Each Monday on the DesignQuotient™ blog, DesignCoach™ Los Angeles interior designer James Swan answers readers’ questions. Post your design dilemma today.
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This week on the DesignCoach: A Thread of Truth; Finding the Right Fabric
Q. : I love the Baldwin sofa but am stuck re: fabric. I love the linen (Ashford paisley) but it’s linen and it’s for my Family Room! How about Alcott paisley? It has 78% cotton and 22% Acrylic. Will that wear as well as the cotton twill? Will it be too warm with Acrylic?(I live in Florida). Is Non-railroaded a good thing? What color coordinates if I did a slip ottoman?
I want to put brown or Rococo? Leather chairs with it. What say you? Also need to choose an area rug.
HELP!! -Donna
A. : Donna,
Let’s get to work! First, you have made a good call with the Baldwin Sofa from Ballard Designs; classic lines, comfortable, generous design and great selection for your family room application.
As for the fabric selection; the only issue with linen is you. As for fiber strength you have a very sturdy, durable fabric. What you don’t have is a fabric free from wrinkles (speak to mother nature). For some homeowners this is not an issue for they feel that the softly wrinkled look of linen is desirable. For others this spells disaster and should be avoided at all costs. If you fall into the later category let’s move on and consider other fabric options. The Alcott Paisley is a good choice. The relatively small acrylic content should not concern you. Check out Fabrics.net and their definition for acrylic fabric is; “a fine soft and luxurious fabric with the bulk and hand of wool. Light weight and springy, this fabric is non-allergenic, dries quickly, draws moisture away from the body and is washable. Acrylic does not take even a moderate amount of heat.”
The issue raised with “heat” has to do with open flames not ambient air temperature. You just don’t want open flame near an acrylic fabric. Living in Florida should not preclude you from selecting a fabric with acrylic content.
Railroading is the direction of a pattern or nap of a fabric: All fabric, if it has a nap or pattern, is either railroaded or not. Normally, printed or napped fabric on a chair posses no problem if the fabric is not railroaded, but a sofa is a different story. Railroading means that the pattern or nap on the fabric goes from side to side of the roll rather than up the roll. This allows you to put a back on a sofa that is longer than 54″(the width of the fabric) in one piece. The welts on the outside back of a sofa are not always by design; they have to be put there because the fabric won’t reach, because it is NOT railroaded.
If you are thinking about a slip-covered ottoman give consideration to Brocante Stripe or the Crimson Microfiber as coordinating fabric options. Brown leather chairs in this room would be very handsome.
I have two ideas for area rugs; for bold, dramatic pattern check out the Marcello Rug or for texture and rich color take a look at the Hampton Jute Rug.
Now it’s time to make good decisions. So get to work. Send us a picture of the finished room, Donna.
Let us know if we can help with your design dilemma. Send us your questions and together let’s find Good-Design-Daily
