Plush Perfect

The new season’s fabrics are seriously ornate, with just a bracing touch of austerity.

 

Fabric on the ladder: Adelina by Harlequin $144.50/m from Malcolm Fabrics; white faceted porcelain vase $49 from Nest; Raindrop vase in Grey $75 from Capulet; cushion fabrics, top to bottom: Verticle in Limelight by Trelise Cooper POA from Charles Parsons; Rondine in Cocoa POA from Icon Textiles; Suleyman by Carlucci $860/m from Unique Fabrics; Moma in Tobacco by SR Harris POA from Atelier Textiles; Festival ottoman covered in Ruggiero in Cassis by Designer’s Guild POA from Icon; Dune vase (right foreground) by Rhubarb $47.50 from Allium.

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As the move to ornamentation in home decor continues, high-end home fabrics are increasingly featuring complex weaves, metallic yarns, embroidered patterns, relief detailing and a high degree of texture.

 

But such lavishness is not merely a matter of aesthetics. Layering special effect upon special effect also has a commercial motive – the higher the degree of detail a fabric has, the more difficult it will be for knock-off copies to be mass-produced. In this way the European fabric houses are foiling would-be counterfeiters in developing countries who have designs on their designs. As a result we’ve never had such an abundance of richly ornamented fabrics from which to choose. Enjoy.

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Noguchi coffee table by Leatherform $2092 from Sarsfield; on coffee table: tall Dune vase by Rhubarb $47.50 from Allium; short vase stylist’s own; Seto vase in Mud $75 from Capulet; hand-tufted silk/wool rug POA from Irvine International; white fabric drop Sahco Isola POA from Atelier; Oralia wallpaper by Harlequin $195/roll from Malcolm Fabrics; French chandelier $1800 from French; Paradigm sofa covered in Dominique Kieffer velour POA from Atelier; sofa cushion fabrics, left to right: Arkona velvet by Harlequin $255/m from Malcolm Fabrics; Arina raspberry cushion POA from Icon; (front) Villa Nova cushion covered in Tiku fabric in Grape POA from James Dunlop (chair also covered in this fabric); chair cushion fabric Sahco Bicocca POA from Atelier.

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Baxter wing chair (front left) $2000 ($2800 including Chic Seal fabric by Michael Woods) from Montreux Furniture; Louis XVI side table by Angelo Cappellini $1276 from Sarsfield; vases stylist’s own; white Ciara bottle $48 from Redcurrent; fabric drop Mirande in Yellow/Charcoal by Sanderson POA from Textilia; Festival club chair covered in Ruggiero in Noir by Designers Guild POA from Icon; chair cushion fabrics, front to back: Fleurie in Black/Linen by Sanderson and Marney in Black/Linen by Sanderson, both POA from Textilia; 19th century wall sconces $900 for the pair from French; Solo credenza (right) $4442 from Classique Furniture.

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Side table, credenza and wing chair as above; frosted vase stylist’s own; white Dune vase by Rhubarb $47.50 from Allium; in stack, from top to bottom: Kediri tie-back by Osborne & Little POA from Mokum; fabrics: Aritex Galloway, Aritex Dunbar and Aritex Scotch, all POA from Textilia; cushion fabrics: Rondine in Cocoa by Designers Guild POA from Icon; Campanile by Designers Guild POA from Icon; black urn vase $65 from Redcurrent.

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Flower designs certainly have staying power; every season they’re reinterpreted with subtle differences. Building on recent interiors trends, this season’s florals are still stylised, crisply rendered and large in scale. A classic 2009 design looks something like this: sparse, undulating stems in a single understated colour meander unobtrusively across a plain backdrop, occasionally bursting into a densely embroidered and exotically coloured rendition of a bloom. Forget classic chintzes and overblown rose patterns – the desirable effect today is one of perfectly measured, utterly controlled exuberance.

 

Cut velvets, damasks, jewel-like colours, such as emerald and ruby, as well as baroque-style swirls and contours, all imbue a room with glamour and grandeur. The trick is to find just the right balance between glitzy and austere. Serendipitously, the launch of Trelise Cooper’s collection of soft furnishing textiles has synchronised with our growing appetite for this style. Inspired by Lake Como, Italy, her sumptuous range features silk embroideries and antique printed velvets. Flocked fabrics are appearing on the horizon too. Osborne & Little’s Best in Show is a fine example of the genre. It depicts clear-cut silhouettes of favourite dog breeds in black flock on a pale silk and cotton background – sure to make a statement in any room.

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Baxter wing chair $2000 ($2800 including Chic Seal fabric by Michael Woods) from Montreux Furniture; chair cushion fabrics, back to front: Cabriole in Duck Egg/ Driftwood by Designers Guild POA from Icon; Honeycombe in Green by Voyage POA from James Dunlop; lime fringed tie-back $180 from Warwick; other accessories as above.

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Anjolie fabric drop in Aubergine by Zoffany POA from Icon; chair fabric on left ‘Taramana’ by Osborne & Little POA from Mokum; mirror by FAL Bagni di Lucca $830 from Sarsfield; on mantelpiece: white Ciara vase $48 from Redcurrent; purple Nula vase $149 from Nest; Seto vase in Charcoal $75 from Capulet; chair fabrics on right: front covered in Radnor by Osborne & Little, back covered in Lorca Darius damask, both POA from Mokum; cushion fabric Sinan POA from Unique Fabrics; ‘Max’ side table by Antonella Italia $819 from Sarsfield; on table: small purple votive $19.95 from Capulet; Nula vase $120 from Nest.

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Table, chairs and accessories as before; on left chair: Sabi Palm fabric drop $98/m from Unique Fabrics; cushion fabrics, from top: Beau in Printemps by Trelise Cooper POA from Charles Parsons; Maestro in Passion $89.95/m from James Dunlop; on right chair: Mary Isobel fabric drop in Wine/Linen by Morris and Co POA from Textilia; floor cushion fabric Corda in Moss POA from Textilia.

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The bling thing is still happening but always as part of the detail of a design rather than an overall effect. Think tasteful reflective properties rather than over-the-top rap star chic. The background fabric may possess a quiet sheen or a few shiny threads may be woven into an otherwise matt material. Metallic embroidery continues the trend. A case in point is Carlucci’s Suleyman fabric, which boasts golden paisley designs embroidered on cerise – very Bollywood. We’ve also noted a distinct shift along the precious metal spectrum from silver to gold and platinum.

 

Brown, with its staid almost institutional image, has never been a colour to set hearts racing. But this season ushers in a palette of warm and seductive browns – more the voluptuous shade of dairy milk chocolate than the mundane colour of mud. These new browns are at their best mixed with brights such as crimson, lime and teal. If brown still makes you frown then consider charcoal or taupe paired with metallic silver or soft dove grey. Sarah Marks, Kas New Zealand’s national sales and marketing manager, says that chartreuse – perfect for combining with blues and neutrals – will continue over from the summer range and purple will make an appearance as a highlight colour applied sparingly within a fabric’s design. Blues are well represented, from oily navy and royal blue to dark aqua. Watch too for earthy greens, such as warm olive and forest, reflecting fashion’s ever-growing eco-awareness.

 

Stop right there if your idea of a stripe is subtle ticking and orderly pinstripes. Stripes have been reinvented into energetic, stylised forms. Their lines may be wavy and their edges blurred but they’re stripes nonetheless. See Unique Fabrics for Missoni-inspired zigzagged stripes in clashing shades of red, purple, magenta and pink. Cubism rules too, especially in jacquard weaves with the emergence of striking geometric patterns incorporating graphic circles, squares and herringbone motifs.

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Avaree Sage curtain fabric by Trelise Cooper POA from Charles Parsons; sofa covered in Nicolette in Honey Blush by Trelise Cooper POA from Charles Parsons; sofa cushion fabrics, left to right: Antoinette in Green Tea by Trelise Cooper POA from Charles Parsons; Snowtree Silk by Colefax & Fowler POA from Atelier; on the table, left to right: Seto vase in Charcoal $75, Seto vase in Mud $75 and Rhodes planter (small) $35, all from Capulet; floor cushion fabrics, top to bottom: Hero in Pear $69.95/m from James Dunlop; Arina (upside down) in Raspberry by Designers Guild POA from Icon. Photographed at Molly’s, coffee table and other accessories Molly’s own.

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Ultimately, in soft furnishing treatments it’s the details that move with the trends. For cushions a casual self-edging effect is gathering momentum – sort of a doubled-over, gently ruched continuation of the main fabric. Consider placing trims such as fringes and bobbles on just the two short opposite ends of rectangular cushions rather than all around. And oversized tie-backs and lavish tassels with braiding and diamantes are the ultimate accessories for glamorous floor-length curtains.

 

Advances in technology have seen new and improved fabrics emerge. It used to be easy to identify a polyester fabric by its appearance and feel. But, according to Jim Terrell of Charles Parsons, sophisticated new manufacturing processes mean that many polyesters can now trick the eye and the fingertips. That’s good news for those who have a taste for silk on a polyester budget as well as those whose light-filled rooms require beautiful fabrics with resilience to UV attack. At the other end of the spectrum, natural fibres are well represented by fabrics composed of flax and bamboo. Insiders predict the release of a one hundred per cent bamboo fabric that looks like velvet. A company called Hemptech also offers a range of hemp furnishing fabrics that would please Nandor Tanczos: the fibres aren’t just environmentally friendly, they are also durable and UV-resistant.

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