will suit the room and the lifestyle of the

will suit the room and the lifestyle of the people living in the home is the next step. There will be many options available to meet the criterion of the room. Color and pattern are important design elements, but durability and wear are equally addressed. If a client tells me, or I see evidence that they wear out their furniture very quickly, we find a fabric that will be forgiving to stains and wear. There are very durable fabrics available that will lend themselves to all kinds of use. Many of the fabrics I show in the upholstery line have a “Wyzenbeek” number. Wyzenbeek is an industry test of how many rubs a fabric will endure before there are signs of pilling or color change or actual thinning of the fabric. Certain types of chenille fabrics and other soft textures are popular now and are very durable and available in lots of looks. Scotchguard or Teflon finishes are sometimes available for stain resistance. I would not recommend a solid colored fabric for a sofa used by children and pets unless there was a great deal of texture in it to absorb any mishaps. For dressier, less used rooms, the types of fabrics you can choose from include cotton chintzes, damasks and wonderful silks! Blends of synthetics and natural fibers often give the look of a dressy finish without the fragility. Good upholstered furniture will be “flow-matched”, that is the pattern will be matched perfectly from the back to the seat cushions, and then to the deck and the base of the sofa or chair.

Creativity in choice of fabrics can be quite fun. Recent clients of mine asked for something unusual when deciding on four upholstered dining chairs for their eclectic, art filled dining room. The colors black and taupe seemed to be calling to them, but they were having trouble deciding on which fabric to choose. Spontaneously, the husband asked if we could use two fabrics; two chairs would be in one fabric, and two in the other. Then his wife asked if it would be okay to upholster each one in a different fabric. We worked through the process together and ended up with a herringbone, a swirled print, a geometric print and a textured tweed, all in contemporary, coordinated black and taupe colors. It will be outstanding! And unique! Delivery will take place next week and we can’t wait!

So, it’s time to replace the old sofa or chair! Hopefully you have gleaned some information from this article that is helpful! Next time we will go over the options of reupholstering or slip covering, but until then, please call or email with any design concerns you might have.

Lois Kerchner, Interiors by Whitcairn, (540)675-3905, wh i tcairn@aol. com.