Material world: How to choose fabric for your home interiors

As the fabric houses launch their spring/summer collections, we get practical advice and creative inspiration from design pros

Thu, 02 Mar, 2023 - 13:00

Carol O’Callaghan

Buying fabric for curtains can be a bit intimidating. Maybe it’s because the ones we really hanker for inhabit the realms of posh luxury with price tags to match, but the thought of being stuck with a pattern for years to come to get value from our spend can have us taking the easy way out and sticking with something plain and simple.

I have to admit when it comes to planning a window treatment, I don’t know my box balloons from my lambrequin, but there’s something soothing about visiting a fabric shop, especially the luxury showrooms where chat is muted, maybe absorbed by all the vast rolls of cloth leaning floor to ceiling, which leave you with no doubt about whether you’re touching real silk or a synthetic imposter.

If you’d like to go all out spending on lush fabric but the budget isn’t stretching as far as curtains, watch out for ends of rolls, or pick up just a metre or two of something spectacular and make it into cushions for a hit of what you want. Or with basic sewing machine skills, running up four straight hems to make a table gown.

This is the latest craze in the ever-evolving art of tablescaping, touted by legendary table outfitters of London’s Notting Hill, Summerill & Bishop, where spectacular table coverings take starring roles, trumping best china and crystal.

French design house Pierre Frey’s Îles Enchantées collection is inspired by the clear waters of Pacific islands and the movement of waves, formed into a softly dramatic geometric design in the Archipel fabric.

Throwing some caution to the wind in your choice is being encouraged by Patrick Frey, creative director of French fabric design house Pierre Frey.

“Let yourself be carried away by your desires,” says the Frenchman. “Don't be afraid to mix and match — eclecticism is key in the DNA of our Maison. Play with colours, light and the scale.

“We never ask ourselves about trends. It's always our favourites first. Our ideas must be perennial and must exist through fashions. Our philosophy is always to create without looking at what is done elsewhere in order to try to keep our originality and spontaneity.”

In a drapery-free room, a smaller fabric piece can be deployed in the re-upholstery of a chair to introduce an on-trend or vintage-style fabric (fabric by Jane Churchill).

And here’s a tip I hadn’t come across before: We know how sunlight fades fabrics, especially those close to windows. Surprisingly, night-time doesn’t do us any favours either.

Patrick Frey urges us to beware of the full moon. “The moon,” he says, “has always been the worst friend of fabrics.”

But if there is one enduring theme year after year, it’s nature and it happens to be right up there this season for the major fabric houses, including London-based Osborne & Little. They tell me their new colour choices span a broad spectrum to include warm and moody tones like terracotta and copper, soft blue and green hues, and shades of gold and azalea.

Expect to see these applied in geometric patterns on bouclé, velvet and fringed fabrics for a touch of modern design meets traditional comfort.

Osborne & Little's designs this season tap into nature for inspiration with rich, warm terracotta and copper tones set against luxury velvet.

But when it comes to making the necessary practical decisions and ones you won’t regret in the short to medium term, Elmarie Kilbride, Cork-based bespoke window treatment maker, says: “When you begin the process, enjoy looking at a nice few books but don’t look at too many as it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

"Steer clear of fads or trends; these will soon date. Avoid bold colours and patterns. Think calm and refreshing. When you look at a fabric ask yourself, if I changed my paint or couch in five years, would I have to change my curtains? If the answer is yes, I’d avoid that fabric.”

A point in question being a child’s bedroom where their favourite character will be different in a few short years. Elmarie’s suggestion is to go for a plain colour or a stripe.

Manuel Canova's collection includes bold statement stripes for a contemporary look, with echoes of the 1980s Terence Conran striped sofas brought right up to date.

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking plain fabric is boring,” she says. “Textures, stripes and trims are your friends when trying to add interest.”

With longevity a priority from your curtains or blinds you have to invest in good quality fabrics and linings, and have them handmade well.

“Do not scrimp on the amount of fabric either,” Elmarie adds. “You want your curtains to look full and luxurious. We ask a lot of our soft furnishing fabric. It must provide warmth, privacy, security, block light, all the while looking beautiful from inside and outside the house and, most importantly, durable. It’s no wonder that choosing fabric is a daunting prospect.”