Fabric

AStoriedStyle.com I like to do walk-throughs every once in awhile to show you interesting finds or introduce you to new places, but I also think it is helpful because I hear so often from people that they wish they had "the eye" to spot something good.  If you have been reading awhile, you know that I love a fruitful trip to Home Fabrics & Rugs.  I wrote about my fabric find from HF&R here, and they have stores all over the country.  See here for all their locations.   Come on a walk with me... One thing I noticed on this trip was that they have way more rugs than the last time I was here. This could be a fun playroom rug.  (and all of those colors would help hide kid-ness) AStoriedStyle.com They have everything from more traditional rugs to more contemporary rugs.  They carry lots of sizes, and if they don't have the size you want, I believe it is free shipping to your door. AStoriedStyle.com These jute/seagrass rugs looked like nice quality at fairly affordable prices.

[caption id="attachment_8716" align="aligncenter" width="500"]koplavitch & zimmer koplavitch & zimmer[/caption] I love a good cut velvet fabric.  The weight and thickness of a quality silk velvet makes for a luxurious textile indeed.  While I have long admired Koplavitch & Zimmer's (a high end, to the trade textile house) "Panthera" pattern, its $400 a yard price had kept me away.  I have been particularly drawn to the "Navy" color way, since I am after all, a lover of blue.  You can buy this fabric for around $100 a yard here, which is awesome, but a few months ago, while poking around on Ebay, I found this fabric. [caption id="attachment_8720" align="aligncenter" width="486"]ebay ebay[/caption]   Yes, it looks different in the photo, but computers do crazy things to fabrics and hues, so I thought I would try it.  I needed a yard of it to make two pillows that would give a little edge to my very traditional 1920's library.  I paid my nearly $30 (hello STEAL!), and friends, I was amazed when I pulled it out of the bag.  

AStoriedStyle.com Thanks so much for the great comments on my DIY Acrylic Rod Update!  I have loved getting photos of what you guys have done with the idea so keep them coming! Curtains are an easy change usually, which is good for me because I like to change mine every few years.  : )  Now there are some I will not change as often because the fabric is a one-of-a-kind, or it is some amazing pattern and was more expensive, etc.  I also like to get creative when changing out curtains and will use them to make pillows or cover a small bench or chair, etc.  In fact, that is exactly what I did for a client in her guest room.  We covered a sad bench with two panels of gray velvet drapery I used to have in my office, and it turned out great!  (see the post here)  I mean, seriously, would you ever know those were curtains?

photo courtesy of Sabrina Gebhardt Photography

As I'm sure you have noticed, wide,  horizontal-striped curtains with a bold color have been all the rage the past few years, although a stripe is classic and will probably never go out of style.

Janie-M-Designs-horizontal-draperyjanie molster designs

I have loved this look for years, but wanted something a little softer for my living room.   Brightening this room up is something I have really worked on (through changing color palette - paint, trim, etc.) because even though it has two large and two small windows, it can feel rather dark.  None of the windows have direct light as the front porch presides over the two large windows, and the porte cochere hovers over the two small windows. When I spied this neutral wide striped fabric, I knew this was just what I wanted. AStoriedStyle.com However, the fabric had been discontinued, so luckily, my friend and talented designer, Emily, helped me track it down!  Thanks again, Emily! I like drapery with pleating at the top because I think it helps the fabric hang better, but I wanted the pleats to be very very minimal.  Pinch pleats can look very formal and sometimes a little severe to me.  Since I have an old home, and this is our living room, I did not want it to feel overly formal as these rooms can project "stuffiness".  The slight pleats give it a more casual, livable vibe.  I'm so happy with how they turned out.

AStoriedStyle.com In our Master Bedroom, we have two windows behind our bed.  They are actually different sizes as one is four inches wider than the other.  Why?  I have no idea. Can you see which one is bigger? AStoriedStyle.com In case you are wondering why I am showing you such a snippet of this room, you should know that it is completely covered in sheets and plastic due to our master bathroom renovation.  (I posted an update yesterday in case you missed it)  We sleep in this little plastic cocoon! I did not really want to put full length curtains on these windows (although I tried that once) because this room is pretty small, and I did not want to move the bed forward to accompany their thickness.  Therefore, I knew I wanted shades or something similar, but the problem I was running into was how to better conceal the difference in window size. My good friend and vintage furniture lover, Kristen, texted me from an estate sale and sent me a photo of these cornice boards.  I immediately loved the vintage fabric, and I said "yes, get them!".  You know you have a great friend when she loads two huge cornice boards in her car for you.  Love you, KD! The problem is the trim.  I think I want something a bit more modern looking.

HERE’S WHERE I AM SOCIAL