How to Coordinate Upholstery Fabrics
Coordinating different types of upholstery fabric is one of the best ways to add creativity and personal style to your home. By mixing and matching interesting fabrics for couches, chairs, ottomans, drapes and pillows, you can create a living space that is truly your own. Some people may feel intimated about coordinating upholstery fabrics with different textures, colors and patterns. The fact is, it doesn't have to be difficult if you follow a few simple tips. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Begin by looking through home design magazines and getting a feel for decorating styles that appeal to you. There are many popular styles of home décor, from classic to romantic to minimal. Each style has its own type of upholstery fabrics. Get started by cutting out pictures and creating a design idea notebook to help you decide on the type of fabrics you like best.
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Choose one piece that will serve as your design inspiration. This inspiration piece should contain one or more colors that appeal to you. Your inspiration could be a piece of furniture or an accessory that you already own, a work or art, or a swatch of fabric. If you have a hard time deciding on an inspiration piece, look at your wardrobe and find a favorite article of clothing.
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The wall color of the room you are decorating will help set the color theme for the room. It may be a bright focal point in itself, or a neutral backdrop for brighter or richer colors in the room. The color of the carpet or flooring should also be taken into account when deciding on upholstery colors for the room.
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If you don't have time to shop around for different upholstery fabrics or are just looking for some design inspiration, check out the coordinated fabric lines that different textile manufacturers introduce each season. These collections consist of florals, strips, brocades and solids that have been designed to go together. Even if you'd like to choose your own fabrics, these collections can provide many design ideas.
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It may seem easier to use similarly colored solid upholstery fabrics, but creating a decorating scheme that really pops requires a balance between contrasting colors. When the main color scheme consists of warm colors like yellow and red, then some cooler greens and blues will create contrast. If the main colors are cool, then add warm colors for contrast. These color contrasts will make the room more interesting and create a feeling of balance.
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Patterned upholstery fabrics can also be used to add contrasting interest to a room. Mixing floral prints and stripes is a popular way to coordinate upholstery fabrics. For a more subtle take on pattern mixing, use tone-on-tone prints and stripes that combine different shades and hues of a single color. When mixing patterned fabrics in a room, be sure to use different scale prints. For example, if you're using a print with a large pattern, then coordinate it with small stripes or checks.
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Tips & Warnings
One of the best ways to add interest to a room is with decorative pillows. Pillows can be used to add a contrasting print or color to any room's décor. Throughout the year, different pillows can be used in a room to create different looks. This is much less expensive than changing the upholstery fabric on a major piece of furniture.
