My love of fabrics started a long time ago. I studied at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Most people associate FIT with fashion design for obvious reasons, but FIT is an amazing school that offers many other design programs. One of those programs is Textile and Surface design. I remember being fascinated with the beautiful work of the students enrolled in that program. The colors and patterns evoked a particular mood. Each design an inspiration for a garment, package design, or interior space.
A beautiful fabric can be the inspiration for an entire room design or it can be the perfect backdrop. It's color, pattern, and texture can set the tone and create visual impact in a space. There are several factors that need to be considered before choosing fabric. Although color and pattern are often the first things selected, style, durability, and texture are also key elements.
Color and Pattern
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| Kelly Wearstler |
Picking a color scheme comes naturally to some and is a gruelling process for others. Color is the number one reason a fabric is selected. Consider the background color of the fabric and intensity of the hues. There are solid, tone on tone, and multi-colored fabrics.
Stripes, florals, plaids, gingham, geometrics, toiles...there are many choices available. They offer limitless opportunities to combine them to create different looks. Start with one inspirational pattern. From there choose coordinating fabrics that incorporate colors pulled from the inspiration fabric. Balance is key. Vary the patterns. Choose small, medium, and large scale prints. Consider that the scale of the fabric chosen should be appropriate to the room size. Large rooms can handle large repeating patterns. On the other hand, large repeating patterns may be too overwhelming in a small space.
Style
What is your decorating style? The style of the fabric should be fitting to the style of your home and the feel you are trying to achieve. Some textures and sheens are specific to certain styles. Do you want a formal space or something more casual? In general smoother textures (silk) will feel more formal and rougher textures (burlap) will feel more casual.
Durability
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| Osborne & Little - Amisi Weaves |
In general, the heavier the weave, the stronger the fabric. Fabric strength is tested using a Wyzenbeek machine. This device determines how many "double rubs" (a complete motion back and forth) that a fabric can withstand before it tears. The higher the double rubs the more durable the fabric. Commercial use fabrics are often rated as 30,000 double rubs. Residential fabrics rate as 15,000 double rubs.
Also consider where the fabric will be used. Stain resistance, wrinkling, pilling are important if the fabric is being used in a high traffic area. Fade resistance is important if the fabric will be subject to direct sunlight.
Natural Fabrics
Cotton (good resistance to wear, but is less resistant to staining and wrinkling)
Cotton Blend (good resistance to wear with the added benefit of stain resistance)
Leather (easy to clean and softens with age)
Linen (does not wear well with heavy use, but will resist pilling and fading, must be professionally cleaned)
Silk (delicate)
Wool (good resistance to pilling, fading, and resistance to staining)
Synthetic Fabrics
Acetate (resists pilling and shrinking, but tends to wear wrinkle and fade)
Acrylic (resists wear, wrinkling, staining and fading, but may pill)
Microfiber (durable and stain resistant)
Nylon (stain and fade resistant, but may fade and pill)
Olefin (durable)
Polyester (wrinkle resistant)
Rayon (durable, but will wrinkle)
Vinyl (resists wear, wrinkling, staining, fading, and pilling)
Texture and Sheen
There are so many fabric textures and sheens to choose from. Consider the characteristics of velvet, cotton, chenille, leather, fake fur, sisal, and taffeta. They are all so different. Layering adds interest to any space. The most beautiful interiors will often balance various textures and sheens.
When shopping for fabrics bring swatches home! Live with them for a little while! Fabrics may look very different in your space than in a retail environment or on your computer monitor. I like to tape up swatches to get a feel for how they will work in the space. Play with different combinations of color, pattern, and texture until you find what inspires you.
