Ellen’s Blog at TheHome.com poses an important question about your guest room. She also provides a check list “to see if yours makes the grade”. A great perspective in creating a guest room might be to ask yourself “What I would expect for my stay from a great hotel room?” Old stories about guests and fish aside, Ellen’s list might help you along in designing this important room.
Garden Gate
New Candice Olsen
Marina
Nest
Sunset
Tropical Punch
In the constant search for the new and better, furniture manufactures are looking again at ultra suede. Ultra suede (used as a generic term for a type of fabric) became very popular some years ago and then faded from favor. There were many reasons, but chief among them were the proliferation of cheap products calling themselves ultra suede. Since the high quality versions have such desirable wear, comfort and color characteristics, manufacturers would like to include some offerings in their fabric options.
UltraSuede brand
What does this mean for you? [click to continue…]
The debate over quality construction of upholstered furniture
Okay, debate may be overstating it. Nevertheless there are a lot of opinions about what features to look for in quality upholstered furniture. Here is ccino’s take:
We get the consumer’s problems:
- You can’t see inside a sofa to see how it is put together.
- The industry jargon doesn’t mean a darn thing to you.
- Will it be as comfortable in a year as it is today?
- Will the fabric last as long as the frame?
- Will the cushions flatten?
- And on and on…
We’ve looked on the web for consumer information on quality construction. And like all things on the web there is a lot of it. But, much of it is simple cut & paste journalism. Most of these “knowledgeable” people have searched the web for articles and simply regurgitated the standard pap: [click to continue…]
We want to help you create a room that expresses your personal style. But how do you know what that is? How do you know what mix of furniture, fabrics, colors and accessories will work to create that harmony of design that will express your unique style? Here are a few tips that will help you think about style. Take a little time with this process, then work with your designer to put the entire profile together. Remember, the process is a conversation — don’t rush it!
1. Discover your personal style. Read the shelter magazines and cruise design sites on the web. Start a style and idea folder of rooms that you love. Don’t be afraid to incorporate items from different design styles — mix and match. This eclectic look enriches the look of a room. Learn what inspires you. And, refuse to categorized. This relates directly to the next point:
2. Its all about you. Though you want to be proud of your room, don’t worry about your neighbor. While styles and trends are great ways to get new ideas to spruce up a room, don’t base your entire design around what you think will impress your guests. Make sure that your style is uniquely yours. Remember-you have to live with your design choices every day, not your neighbors! [click to continue…]
Specialty fabrics often add the flair or punch to a fabulous room design. At the recent fall High Point market those specialty fabrics frequently came from ikats and susanis. There are furniture grade designs in these fabrics available. Most often, fabrics with designs and colors this strong will be used as one of the accent fabrics in a room. Perhaps on a chair or on some of the accent pillows.
Ikat Designs
The word “ikat” means “to bind.” It is a very ancient way of creating designs in fabric by resist-dyeing (a bit like tie-dying) the threads before the fabric is woven. In Thailand, villagers take the weft (crosswise filling threads) and tie tiny bits of plastic onto the threads.
- Traditional ikat fabric
The tightly tied areas of thread, when put into the dye pot, resist the color and create a pattern, once the plastic ties are removed. Traditional Thai ikat cottons are often indigo-dyed in lively and engaging motifs representing the village life and beliefs of the people. Modern Thai ikats in cotton and silk are brightly colored with good imported chemical or natural dyes.
This time-honored process creates a fabric that appears highly detailed, complexly woven and hand-crafted. Ikats often have an ethnic look or feel to them.
- Ikat fabric on black lacquer chairs
In fact, Carole Sloan writing in Furniture Today said that many of the new ikats “in their latest interpretations evoke almost a Native American feel”. Using this process with newer fabric design and fresh colors can provide a wonderful mix of traditional feel and contemporary fashion. Take a look at the incredible black lacquered chairs shown here with a vibrant ikat fabric. Wow.
Susani Textiles
Susani (sometimes spelled “suzani”) is the word for “needle” in Farsi, and the large embroidered dowry textiles of Turkic groups are so named because of the many hundreds of hours of needlework required to produce them. Susani textiles originate in Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and other countries where Uzbeks and Tadzhiks share similar textile traditions with the Turkmen and other neighboring peoples in Central Asia .
- Traditional Susani Fabric Design
Susani from the Uzbekistan cities of Samarkand and Tashkent have larger, bolder patterns than susani from their sister city of Bukhara, known for susani with smaller, very intricate flowers and tendrils reminiscent of certain Indian textiles.
Used in Central Asia primarily as bed covers, susani in the hands of Western collectors often are framed and hung as wall art. Modern fabric designers are bringing this wonderful textile into our homes as accents and even core fabrics. But… take a look at susani used in an upholstery application.
- Ottoman in blue susani
You can see why designers love to use this vibrant design and color to add excitement and personality to a room.
