Fabric trends – bold and beautiful
A fresh pair of drapes, a few stylish throw cushions or chic upholstery for the living room are basic changes that will immediately update your home. For shoppers and those who like to follow the trends, there is always something new and delicious to be found in the fabric world. Classic patterns such as stripes, Greek key and chevron take on a modern aspect shown in new colorways and oversized dimensions. A familiar black-and-white geometric print or polka dots becomes daring and youthful in purples or greens, or blown up to a larger scale. For this fall, there’s a feast of fabrics to update your home decor without being too costly. Mixing patterns is the latest trend, along with stripes mixed with dots alongside florals.
The timeless themes of nature-inspired patterns continue to
rule: Ferns and leaves, colorful florals that pop, animal prints used subtly, garden lattice in hot new shades of black and deep blue, and faux bois patterns are all included in the lineup.
Global Chic decorating continues to grow, with rich, durable colors of tribal and ikat patterns for carpets and textiles. Indian style in particular is brightening homes with alluring paisley and sari shades splashed around. Also, faded patterns are huge.
The best way to track down what’s new is to study the exciting swatches and room settings on various Internet locations. I discovered the child’s room shown here at Jo-Ann fabric and craft stores online, www.joann.com. The room was designed by Beckie Farrant for a contest held by HGTV HOME using Jo-Ann fabric. A plywood frame was covered in the Jigsaw fabric (in malachite) to produce the headboard and also the curtains. Pillows and art have two different designs with similar colorways: Turtle Shell in turquoise and Groove Move in malachite. The turquoise green and navy blue are crisp and colorful against the all-white room, young and fun.
Q. Our downstairs living room and the stairwell to upstairs are wallpapered. The paper is affixed very smoothly to wallboard and is still in good shape 25 years later. We want to change to a painted finish but cannot afford to have all the walls stripped. Could we have someone come in and simply paint over the paper? Any other suggestions? – Diane
A. It is always better to strip the wallpaper and start fresh, but if this is too difficult or costly, then you can paint over the paper. Remove any loose bits and sand the edges lightly. If the paper is thick, apply some spackle to even up the surface where paper has come off. Since water-based paint and primer will soak through the paper and dissolve the glue, use a thin coat of oil-based primer over the paper. Now you can proceed with water-based paint. Apply one or two coats of paint sparingly so the weight of the paint doesn’t pull the paper down. You will still see the join lines between the wallpaper strips, but that is OK. You may want to use these lines as a guide to creating a pattern.
• Note regarding using mirrored glass as an exterior decorative feature: In a past column I showed the tiny garden of a neighbor of mine who used mirrored glass to create the illusion of space. I heard from many of you regarding the demise of birds who fly into the mirrors. This should not happen if you place a trellis in front of the mirror and/or plants stacked up to blur the vision.
Please email your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com.