Are you spring cleaning? Does your home need an interior facelift? Most ladies would say yes if their decor is more than 10 years old. Let me be of some assistance. Are you tired of beige walls, your dated furniture, and your mauve floral draperies? It’s time for an update.

Trust me; there is no pain involved when redecorating. It is okay to change the way your home looks every few years or so. There is no rule that says you have to keep your mother’s sofa the way it was 25 years ago. You may keep it; just reupholster it in new fabric.

That is where the decorating rule comes in. In this order — fabric, paint, rug (or carpet) is the very best way to go about decorating or updating your current room or home. So many times customers have come to me at work and said, “I have an oriental rug that is 15 or 20 years old, I can’t dispose of it, and I need a fabric to match it.” If it’s that old, yes, you can dispose of it.

When you walk into a fabric store, have an open mind about what’s new in color, style and texture. But you do need some idea of what direction you want to go in. It’s great to have something you want to work around — for example, a painting, a new wall color, etc. — but please don’t let those things limit you on your choices.

Some of the newest colors are blue and brown. These can be a combination of light blue and taupe, medium blue with chocolate, with a hint of cream, or darker blue with a darker tone of taupe. These colors have been around for a while and are beginning to fade away. Depending on the look you are going for, you could paint your walls a contrast of any of the listed, or choose an exact match. I personally don’t like things to be so “matchy-matchy.” I love contrast and things unexpected as long as they flow together.

More of the hottest upcoming colors are brown and apple green, brown and coral, and brown with pink. These colors are great for almost any room. Again, choose the paint color after the fabric is chosen and according to the room. Choosing paint after the fabric is chosen greatly reduces the risk of having to repaint a room that you just painted a few days ago because you didn’t look for fabric first.

When choosing to reupholster a piece of furniture, choose fabric wisely. Silk is not recommended for upholstery unless you or others will never sit on the furniture. Silk is also not recommended for a shower curtain because it will “spot” if it gets wet. A toile print is beautiful on a piece of furniture but a lot is wasted because of the large pattern. Toile makes beautiful drapes, bed skirts and pillow shams. A thicker, heavier fabric is obviously going to be the best choice. Upholstery weight fabric is made just for what it is — upholstering. It is your choice whether it is solid, pallid, tweed, print, etc.

Just remember, you’ll be the one living with this for the next 10 years or so. I hope I have helped someone in their dilemma of decorating. The next time I am with you, I will be talking about paint. So get out there and get you some new fabric for your new home.

Stephanie Roddy is a independent decorator who lives in Flintstone.

source : news.mywebpal.com