Part of crafting a home is in how you envision it, what it feels like and how it all comes together. If you haven’t already, you need to define the look of your room. If you jump into texture without forethought, it can swamp you. Understand your style, envision the end result and you’ll be guided to the right family of textiles.

There are three key elements you should be thinking about when coordinating fabrics:
Color Harmony, Pattern Rapport, and Texture.

Color Harmony

When we use the term color harmony, we are talking about the balance of colors together in a room. Although, we absolutely love color, there is always a chance that too much of a good thing is actually…too much.

Color is one of the main components when it comes to fabric selection. Look for a specific, closely matched color that can be the element of continuity from one fabric to all the others. This color should be very similar in temperature (cool versus warm), intensity and identity. If possible, a second color that also is matched or closely blended will unify multiple fabrics from different sources.

Vary the intensity. If every color is bright, the scheme might be irritating; if all the colors are dull, then boredom can result. As a general rule of thumb, the largest areas in the room are covered with the dullest or most neutralized colors of the scheme. The smaller the area, the more intense the brightness proportionately becomes. Simply put, largest areas dull, medium-size areas dull to medium bright, and smallest areas the most bright.

Pattern Rapport

Pattern rapport is the art of mixing patterns. You need to consider the pattern type and make sure you aren’t combining too many of the same. When combining fabric patterns, this rule of thumb is consistently useful; one large scale pattern, one small scale pattern, one geometric, one stripe and one or more solid fabrics with texture.

We truly believe that there is no room in the house that should be left unnoticed, especially, the master bedroom. Obviously, we spend a lot of time in there so the mattress has to be comfortable and it has to look good. You want to walk into your room at night and just love getting into bed.

For this bedroom, the designer gathered bunches of flowers in embroidered and patterned fabrics. They dress the custom upholstered bed design, seating, pillows, and windows. A jute herringbone rug layers over the carpet for added texture. It also has beautiful color tones that relate to the wonderful throw pillows. You can see geometrics, stripes, and modern floral patterns all working together having great rapport.

Textures

Like patterns, textures evoke a neatly categorized and successful interior. When it comes to texture, we’re always thinking about how a fabric feels. In sophisticated and modern homes you may not see a lot of color, but you are always looking for texture changes. It can be subtle and smooth or have a little nub to it. We are always looking for quality in fabric; any kind of linen that you can actually feel that is made of pure wool, cotton or even velvet. You can achieve a lot of interest just with texture changes.

The following images are a great example of an interplay of textures in the living room. Notice the rug, it’s bringing in the geometric pattern. The large sofa is upholstered in a solid fabric allowing the rug to do the talking. The “wow” factor happens on the chairs and again in the pillows. This room captures all three of elements that I told you were important when picking your fabrics. There is color harmony. You can see how it all feels fluid, light and it all relates in a soothing manner. There is also pattern rapport. You can see the use of stripes, geometrics and solids where they all meet each other equally none speaking louder than the other. And last of all, the use of texture. From the grasscloth Ming chest to the goat hide and shimmer sofa pillows, all adding interest in the living room. If you’ve got all three, you’ve done a great job!

We know that making a home feel cozy isn’t always as simple as it looks. There is an art to creating the perfect balance of textiles, and it really is our goal to reach the expectations of our clients. We even try to raise our client’s own bar by creating an environment that helps them to live happier and better.

The new season is the perfect time to start experimenting. Start with a cushion, and take it from there…

Discover all of our textile vendors here.