period. For instance, French furniture was often covered in smooth silk that projected a delicate, elegant mood. If you have a Louis XV style, you might want an appropriate floral or pastoral motif. Classic Victorian furniture favored textured velvets and brocades that expressed a sober, serious mood, so if you have a Victorian style room, you might want to use a heavy damask or plush velvet. Contemporary designs often feature rough-textured fabrics, such as tweed or raw silk, which project a casual, earthy mood; and you might choose geometric patterns.

Select fabrics that are suitable in mood and style in terms of color, texture and pattern, and your room will make the statement you desire.

Harmony

Harmony sometimes requires a little more than common sense. It may require a really good eye or the help of a professional. Since your fabrics will probably be the most splashy elements in the entire room, you must be particularly careful to select those whose colors, textures and patterns harmonize with one another and with all the other elements in the room. The three aspects of harmony to pay attention to are: suitability of proportion, scale and quality.

When it comes to proportion, relate the size of the pattern on an upholstery fabric to the size of the piece of furniture it will cover. It's simple: big pieces of furniture can handle big design motifs, small pieces cannot. This does not mean you should cover all big pieces of furniture with large bold patterns—it only means that you can cover big pieces of furniture with large, bold patterns. You may rightfully decide to use a small-patterned or a solid-colored upholstery fabric on a large piece.

Aim for suitability of scale by relating the size of the fabric patterns to the size of the room. For example, a large room can handle large patterns in the upholstery and the draperies. In fact, sometimes using a large pattern in a large room can make the room more intimate, while using a very small pattern can make the room appear even larger. Conversely, small patterns and solid colors are in better scale in small rooms. Larger, more dynamic patterns in a small room can overpower the space.

Thirdly, make sure that the fabrics you select are suitable in quality to all the other elements in a room. You certainly don't want to cheapen the effect of an otherwise elegant interior by saving a few dollars on inferior fabrics. Nor do you want to use an opulent fabric, such as silk, when all the other furniture is covered with canvas.

And of course, when you place your furniture elements, think in terms of balance. Be sure you distribute your different fabrics in a balanced manner around the room.

Yes, the array of fabrics on the market today can be overwhelming, but when you take time to consider a fabric's function, mood and harmony, you begin to get your choices under control. You will end up with fabulous fabrics for your home and ones that you will continue to love in the years ahead.