Fabric Ideas for Home Interior

There is a day when we look about our home and decide that the interior needs a new face lift. The decision may be based on one or multiple reasons.

Hire an Interior decorator or become a do it yourself interior decorator for fun and adventure.

Three methods for changing or upgrading your room or rooms with fabric:

1. Upgrade one item at a time. Change the color of the curtains, drapes, sofa cover, or throw pillows. The largest piece of fabric which can change the appearance of the room is the carpet.
2. Consider your arts and crafts skills and choose to start with do it yourself projects. This may include making new lamp shade covers, dyeing curtains, recovering throw pillows, designing wall art, making area rugs, and other fabric changes.
3. Re-inventory your old or never used curtains and drapes and fabric stashes hiding in your sewing room and closet. Remove everything from the room and start with a clean slate. Save all curtains, drapes, and fabrics which you are able to recycle or make new projects.
4. Changing color schemes and patterns may also change the theme and atmosphere of the room. Before making other purchases search other rooms in your home for furniture and other decorator articles which may be recycled to another room.

Before you begin to strip your room or rooms plan your new interior. Plan the theme, style, and colors. Look at the colors of the new and the intended recycled fabrics.

Utilize a color wheel to select appropriate color combinations. A simple visual tool for coordinating colors is to use the largest piece of fabric as the foundation color. Place the other fabrics which will be recycled near or on your base fabric. The next largest piece of fabric will be the secondary color.

The dominant color will be the foundation tint for the room. The next largest fabric color will be the secondary color for large pieces and the least color will be for accent accessories. For this fabric description the floor carpet may be predominately beige in color. The secondary color may be blue which will cover large pieces of furniture such as the sofa, and the lesser colors may be orange or green and these would be used for throw pillows, curtains, or table scarves.

Inspiration for color ideas can also be drawn from interior decorating magazines, fashion magazines, and furniture show rooms. Colors affect our emotions and moods; select colors which are pleasant and arouse comfortable feelings.

Grab a pencil and a sheet of paper to write a list of recycled fabric projects. Select the first room which you would like to update.

Observe the fabric covered furniture and replace the most worn out or the colors which are no longer wanted. If you are uncertain about a large piece of furniture, such as the sofa, toss a sheet which has a pattern of stripes, prints, or flowers over the area to test for color and design before making a decision to reupholster, make new slip-covers, or hire a professional to reupholster.

As you shop at various fabric outlets ask if they have...

• Fabric swatches which they loan out for a period of time
• Sample swatches for sale
• Ask if you can return the purchased yardage and receive a refund if the fabric is not suitable.

It takes time to make bed covers, couch and chair covers, pillow case covers, curtains, drapes, lamp shade covers, fabric wall art, and the many other sewing craft projects which can be done to embellish our home accessories.

You may wish to start with the largest projects and work towards the smallest or vice versa. Plan a strategy of action to save many hours. The budget has much to do with the project selection.

DIY projects take time. Pace yourself so that these projects are completed out of love and not as a job trying to meet a deadline.

Curtains and Drapes can change a room as dramatically as a newly painted wall.

Drapes seem to add majesty to a room. Sheer curtains add elegance, fun, or a feminine quality to the room.

A simple curtain or drape is very easy to make. It will require sewing skills if the window treatments are to be more complicated.

There are pattern books available in fabric stores. Or there are instructions found in books, magazines, and online.

The color and texture choice will have a great influence on the atmosphere of the room. The style of furniture and the carpet have much influence over the window treatments.

The fabric in old floor carpeting can be renewed with steam cleaning or chemical dry cleaning. The cleaning can be a diy project or hire a professional to restore carpeting.

There are many products on the market both green or chemical for the homeowner to use to clean and remove stains. The colors of the carpet can be restored with a dyeing process. You will need a professional to do this. Very worn areas can be cut out and replaced with new carpeting.

Make floor coverings or throw rugs from canvas, old bath towels, mismatched tiles, or weave fabric strips into a rug carpet. Hide worn out areas with carpet runners or add another color to the room by using area accent rug sets. This method is affordable on a limited budget.

Carpets which are being manufactured today are affordable and easy to clean. Owning a carpet requires less cleaning than other types of floors. In the long run it is less expensive than other flooring.

People love carpet:

• For the beauty that it adds to a room
• Carpeting adds an image to the room decor
• It feels soft and warm on the soles of our feet
• It helps to insulate a room
• It is slip proof which means less falls
• It is easy to clean and maintain

Your bedroom is your personality, your comfort zone, your quiet nest. Choose colors and fabrics which are relaxing and calming offering a wonderful night of sleep. Let this be the first room to update.

Why? Because after one has done a full day of activities, relaxation and sleep is very important.

Renew white or light pastel bed sheets, pillows, and curtains with die dyeing or unleash the artist in you by designing patterns and fabric painting your sheets, pillowcases, and curtains.

Make a fabric headboard from old comforters, quilts, blankets, or other fabrics of your choosing.

The accessories in the bedroom such as lamp shades, and wall art can be made with fabric.

Invest in a new mattress for good support and comfort. Pillows usually need to be purchased every two years as their support are not long lasting. Mattresses are usually changed every seven years. Awaken in the morning with vitality and readiness to face a new day.