The
common thread running through this season’s fabric story is color. Even
after three years of indulging in rich colors, we still have a huge
appetite for chocolate. Its longevity is boosted by its unusual
pairings with slate blue, dusky pink and wasabi green.
And,
there is another new color scheme just around the corner, says Amy
Archer, a consumer behaviorist with Rowe Furniture, who conducts
seminars at HomeWorld.
“There’s a whole palette coming up for the bold and the expressive,” Archer says. “And it’s a much hotter, sexier palette.”
That
doesn’t mean you need to swathe your entire room in hot colors, she
says. But inject some well-placed brilliant bursts, whether it’s a lamp
base in fuchsia, a picture frame in aqua or an iconic chair in
turquoise.
“Done well, it’s very, very beautiful,” Archer says.
Take
a look on the following pages at some of the fun ways we’re using
colorful fabric for headboards, lamps, wall art and more ...
>>A CONTEMPORARY LINE
Fabric
shows off all its paces in this ultra-contemporary bedroom, where it
delivers color, texture, form and functionality in one package.
This
room is pulled together from the Panaz Bijoux collection, which has a
rich range that allows for inspired mixing and matching.
Gail
Dagdag, of Kreative Kamaaina, which carries Panaz fabrics, encourages
her clients to use polyesters such as these because of their
wearability, ease of cleaning and great looks.
“With polyesters you can get the wonderful look of silk sheers, textures, organza or velvet,” Dagdag adds.
The
bedroom style starts with the taffeta-looking duvet. Its earthy colors
are pulled into the pillows, which are dressed up with the pin-dot
accent. The duvet’s lines are echoed in the headboard’s trio of fabric
panels.
“It’s
a contemporary, clean, relaxed room with that little bit of spark from
the scarlet runner,” Dagdag says. The scarlet accents are clever
touches, she adds, because they tie the room together. They also
provide flexibility for the homeowner. “It would be so easy to change
that color—perhaps to a plum—switch the ceramic piece and the runner
and have a completely different room,” she says.
Swatch Watch
Duvet: Panaz Trevira CS Taffeta in Elegance 800 Beige.
Accent pillow: Panaz Trevira CS Taffeta in Grace 899 Sepia with Prima 899 Sepia.
Pillows: Panaz Trevira CS Taffeta in Grace 800 Beige and Grace 899 Sepia.
Headboard: Panaz Trevira CS Taffeta in Grace 800 Beige.
Runner: Panaz Trevira CS Taffeta in Prima 404 Henna.
Ottoman: Panaz, Aston collection leather-look vinyl in 900 Black.
panaz collection: Available at Kreative Kamaaina
>> SILK PARADISE
What’s
not to love about silk? For Kaye Fawcett, of Fine Linens &
Furnishings, silk is the ultimate in luxury and is heaven to work with.
She loves its sheen, texture and elegant tones.
“It just makes a room more special,” she says.
 |
 |
|
photos by Augie Salbosa (left) and Hal Lum (right)
|
Fine
Linens brought silk to the fore in this Diamond Head master suite. The
bed is the dominant feature, so it needed to be the jewel in the room.
Fawcett and interior designer Patty Johnson started with a rich Dupioni
silk in a sable tone that plays with monochromatic golds and platinums.
Then,
they added depth with a textured, platinum fabric on the large-scale,
down-filled Euros and the small accent pillow. A high note is the
floaty, sheer runner. Completing the luxurious look are the intricate
details, including the covered buttons and the frog knot on the accent
pillow.
The
muted tone-on-tone bedding complements the bold colors in the room and
is the perfect foil for the shot of turquoise and indigo outside.
“To
me, it’s simple, it’s pared down, it’s clean,” Johnson says. “On the
Mainland it’s usually more formal, more ornate; that embellishment is
stripped away here in Hawaii.”
 |
| Frog knot pillow detail and silk samples, courtesy of Fine Linens & Furnishings. |
Swatch Watch
Room design: Kathy Lee Designs.
Bedding: Fine Linens & Furnishings.
Duvet: Tapestria Dupioni silk in sable.
Down-filled, 30-inch Euros & small throw pillow with frog knot detail: Ann Gish, silk texture in platinum
Shams, runner & throw pillow detail: Maharam rayon polyester in bijou.
>>COLOR BRIGHT
Fabric
is not just for drapes and sofas. It’s art. It’s light. It’s fun.
Eye-popping accents such as these can dramatically transform any space.
1)
Petal Power: Light up your home with these petal-patterned, silk table
lamps. Available in three sizes, starting at $117, DeZign Home.
2)
Throw in the Towel: These funky, bright throw pillows were dishtowels
in previous lives. The folks at Pacific Home have been selling the
dishtowels for years, but started making them into pillows after a
client fell in love with them and wanted more around her home. $105
each, Pacific Home.
3)
Fabric as Art: Let the sun shine in with these pieces of Inhabit
stretched wall art, “Eucalyptus in Sunshine” and “Mum in Sunshine,”
$155 each, Pacific Home.
4)
Silly Side: Embrace your silly side with these super-fun sculptural
seats. The Silly Side chairs from Belgium’s Leolux are wrapped in a
smooshy, flexible, latex-like skin that’s as strong as leather.
Available in a shave-ice rainbow of colors, these Pallone models
include a kid-size Puppy version. Starting at $1,395, INspiration
Interiors.
5)
Put a Sock on It: Good-looking—with a twist. This lampshade (at right)
is actually a Lycra-like sock stretched over a plastic base. Ready to
change your room? Just slip off the sock and pull on a new one.
Palm-leaf pattern available in taupe or black. $165 (small) or $195
(large), Bali Moon Hawaii.
6)
tie in color: Professional designers from Archipelago by Studio Becker
used a wall tapestry, bright pillows, artwork and paint color to tie
this room together. It’s a superb example of how to be light and fun,
while using accents to dramatically transform any space. For more
inspiration, visit Archipelago’s showroom at the Gentry Pacific Design
Center.
7)
Easy Breezy: Try these tropicalicious Cotton Dot throw pillows, $8
each. California king-size bedspreads are available, $48, Bali Moon
Hawaii.
| FACTOID:
You know that bright, warm colors can energize and that cool colors can
calm. But did you know that color choices are also tied into the
national psyche? In times of peace and prosperity, our sense of
security leads us to more muted palettes, says lifestyle consultant Amy
Archer. In times of war and economic turmoil, we boost our mood with
bright dashes of color. |
>>MIGHTY MICROFIBER
The
word polyester might make you cringe with the mental image of shiny old
polyester pants. But, these days, polyester is the driving force behind
a fabric revolution.
Polyester
is at the heart of modern microfibers, strands of polyester that are
100 times finer than human hair. Woven into cloth, they result in a
super-durable, feel-good fabric.
“Now polyester is one of the hippest cloths you can own,” says lifestyle consultant Amy Archer.
Perhaps
the No. 1 reason to start loving microfiber is its resilience and
durability. “Basically, you don’t have to yell, no! whenever someone
walks near it,” Archer adds. “And that’s very seductive.”
A
Japanese scientist invented the world’s first microfiber in 1970. His
discovery was soon turned into a new cloth, a manmade suede called
Ultrasuede. When that global patent expired, the doors opened on a
whole new genre of cloth. Recent renditions of microfiber look like
everything from denim to corduroy to linen.
In
Hawaii, the demand for microfibers has almost exceeded that for other
upholstery fabrics, says DeZign Home’s merchandise manager, Patrick Lee.
A
big plus in Hawaii is that microfibers are cool to the touch, unlike
other synthetics, which tend to feel a little sweaty, says Kate
Lipsett, a design consultant at Homeowners Design Center.
Lipsett
has been working a lot with a suede microfiber, making among other
things, embroidered palm leaves that fit perfectly with an Island décor.
“We’re just in love with this stuff,” she says.
Swatch Watch
TOP LEFT: Decorative Fabrics embroidered Ultra Leaves pattern in
camouflage, antelope and atmosphere, from Homeowners Design Center.
BOTTOM LEFT: Hiatt Furniture D’oro suede red, Decoro green brown
corduroy, Italsofa orange padded microfiber, from DeZign Home.
RIGHT: Bosston Furniture herringbone pattern in blue, brown, beige and ivory, from DeZign Home.
>>Chocolate, anyone?
Toss
your sofa some eye candy with these rich, dark throw pillows. This is
an easy way to treat your home to some delicious chocolate fabrics.
Pick a flavor. Or a few.
left column, from top:
• Roman Stripe pillow (sand), $57, DeZign Home.
• Sequins, $57, DeZign Home.
• Zen leaf pillow, $47, DeZign Home.
• Caramel and cream Italian square pillow, $107, DeZign Home.
middle column, from top:
• Champagne Zen leaf pillow, $77, DeZign Home.
• Chocolate with sage Zen leaf pillow, $77, DeZign Home.
• Maria throw pillow, $14, Bali Moon Hawaii.
right column, from top:
• Green-fringed water lily pillow, $35, Archipelago by Studio Becker.
• Eastern embroidered floral, $17, Bali Moon Hawaii.
• Istanbul silk pillow, $120, Pacific Home.
>> BUILD YOUR OWN SOFA
Need a sofa to fit an unusual corner in your living room? Want an arm on the left of your sofa, but not on the right?
SoHa
Living carries the Vanguard line of furniture, which lets you build
your own sofa right down to the arm and foot style and the type of
finish on the wood.
“With the sectionals, there are so many different configurations, it’s endless,” says Matthew Figueroa, SoHa Living.
The
proverbial icing on the cake is Vanguard’s upholstery fabric, which
comes in everything from solids and stripes to florals and paisleys.
“Chocolate
and light blue—that’s definitely going on right now,” Figueroa says.
“And a lot of people like the really subtle prints.”
Swatch Watch
left to right: cotton Sassy pattern in seaglass; rayon-polyester
Bonbini pattern in blue topaz; Polyester-cotton printed pattern in
poppy; Cotton-linen Cruise pattern in bay, by Vanguard Furniture,
available at SoHa.
>> DESIGN LIKE THE DESIGNERS
Choosing
the upholstery for your room can seem overwhelming at first. Aside from
deciding on the color scheme, how do you work your fabrics together for
maximum impact?
 |
| Margeaux sofa and slipper chair, from DeZign Home. |
To
make things easier, remember the decorator’s simple rule of 60-30-10:
That is, use 60 percent of a dominant color, 30 percent of a secondary
color and 10 percent of an accent color.
Note
how the concept is played out in the picture to the left. Sixty percent
of the furniture is in the dominant sky blue; 30 percent is in the
chocolate and blue print on the slipper chair and square throw pillows;
and a punchy 10 percent is in the solid chocolate accent pillow.
Swatch Watch
top to bottom: Duralee Fabrics Aqua Coral, from Johnny Mango at the
Gentry Pacific Design Center, Bermuda Bay Tropica and Kast Fabrics
Green Peridot. Courtesy of Archipelago by Studio Becker.
