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Design Perspectives

Fabulous Fabrics
They are beautiful, friendly and fun. Fabrics can set the mood, enhance a theme and follow any trend. They are, in short, fabulous.

by Karla Nielson, Allied Member, ASID; Member, WCAA

Fabrics! What on earth would we do without them? If we had no fabrics, besides being stark naked and laughing at each other a lot, we also would live in stark environments. LeCorbusier, the famous International Modern French architect stated flatly, “The house is a machine for living in.” The only fabric he would allow was a horsehide on his mechanically designed LeCorbusier Chaise Longue (French for long chair) and black leather on his Grand Confort sofa and chairs. The rest of the interior was to be hard-surfaced-glass and steel, stone floors, plain plaster walls, no window treatments on large expanses of glass. The result? Hard edged, cold, precise, nonhuman.

This foray into the beginnings of the Modern era has made its indelible impression, but even in Post Modern interiors, fabric has been given a notable role for the same reasons why fabrics are loved by most people in most cultures: It humanizes! Maybe LeCorbusier didn’t care to be human, but the rest of the world has decided it’s the better choice.

FABRIC’S HUMAN QUALITIES

Fabric is fabulous because it beautifies and softens environments. Although many clients may inherently believe it, some do need a bit of convincing. Let’s consider this list of ways that fabrics can take the inevitable hard edge off life:

1. Fabric is beautiful—No other element is packed with so much personality and mood-setting power as is fabric. It is the most personal of all elements because it combines the two strongest elements in interior design: the psychology of color and the psychology of pattern.

When a fabric is selected, the reason is sometimes because it’s right for the room, but more often, the choice is secured because it’s right for the needs and wants of the client.

2. Fabric softens noise—It muffles and absorbs sound from within and from without. Distractions from television or movies, radio or CDs, the dishwasher or any other machines can be made more pleasant when fabric sponges the extra reverberation.

Likewise, unwanted sounds from outside—the din of traffic, of voices along the street or even barking dogs—is less intense in a room filled with fabric. Window treatments with lining and interlining are especially good at accomplishing quietude from exterior distractions.

3. Fabric can assure privacy—Seeing toward the light is a concept that fabrics control with ease. Sheer textiles at the window provide daytime privacy and solidly woven fabrics are the solution to nighttime privacy needs.

4. Fabric is friendly—It beckons to be touched, it aims to envelope, it exists to comfort. It rests the eyes, it stimulates the mind, it calms, it excites, it fills the emptiness.

Fabrics can be our companions when we are lonely, our stalwarts when we need reinforcement. Fabric can be counted on to be there, waiting with a bit of luxury and loveliness when we walk through the door at the end of a hectic day—or anytime we need to feel wanted.

5. Fabric is fun—More decorative feats can be accomplished with fabric than any other interior design component. Fabric can be draped, adhered, fastened, attached, grommeted, shirred, stapled, affixed, stiffened, suspended, hung, folded, quilted, appliquéd, upholstered, slipcovered, valanced, pelmeted, sewn, tacked, laminated, glued, stuffed, pleated, ruffled, piqued, trimmed, tufted, ruched, layered, banded, contrasted or stretched on a frame or track, to name a few applications. There seems to be no limit to the creative ways that fabric can be manipulated to create an interior that is unique and delightful.

FABRIC SETS THE MOOD

By far fabric’s greatest advantage is the power it possesses to set a mood, establish a theme, secure an ambiance. From soft and subtle to bold and garish, fabrics abound to fit the bill.

When planning to create a thematic statement using fabric be sure to plan well in advance. Select a theme, then select fabric that fetches an appropriate response. Themes exist in very general terms and in specific venues. Here are a few examples.

Casual Contemporary is a very broad theme in which mostly plain or textured fabrics are assigned to calm the mind and refresh the body with subtle, undemanding simplicity. The applications of fabric may be conservative and limited, as this theme is often based on the “less is more” philosophy. Less pattern, less confusion means more mental freedom from stress; more physical room where unwinding and gentle conversation can take place; and more emptiness that can be filled with people, their projects, their entertainment, their interaction.

These are often rooms for busy people with less time or inclination toward decoration, and less desire for upkeep. They want interiors that serve them and do not demand much attention in return. This client may be looking for unusual textile applications that meet these criteria. In the accompanying photograph, Silent Gliss Naturama Panels are easy to maintain with only periodic dusting or vacuuming. The vertical surface keeps dirt from clinging. The Panel Track System gives an added feature of hand, cord, baton or motorized applications.

Fantasy Land is a theme of delight, especially for children. Using a fabric and/or wall covering as the basis for a foray into the imagination, these rooms are pure entertainment.

Fantasy Land themes would include a licensed cartoon character, or could be a generic theme. Little boys perennially seem to gravitate toward themes such as racecars, trains, sports equipment or rocket ships. For little girls, ballerina shoes, storybook bunnies or tea party motifs help to satisfy their desire for beauty and gentility.

Even color without a pattern can be a basis for a child’s Fantasy Land—yards of happy colors can provide fertile ground for a lively imagination.

Far and Away is a theme which transports the user into another place and time—the more exotic the better. This may be a Victorian English Estate, an island in the South Seas, a trip to the African continent or to the Land Down Under, the Great North Woods or the Sun Baked Isles of the Mediterranean.

Fabric is the entry ticket to a world apart where one can feel an ambiance of a place far removed. These interiors often combine styles of furnishings that may need unifying—done neatly and professionally with yards of thematic and carefully coordinated fabrics.

In the room shown here, created by S. Butterfield of Interiors by Decorating Den, the client had a very formal taste and desired “thematic rooms” throughout the home. The challenge was to combine frivolous yet sophisticated fabrics and treatments while maintaining the feeling of elegance in the design, almost as if stepping back in time.

The circus tent awning was used as a valance over the bed, with animals and picture perfect fabrics. Carved monkey brackets were used as a valance over the drapery panels. The combination of the elephant/drum fabric, plus polka dots, stripes and stars added just the pizzazz the client desired.

Another take-me-away fabric-filled interior is the sunny front porch drenched with Stroheim & Romann’s “Forbidden Fruit” fabric from the Tropical Prints Collection. This fabric is printed with a striking black background for the draperies and cushions and is accented by Orchid Garden on the table skirt. Picture a perfect summer evening in this intimate setting, with trusted friends in a lively conversation, drawing the draperies to control the breeze or take the edge off the night chill, or to enhance the sense of intimacy. All made possible through the magic medium of fabulous fabrics.

FANTASTICALLY FUN FABRICS

How many fabrics are available on the market? Tens of thousands at any given moment, with new collections being introduced each spring and fall. This revolving door of decorative fabric assures the professional and client alike that a vast array of textile color and pattern selections will be available—limited only by the trends in color and design.

Your imagination need not be limited to the fabrics themselves. Your ability to apply those fabulous fabrics in fun and exciting ways is the reason why your clients should keep your phone ringing for repeat business!