Tuesday 14 August 2007

Decorating Tips - Part 1

An example of mismatched cushions above on an Antique french 2 seater sofa upholstered in plain white canvas fabric.

This plain charcoal linen sofa at Black & Spiro looked so beautiful when we added the array of patterned and striped cushions to it. We used a mixture of charcoal, white and yellow fabrics. The yellow instantly brought the sofa to life and incorporated the yellow silk curtains which fell behind the sofa.


It is my opinion that beautiful cushions and lamps can make a room. The plainest or most outdated sofa can be brought to life by the addition of custom made cushions in an array of beautiful fabrics and a table in the corner or behind a sofa can be uplifted by the placement of a unique lamp with custom made shade.

If you are on a tight budget opt for a less expensive sofa in a plain fabric and have some special cushions made (or make your own) in a mismatch of fabrics - this will certainly make your look individual and I guarantee the cushions will enhance the look of your inexpensive sofa! The other wonderful thing about cushions is that you can change them around very easily - I often adivse clients to have two sets of cushions made for their lounge room; one set for Winter and one set for Summer. This keeps things interesting and as I always say a change is as good as a holiday.

Another great idea for people on a budget is to scour Antique shops and markets for old lamps -they can be very inexpensive; my recent lamp purchase at an Antique shop totalled $25.00. Bring vintage lamps to life with beautiful lampshades made in fabulous fabrics and again I guarantee you will add an individual and stylish touch to your room. Some old lamps can even look wonderful repainted in white or a bright colour - use your imagination!

This gorgeous vintage lamp which I placed on a table in a client's house was an Antique shop find. I had a new shade made in a Designers Guild silk which immediately brought the gorgeous and unusual lampbase back to life. It also introduced interest and colour to the timber table.


This beautiful pair of yellow lamps in Chloe Sevigny's apartment certainly make a statement - I love how these lamps contrast with the mirrored cabinet. Image courtesy of House & Garden.

For inexpensive fabrics which you can order online visit Reprodepot or Purlsoho. If you are looking for a particular type of fabric or a designer fabric visit your local interior decorator and ask to look through their library. Please note, some decorators don't like to have their sample books on show to the public. At Black & Spiro I encourage my customers to come and look through our fabric range. I would recommend you call some of your local decorators first in order to find out whether you can look through their fabrics; this will not only save time, it will also give the decorating store advance notice of your visit.

26 comments:

Kate said...

These are some really nice ideas. Love that lamp, and the little place in your last entry is adorable - my ideal! There's something about those yellow curtains in the first picture today that bothers me though. They just look a little unruly, a bit unbalanced between top and bottom - but that's just my personal opinion, and I move house so often that I've never truly decorated a house in my life!

ALL THE BEST said...

Anna you are so right, pillows make such a difference. But for some reason I always struggle with which to choose for my own sofa.

Archana Srinivas Pottery said...

Lovely post...the mismatched cushions are fantastic!

Thanks for sharing :-)

Arch

katiedid said...

Anna-
You are such a talent! I love to see what you put together. And thank you for the links to the fabric sites. They will come in very handy!

The Peak of Chic said...

All excellent points Anna! I esp. agree with you about the lampshades. I love the custom one you had made :)

Style Court said...

Great tips Anna! I notice one of my favorite patterns (yellow bamboo from F. Broadhurst) on the Black & Spiro sofa :)

xo
Courtney

Lindsey said...

I wish you would come decorate my house! You have such great taste and great tips.

Anonymous said...

Hello Anna,
Your blog is quite wonderful! May I put a link to it from mine?
Thank you!
Fifi

Calie Durant said...

I love the vintage lamp!

diana murphy said...

Just about anything from Designers Guild is gorgeous. But your DG silk choice + the pretty pink glass lamp = perfection.

annechovie said...

Anna, you have so MANY gorgeous, paintable vignettes! Love that sofa and the cushions, especially! Thanks for the eye candy!

Anna Spiro said...

Thanks for your input Kate - that is the look of taffetta - it is meant to look unruly.
X
Anna

Anna Spiro said...

Thanks Ronda - I know it can be hard to make a final decision but just go with your heart and it will work out. Sometimes if I just love TOO many fabrics I just have some of our couture cushions made and then I can squeeze all the fabrics I like into 4-6 cushions.
XO
Anna

Anna Spiro said...

Thanks Arch!
X
Anna

Anna Spiro said...

Thanks Katie - so glad the fabric sites will be of use to you!
XO
Anna

Anna Spiro said...

Thanks Jennifer - I find it very hard not to have a custom lampshade made for a lamp - the standard ones are really awful!
XO
Anna

Anna Spiro said...

Thanks Courtney - yes it is yellow bamboo - good spotting!
XO
Anna

Anna Spiro said...

Oh, Lindsey - I wish I could help you too - pity about the distance! Thanks!
XO
Anna

Anna Spiro said...

Thanks Chez Fifi - of course you can do a link. I'll be sure to check your site out also!
XO
Anna

Anna Spiro said...

Me too Callie - thanks for stopping by!
X
Anna

Anna Spiro said...

Oh, thanks Dianamuse - I so love Designers Guild as well!
XO
Anna

Anna Spiro said...

Thanks Anne - I will get you to paint one of my settings one of these days - I promise!
XO
Anna

C+SK said...

This post is absolutely brilliant!

I totally agree that fabrics, textures, make a room. Sort of like a pair of shoes changes your look completely everytime with just black trousers and a white t-shirt.

A good source for fabrics is Ebay. You can find absolute bargains on fabulous designer discontinued chunks of fabric, including colefax & fowler, designers guild, g.p. & J. baker, etc.

Thanks for this post - your blog is my favourite design blog!

Anna Spiro said...

Thanks The Crafty Weasel! Your comments are very kind! Thanks also for reminding me that Ebay has some fantastic fabric bargains!
XO
Anna

Suzy said...

I had never seen that image of Chloe Sevigny's apartment before - those lamps, and that console are to die for!

Drikus Botha said...

Hello Anna

It's nice seeing someone who thinks out of the box blended with creativity.

I've written a article on why fabric blinds is a great alternative to heavy plastic materials.

Here is a link to it if it will benefit your readers.

Fabric Blinds