Soft furnishings are great for livening up the home. They are available in a wide range of fabrics and a kaleidoscope of colourings. Dependent on the soft furnishings you choose, you could make a home with a predominantly spring, summer, autumn or winter feel.
The soft furnishings themselves include everything from curtains, textile wall panels, pillows and bedspreads. You can buy cheaply or get some designer merchandise or of course combine.
For a spring season look the tones need to be fresh to reflect the brand new life that the season produces. Colours will include daffodil yellow, the blue of a clear sky or a carpet of bluebells, and the green of new shoots and young leaves. Designs can be echoing of the natural world – things which remind you of new life – rabbits, newborn birds, fresh leaves and more. The material ought to be relatively light – silk will work well and add a touch of the luxury.
The summer time is where you want the least heavy materials, both in weight and colour. Chiffon is good for this. Whites look good, especially white netting for the windows – as it billows in the wind it is reminiscent of holiday getaways in the sunshine. The white will also help reflect the light inside the room. A summer room can also use lots of colours to reflect the huge range of colours occurring in people’s home gardens – bright poppy crimson, vibrant purple, sizzling fuchsia pink – you get the drift. Checked patterns are good as they remind people of picnic rugs, and textiles with flowers on are also really summery.
Autumnal rooms mirror the falling leaves and the earth returning to brown. Russets, gold and oranges are great colours. Fabric becomes a bit heavier to keep out the cold and add a sense of luxury. A heavy Shantung silk will work very well. Motifs on fabrics could include mature leaves and nuts.
A winter room will need really heavy materials to keep the heat in. Velvet will be perfect as it is also soft, snugly and luxurious and leather is likewise good. Colours associated with Christmas time go down well – deep red and dark green in particular. Chocolate brown is also a good winter colour as is a rich purple. Motifs may include holly, robins and other iconic Yuletide images or you might want to use bare trees.
Whatever soft furnishings you choose for a room, remember that because they aren’t permanent, they can effortlessly be changed. If you can afford it you could have a set of light curtains for spring/summer and some heavier ones for autumn/winter. You could also buy a few soft cushions that are particularly reminiscent of the season and swap them when the season has finished. If you do that, remember to keep textiles suitably until the season comes around again a year later.
Keep in mind that whatever soft furnishings you choose, they need to go with the household furniture and style of your room. If you have designer furniture, the fabric accessories should reflect that and if you have chunky pine furniture, they should be in keeping with that.
Happy accessorising….
