Typically the decor of a house is
characterized by the soft furnishing used. It is the soft furnishings that
lends the color and cheer, underscores the richness of the display. Even the
most mediocre of furniture can come alive when accentuated by a lively and rich
fabric.
The array of soft furnishings
available is mind boggling, with multiple hues, rich fabric and fabulous designs
marking their varieties.
The kind of soft furnishing to be
use depends on the nature of the furniture on display, its colours and how
expensive it is.
Soft furnishing encompasses the
fabric used for the seating arrangement. The cushions thrown on them, rugs and
curtains on display.
Budget
Constraint
If the interiors are done up on a
budget constraint, an intelligent choice of furniture would be cane.
The cane
furniture has however, both high end as well as low end varieties.
The Indian cane is the cheapest
and will suit a very tight budget. To camouflage the cheapness of the
furniture, cushions in striking colours like shocking pink can be used.
Says Interior Designer Aarti Sud,
“Even the cheapest of furniture can be made to look fabulous by using gorgeous
upholstery and striking colours. An ethnic painting with a good quality frame
would accentuate this effect further.”
Instead of woolen carpets,
durries can be used, as they are cheaper and also easy to maintain. Jute blinds
can be used for curtains as they “complement the cane and add to the ethnic
look.”
The trick is to use deep colors
for cheap furniture, says Aarti Sud, “Contrasting cushions such as in pink, gold, blue and contrasting
durries in three to four shades against a white or cream colored wall would
give a rich look to the setting. Here, the entire picture is set by the soft
furnishing used rather than the furniture.”
The magic
of wood
Wood suits a mid-sized budget
very well. With complementing wooden accessories, the setting is best
accentuated when colors like gold, maroon, navy blue and rust are used for the
fabric. Paintings too look better against this background when covered with
gold frames.
Woolen carpets are ideal for
this setting. “Durries will be out of place here as the wood has a rich look
and needs a rug that complements it”, says Sud.
Instead of silk for curtains,
poly silk can be used as they fall well. “Silk is expensive and would blend
well with a high-end decor that includes leather and antique setting,” she
says. She suggests combining this with sheers to enhance the setting. “Sheers
come in machine embroidery too and they add to the richness.”
If floral printed sheers are to
be used, she advocates restricting to sheers alone. “This gives a floral look
besides saving on the curtains.”
Leather and antique furniture
forms the top-end segment, with leather on most occasions being of the imported
variety. The soft furnishing used here is certainly of the high-end collection
with mostly silk marking the fabric.
“The leather sofas mostly opted
for in a living room is of the cream. White or green range and this is
heightened by using an assortment of silk cushions, complemented by silk rugs. Occasionally a silk throw in
attractive colours further enhances this rich look,” says Sud.
Aesthetics
When there are two or more
seating arrangements that need to be segregated, they can be done so by using a
silk screen instead of wood. “This adds colour to the section.” She says.
Says Interior Designer Ranjit
Naik, “whatever be the choice, it is important to blend the colours and fabric
well. The decor has to blend with the scheme of things, ensuring aesthetics as
well as functionality.”
According to him, currently,
there are plenty of fabrics that look and feel like the real thing, but is
imitation and suits a tight budget.
Thus, if you aspire to have leather seating, but cannot afford one, “you
could go for imitation leather or use poly fabrics that look like silk.”
To cater to the budget
constraint, he also advocates the use of local products such as jute, Khadhi
“which are cheaper but lend a very ethnic look.
If these are used appropriately,
in a concept, the effect can be stunning. And their prices are extremely
reasonable.” He points to the banana fibres and hyacinth used in chattais to
reiterate his point.
“If the material is used
effectively, even the cheapest can be made to look classy,” he says.
When it comes to bedrooms, care
should be taken to match the colours used for the bedspreads with the curtains,
cushions and upholstery for the sofas in the lounge area. “If the colours are
not used well, it can be jarring to the eye,” says Sud.
If the wood used for the bed is
dark, it is better to use light shades for the soft furnishing. Alternatively,
light colour wood like pine would look good against bold colours. Even the
mirror frames, dressers, entertainment unit should be in harmony with these
colours. It is best to use neutral shades for the bedside lamps.
The choice of rugs would depend
on the kind of bed used. An expensive four poster bed would necessarily require
a silk rug while a metal bed would fuse very well with durries.
Whatever be the choice, the
colours once again should match the bedding and rest of the room.
If the bedroom is small in size,
it would be ideal to use lighter colours, as it would make the room look bigger
and brighter. A larger room would fit well with dark colours, lending a cosy
look to it.
It is best to avoid silk in a
bedroom, as the fabric should be easy to maintain. “The wash and wear variety
is more practical here, especially form the hygiene point of view,” says Aarti.
She advocates cotton as the best fabric as “synthetic too can cause allergy for
some.”
Wall to wall carpeting in a bedroom
is strictly not to be done as “it collects dust, can cause allergy and is not
hygienic.” It is best to use small rugs beside the bed, in the entertainment
unit and where ever necessary. When it comes to children's bedroom, “cottons in
floral and check design are ideal,” she says. Durries are most practical as
they can be “washed frequently”.
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