As the More is More Mom, I’m all about………more fantastic fabrics!
I was reminded the other day of the importance of “Home”. My Amanda was sitting on the stairs in our foyer, chatting about her day with my mom on the phone, and it struck me; these are the moments that she will remember most, being in our home, connecting to the important people in her life. When the kids were little, I was always mindful about creating memories of their childhood. Of course there will be colorful memories of me ranting and raving like a lunatic about them picking up their rooms, finishing their homework and their lively bickering, but I hope that other memories will prevail.
We love to plug in our I-Pods and sing along together when we’re in the car. In the years to come, I hope they smile and remember those moments fondly when they hear our favorite songs on the radio (Justin Bieber on the oldies station?). When they smell vanilla, I hope they’ll remember coming home from school to fresh baked desserts and, when they get a whiff of pine, I hope they happily remember Christmas.
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Our memories are triggered by words and conversations, smells and how our surroundings look and feel. Decorating our homes is one of the many wonderful ways that we can create a sanctuary to nurture our families.
A beautiful selection of fabrics contributes enormously to creating a warm, cozy and welcoming home. Inspiration typically starts with a favorite color, a beloved object or an amazing fabric. The inspiration needn’t be the focal point, just the element that coordinates with and connects everything else.
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I had some work to do for one of my design clients at the Merchandise Mart the other day. While I was at Robert Allen (the beautiful fabric house), I thought it would be fun to pull together an example of how to select and coordinate a great combination of fabrics.
Three of the most important elements to consider are color, pattern and texture.
Take for instance my inspiration fabric, Floral Medley in Butterscotch. It’s a very interesting fabric with beautiful color and depth. It’s a great floral, with a big scale, so it would really set the tone for a room, be it as sofa, chair, ottoman or window treatment. What gives it greater dimension is the background; a tone on tone stripe paired with a light Swiss dot. Remember your inspiration piece doesn’t have to be the focal point. It may merely serve as that thread of continuity for the other fabrics in your room.
Once you have one element in place, the other choices become simpler; your color palette has been defined and the scale has been determined. For me, the next logical selection would be a good solid base fabric. I loved this rub red velvet, Reverence Pompeii. The color pulls out the darker tones of the flower in our inspiration piece.
When we’re adding fabrics to strike that pleasing balance, a good rule of thumb regarding scale and pattern is small, medium, large, solid, texture, whimsy. The fun part is putting the pieces of the puzzle together to determine which element is best served where. I found this treasure of a small patterned fabric from Beacon Hill. Tummel in Golden Henna is delightful with its rich, warm golden background and tiny flowers in green and deep raspberry. The little flowers play nicely against the large floral in our inspiration fabric.
Stripes are fun and playful! The linear nature of the pattern is a natural contrast to the free flowing floral. Halesworth in Hibiscus has it going on; coral, warm yellow and green, pulling the dominant tones of the grand floral. At this point, a medium scale pattern adds balance. What I liked particularly about the Flowercrest in Bonsai is the dual purpose it serves. The diamond pattern is reminiscent of a trellis, which provides an easy transition for our large floral, but what makes it more interesting is the small floral motif that accentuates each point. I also like that this fabric, in a subtle khaki tone, offers some much needed relief from all of the pink and gold.
The last fabric I would add, while simple, has great depth. The texture of the Kosoff in Kelp has a great, woven and organic quality. Its applications are absolutely endless. It would be to die for as a fabulous ottoman or drapery panels, dripping in trim.
What I love about design are the endless opportunities to tell our personal stories and create beautiful spaces to live our lives and make special memories for our family and friends.
More beautiful fabrics, more possibilities, more fun, more family memories……
To schedule a Interior Decorating appointment please contact me at moreismoremom@aol.com
I am Vanessa Nunley; the More is More Mom®. I am a professional mother, Interior Designer, Life Stylist and blogger http://moreismoremom.com My mantra is: MORE OF EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS BETTER….especially, making more memories. My message emphasizes my passion for gracious living and creating meaningful life experiences….
I write daily about motherhood, family life, personal style, home décor, entertaining, cooking, recipes and slice of life stories. Please visit me at my website;
