No vague answers from Jamie Gibbs. Our designer pal explains how to pull together textiles for any room.
Professional designers don’t think much about fabric schemes. After years of experience, pulling a room together becomes automatic. The client provides general guidance about the colors and designers already have a mental data base based on looking and using hundreds, if not thousands, of textiles.
When we queried New York designer and fabric expert Jamie Gibbs about how to actually pull this off, he gave us a road map. But first, we suggest you take his advice on how to Boost Your Fabric IQ.
Atticmag: Are there guidelines on how many different fabric patterns to use in the same room? Do you have any rules of thumb about using solids versus prints on sofas, chairs, ottomans?
JG: This is an article within itself! First you need to identify a general color palette and determine the function of the room (we will deal here with a single room). There is always a question to be answered at the beginning around practical concerns. Is this a room that will be used mostly during the day or in the evening?
You also want to identify the floor plan and basic design for the room with regard to function. That includes furniture placement and style, window treatments, soft accessories, lighting artwork and floor coverings.
Then you get to the textiles. Most rooms should be designed for a pattern scheme with three categories:
♦Background or Primary Fabrics. These are for large areas and neutrals that set the overall color tone. They should establish a pattern and textural theme for the room. Since they are intended for the most important elements, they should draw the eye to those. Usually there are no more than two primary textiles.
♦Feature or Secondary Fabrics. Patterns that set the basic theme, style and mood. These should be a solid or contrast with the primary fabric. They can be smaller patterns, complimentary stripes or checks, mini prints, tapestry or even a printed scenic design such as a toile. Use these for window treatments, smaller upholstered furniture, etc. Customarily, there are one or two secondary textiles.
♦Accent Fabrics. Use in small qualities that make the Feature fabric look important. These can be small or large patterns including small checks, woven patterns or solids that pick up all or some of the colors in the primary and secondary choices. Accents can be more expensive or luxurious, antique or delicate. Their general use is pillows, throws, drapery accents, table toppers, or small upholstered items. These tend to add uniqueness to the design.
Here are four fabric schemes and their uses.
Primary - Plaid twill for upholstery [r.].
Secondary -Multi-check jacquard woven for drapes and throw pillows, secondary upholstery [in back].
Accent – Stone-washed and classic denims for throw pillows, table skirts, drapery lining or under-drapes, bandings and piping [l.].
Primary – White twill for upholstery [top]. x
Secondary – Green embroidered linen for drapes, throw pillows [bottom].
Accent – Green solid linen for throw pillows, table skirts, drapery lining or under-drapes, secondary upholstery fabric, bandings and piping.
Primary – Buck cloth (white ground with lemon branches) for upholstery [front].
Secondary – Cotton chintz (solid and small botanical prints) for drapes, pillows, table skirts, light weight upholstery, bandings and piping, bedding.
Accent – Sheer neoprene and various stripes and printed duck cloth for accent pillows, under-drapes, bandings, piping, small accent furniture upholstery [r.].
Primary – Lavender velvet for upholstery. xx
Secondary – Print cotton with butterflies [l.] for draperies and throw pillows (matching wallpaper, right). Also, plaid for drapery lining and accents, banding, table skirts, ruffles, banding and piping (cut on the bias for these uses.)
Accent – Lavender linen and gold matelassé for secondary upholstery, table skirts, throw pillows. Linen could also be used for piping, cut on the bias. Matelassé could be a bedspread.
There are types of fabrics that work better than others in each of these categories. And here are other fabric factors to consider:
Pattern scale – This is very important. If you are using large quantities of fabric for covering sofas and big chairs, this should probably be a small pattern, texture or solid color because you do not want these elements to overpower the room.
Large patterns. These need to be seen. They work well in older homes with larger rooms and ceilings. They are great for long drapes or large flat surfaces on sofas and ottomans, but may prove difficult to match or look horrible if the pattern is cut short because it is bigger than the surface it’s used on.
Directional stripes. Remember, vertically striped draperies will make a window seem taller. Horizontal stripes will make walls seem wider and probably shorter.
Small designs. These work well for ruffles, pillows, accent upholstery and lining and will compliment larger surfaces without fighting. But if employed on large surface areas they can look clumsy, feminine, even cheap.
Once the fabric palette has been chosen, lay out fabrics in the appropriate light. Place them with wallpaper and paint chips. Confirm the primary, secondary and accent fabrics then identify the use and placement of each so you know their relationships.
