Make a Statement with Upholstery

Customizing your upholstery is a great way to add personality to your home, whether you are ordering a new piece or reupholstering an existing item.  Too often people play it safe and select an overall neutral for their upholstery. This is "smart" in that the piece will be timeless. However, you can still have a timeless piece, while taking your upholstery out-of-the-box. Here are some tips for just that.

Tip 1: Use two fabrics on the same piece

This photo is from House & Garden UK magazine and features dining chairs with 2 fabrics - a timeless look, but more interest than one overall fabric.

Below is a Before & After of an antique fainting couch from a Beautiful Habitat project in Louisville, Colorado.

Before:

After:

We used both a solid black and a contemporary print from Kravet to customize the piece.

 

Tip 2: Use a Small Pattern
Small patterns can look like solids from a distance. This can be a "safer" alternative if you aren't ready to go bold. You'll still have interest and uniqueness in the piece, but it will not be too trendy.

This project is a home I worked on in Broomfield, Colorado. Here, the sofa fabric is actually a gray-on-charcoal dot pattern. It adds fun to this contemporary decor, but reads as a solid from a distance so it doesn't complete with the artwork and other fabrics.

Tip 3: Use a Big Pattern
A large and bold pattern can still be timeless. Here, elegant dining chairs have again been upholstered in two different fabrics. This  time a large embroidered pattern has been centered on the chair backs of each chair. The result is truly stunning.

This is from House & Garden, UK magazine May 2007.

So think out-of-the-box with your upholstery and have fun!

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com