Monday's Lesson: Kilim Fabric 101

We all know I love a tribal /traveller interior and personally I don’t think there is another fabric that conveys this feeling more than Kilim. It screams 'oh look at me, I travel the world and collect beautiful things', which is the basis for both the Martin Lawrence Bullard and Andrew Martin fabric collections, and what do they both feature? Kilim!
                    
Originating in the Middle East with origins dating back to 2500BC, Kilim was the first step in the creation of today’s rugs. A flat woven tapestry, Kilim is produced by tightly interweaving dyed cotton or wool weft [horizontal] strands in and out of the warp [vertical] strands and then weaving them back on themselves rather than only taking it the one way across, to produce a flat surface with no pile. With no pile to protect the strands they were a fragile option for use as rugs and hence the evolution to the creation of rugs with pile. Used for a myriad of purposes including wall hangings, prayer mats, camel blankets and eating mats, today Kilims are commercially produced and are a weighty, chunky textile used in all facets of interior decoration.

What are your thoughts?

Amazing! I love the balance of the heavy Kilim upholstered sofa paired back with the plain upholstered sofa in a large uninterfering space.

Linwood Collection of Kilim fabrics

World traveller - Kilim scatter cushions with a traditional Suzani bedspread

Andrew Martin Kilim - Chinook

Beautiful Kilim upholstered ottoman, great subtle colour.

I love how I just want to look at everything in this image, the Kilim scatter cushions, dark walls and sheep skin throw just make you think it is going to be interesting. 

Beautiful tailored Kilim occasional chairs. Due to the weight and thickness of Kilim fabrics you are generally limited to more straight line or soft curve upholstery pieces.

Andrew Martin Kilim - Corrientes

Amazing Kilim bedspread, subtle colours. [Rach, this is one I would have picked you liking, am I right?]

Kilim floor scatter cushions.

Beautiful Kilim scatter cushion. Love the collection of textures in this room.

For more ways to incorporate traditional Kilim fabrics into your interior, check out my Pinterest board http://pinterest.com/bobbinscissors/pattern-101-kilim/

Living with colour, can you do it?

I love looking at colourful interiors, but can you live in them? Especially if you don't have kids? [I say this because I think that once you have kids, colour and mess go hand in hand - more liveable]

Don’t get me wrong I love colour it’s just that every time I have a little colour [I don’t mean soft colour, I mean bold, bright colour and a mixture of it not all matchy matchy, that I can live with!] around I get tired of it quickly. I wonder if maybe it’s just not the right mix of colour, or maybe there’s not enough of it or maybe I am one of the lucky ones that gets to have colour around me every day and just need a rest in a neutral oasis when I get home, I don’t know?

I am back to my old theory, I am meant to have more than one house, one for every style and colour palette I love. What’s your take on living with colour, is it long term?

Even just looking at this image my eye doesn't know where to rest. I love it, it's fun but long term I think I would get a headache.

Love the painted ceiling. The mix of yellow, green, red and pink, I don't know.

This is as close as I think I could get to living in a colour mixed interior, get a load of that rug, sensational!

Kathryn Eileen Boyd Interior.

Alex Papachristidis Interior.

There are so many individual elements I love here. For me it's on the verge of liveable. You?

For more amazing bright and bold colour filled interiors, check out my Pinterest board http://pinterest.com/bobbinscissors/style-living-with-colour/

Monday's Lesson: Matelasse` Fabric 101

I told you it would only be one slip up, here we are another Monday and here is our Lesson 101, this week on Matelassé fabric. This is especially for my good friend Kerry who recently discovered what it was called yet still can't pronounce it....... mat-las-ay.

Matelassé is a French word meaning 'quilted', 'padded' or 'cushioned' and it is an amazing optical illusion. It has the appearance of a padded fabric yet there is no padding, it is purely the quilted stitching that provides the illusion.

Matelassé is made to mimic the hand stitched Marseilles quilts made in Provence, France and can be achieved by hand, loom or quilting machine. Commonly made using 100% cotton, Matelassé fabric and can be used for relaxed slip covered upholstery, drapery and most commonly bedspreads and the best thing is that it generally improves with every wash as it softens and relaxes.

Amazing Dwell Studio Matelasse` Duvet. Great contemporary twist in the oval design of the quilting.

Beautiful Matelasse` tablecloth.

Kravet Diamond Matelasse`

Gorgeous Matelasse` daybed duvet in the traditional shabby chic styling.

Damask Matelasse Slip Covered Upholstery.

Robert Allen Tracing Nature Colour Azure.

Robert Allen Jali Lattice Colour Slate.

Lemon cream Matelasse` upholstered occasional chair, very cute dimensions.

Banquet Seating [preferably not the vinyl type]

You know that feeling when you walk into a café/restaurant, notice they have banquet seated tables, go ‘yippee’ inside and make a dash for the one free and then fight your date for the bench seat rather than the chair? Well today it happened in Nandos of all places. All I wanted was to sit, slouch, and relax for five while I had lunch on the run, I made a beeline for a six seater table with banquet on one side and chairs on the other and enjoyed my little lonesome lunch.

Lunch got me thinking that although the vinyl wouldn't be my first choice I do love how relaxed and comfortable a bench seat makes dining feel and how inviting they are when you picture your friends and family all seated around. To me they evoke a relaxed, comfortable, long lunch feel, it’s not meant to be a quick stop! I think today cemented it, come kitchen/dining remodelling time I may just have to build one into the plan.

This is superb! A very refined approach to banquet seating. Love the studding and buttoning detail. Would love to see how they have made this work into the kitchen island behind.

This here would be the waste of a day for me, curled up, sconce light on, good book, coffee, biscuit and a throw rug please. I love that it's not meant for dining but rather a reading nook.

Perfect solution for the family beach house, would work brilliantly in Indoor/Outdoor fabric, wet bums are no problem!

This would have to be one of the best uses of a small space, that looks like dining for 6-7.

Gorgeous reading nook, love the contrast piping, just adds extra accent to the unusual shape.

I love the continuation of the cabinetry, great storage idea!

I love the colour in this image, it's not necessarily my taste but I love how all the different pieces, patterns and colours come together to create a very refined style.

A different take on the banquet, set extra high with a bar table for a relaxed entertaining area.

Not true banquet seating but rather loveseat sofas used to create the same look and I love it!

For more ideas on how you can build banquet seating into your interior, check out my Pinterest board http://pinterest.com/bobbinscissors/application-banquet-seating/

Monday's Lesson: Outdoor Fabric 101

See what happens, give the girl a reward and everything starts to slip, Monday’s traditional 101 lesson gets posted on Tuesday, it’s all downhill from here folks! No only joking, promise just the one slip up. I was out last night for a family reunion dinner with the lovely Scott family which was too good to turn down and hence our Monday lesson is posted Tuesday, can you forgive me?

Anyway back on topic, I thought we might take a break from pattern and have a look at outdoor fabrics. In our Australian climate they are something we should all be investing in for our outdoor living spaces but also for our sunny indoor light-filled rooms and high traffic areas like the rumpus. Advancements in outdoor fabrics have come in leaps and bounds so let’s look at what is out there.



Beautiful azure blue outdoor setting with contrast white piping. Love the yellow accent and the styling, simple, stylish and all completely outdoor!

The original outdoor fabrics were made from Polypropylene, a man-made plastic polymer that when mixed with a UV inhibitor and flurochemicals created a yarn suitable for milling into outdoor fabrics. Polypropylene outdoor fabrics are durable, UV resistant and some of the cheapest outdoor fabrics available on the market, however they are plastic to feel, rigid and limited in range.

Next in line is Olefin. A synthetic fibre similar to Polypropylene, Olefin creates durable, colourfast, mildew and stain resistant outdoor fabrics with a softer and more comfortable feel under hand. Olefin outdoor fabrics are priced reasonably on the market and are best utilised in protected outdoor situations rather than in direct sunlight for increased longevity.

For direct sunlight applications a 100% solution dyed acrylic outdoor fabric is the best option. They are a more expensive but will outlast any other outdoor fabric in colourfastness as well as being mould and mildew resistant, soil and stain resistant and most importantly soft, comfortable and breathable. Outdoor acrylic fabrics are often classified as indoor/outdoor due to their softness and ability to be utilised indoors without feeling like they should be outdoors.

Amazing outdoor conversational lounge upholstered in Trina Turk outdoor fabrics by Schumacher.

So there you have it, a quick rundown on outdoor fabrics. The most important thing to remember when working with fabric outdoors, particularly when upholstering is that the fabric is only as good as the foam behind it. Outdoor reticulated foam is essential and even though generally a firmer feel, it means that water will pass straight through rather than pool and cause mildew and mould.

Cote D'Azur Outdoor collection by Schumacher

Zepel UVPRO Get Out Outdoor Collection

Amazing Moroccan feel outdoor area, I love the combination of patterns and how the black grounds the whole area. The depth of the seat is great and so enticing to sprawl out and relax!

Even though this looks like an enclosed outdoor area it is still a great place to utilise outdoor fabric, fade resistant and stain resistant! Love the drapes also from outdoor fabric.

Contemporary outdoor setting, love the mix of black and yellow and the customised umbrella!

Trink Turk Outdoor Collection by Schumacher

Outdoor fabric is not just limited to upholstery, it's also available as sheer drapery and in decorative trim.

If you’re interested in more ways to incorporate outdoor fabrics into your space, check out my Pinterest board http://pinterest.com/bobbinscissors/fabric-101-outdoor/