Typically the décor of a
house is characterized by the soft furnishing used. It is the soft furnishings
that lends the colour 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 colors 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 colors. 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 home.
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.Woollen 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 a 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 Interior Designer Ranjit Naik, “whatever be the choice, it is important to
blend the colors 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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