Fabric Trends, Tidbits and Tips on Mixing Patterns

November 21, 2013 by Stoney Creek Furniture

Fabric and upholstery are the “fashion” of a room. Just like our clothes create an image, the fabric choices you make when decorating your home give it style, character and express your unique taste. Like your fashion personality, your home can be “funky”, “proper”, “bohemian”, “charming”, “romantic”, etc. It’s up to you! One of the best things about fabric and upholstery is that typically, you can make changes without a huge investment. It’s a wonderful way to keep your home dynamic and interesting. 

Burton by Jonathan Louis

Burton by Jonathan Louis

A recent visit to the Interior Decorating Show in Toronto was a great source of inspiration! Jane Lockhart, renowned decorating guru, offered some of her insights about fabrics.

Here are just a few of Jane’s “did you knows” about fabric…

  • During tough economic times, we decorate with more neutral fabric (and decor) colours; when brighter colours return, it signals optimism and prosperity.
  • Want to be totally on trend? Colours making a comeback include aqua, blue, teal, burgundy, salmon/coral, yellow, jewel tones, gold and black. Velvet and ikat are the latest “in” fabrics.
  • What you see on the runway will be in your home! The design industry looks to fashion for inspiration and trends.

What about fabric durability? Here are some of Jane Lockhart’s suggestions…

  • Although cotton is beautiful, look at the fibre content of the fabric and go for a mix with acrylic and polyester for durability.
  • Line your drapery with cotton muslin or blackout liner. It will make your drapery appear more substantial AND it will protect it from damaging sunlight.
  • Micro-fibre actually is polyester at 1/100 thickness of human hair. Consider it for high traffic areas that get a lot of wear and tear.

Mixing fabric colours and patterns

One of the biggest decor challenges is how to coordinate fabrics and colours. Here are our Top 10 Ways to Mix Fabric and Pattern:

  1. Use one colour as your foundation. Mix the patterns, but unify with a strong colour to anchor the look.
  2. Choose a perfect pattern. Start with one pattern you love and pull colours from it to use for accent fabrics throughout your room.
  3. Use complementary colours. Check a colour wheel – opposite colours work well together (example, pink and soft green).
  4. Pick one colour. Choose one colour and use bright and subdued shades of it throughout a room.
  5. White goes with everything. The most basic (and very beautiful) decor scheme is white and one other colour.
  6. Start simple. Florals and stripes work well together and are easy to blend, even for a novice decorator.
  7. Limit yourself to 3 patterns in any room. Any more than that will be overwhelming.
  8. Scale. Add width or height to furniture, windows, etc. with horizontal or vertical stripes on fabric.
  9. Keep proportion in mind. The scale of room should influence the size of your pattern – smaller room, more delicate patterns; larger rooms, go bigger and bolder.
  10. Vary pattern size. Keep point 9 in mind, but don’t choose all very small or all large patterns. Mix them up, small, medium and larger.

Remember that fabric is like fashion, so you don’t want to get in a rut. Have fun and be creative; keep your home vibrant and fresh. It may be as easy as adding some new throw pillows, new curtains or new upholstery on your ottoman!

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Jonathan Louis Furniture… the Foundation for Mixing Old & New

November 15, 2013 by Stoney Creek Furniture

Today the number 1 rule of decorating is no rules. It is so refreshing to make our homes truly our own, without constantly editing to meet the requirements of a particular style.

Carlin by Jonathan Louis

Carlin by Jonathan Louis

About Jonathan Louis Furniture

Jonathan Louis living room furniture understands and embraces the “no rules” sentiment. They create furniture that accommodates the “self-made” designer – those of us who choose to decorate our own homes, but don’t want to sacrifice the wow factor. The trick is in giving us options – lots of them! With Jonathan Louis, you choose an arm, a seat and a base style for your sofa, chairs and other pieces, and then you choose fabrics. It’s a totally custom look that’s uniquely yours, but you still have the assurance that everything is developed to go together beautifully. You can create your own style with complete confidence. And there are so many choices.

Neptune by Jonathan Louis

Neptune by Jonathan Louis

Contrasting and Complementary

Jonathan Louis is the kind of living room furniture that you can proudly showcase at the most formal party and still feel comfy relaxing on watching TV on cold winter nights. It’s decidedly contemporary, yet with a nod to tradition. It has sleek, strong lines, yet some tufting and pillows to add coziness and charm. It’s truly elegant and upscale, yet comfortable and practical. You’ll be inspired by how it blends modern and traditional styling effortlessly. How can you achieve that throughout your home? 

Brennan by Jonathan Louis

Brennan by Jonathan Louis

Here are some “blending” suggestions:

Wood beams, floors and ceilings. If you like an eclectic style, use wood to anchor it. Is there anything more perfect than reclaimed hardwood flooring with the age and use showing beautifully? What about dark wood ceiling beams? (They are more affordable than you think) And then there’s my favourite – the hardwood “floor” ceiling. It’s startlingly spectacular – and makes any room a showroom. (Keep the floor simple if you hardwood the ceiling!)

White as a backdrop. It’s amazing how often white is the answer. To blend furniture styles, choose white as the wall and trim background. (It looks gorgeous with hardwood ceilings or floors.) White keeps the background neutral, making it easy to be more experimental with your furniture.

The “over time” look. Beautiful, eclectic rooms aren’t shipped from a factory, they are built over time. To give your room this look, blend pieces and accessories from different periods and sources. Blend in antiques. Use some stunning new pieces. Find accessories from flea markets and boutiques. It may take a little longer – but it’s worth it.

Make fabric your friend. As we mentioned, Jonathan Louis gives you great fabric versatility. Continue that trend by reupholstering some of your existing pieces (or reclaimed antique treasures) in a complementary fabric. Fabric can unify the most diverse looks.

Lombardy by Jonathan Louis

Lombardy by Jonathan Louis

Go eclectic.  Every now and then buy something wacky that you love and build it into your individual style. My friend has a painting of the Eiffel Tower from the 1960’s, complete with an olive green velvet matte. It may sound like an odd piece but it suits her place perfectly. It hangs in her hallway with a repainted black frame and is a true reflection of her personal style. It looks great and is definitely not cookie-cutter art!

The moral of the story is, you don’t have to be a slave to a period style, but you do have to ground your eclectic look through theme, colour or structural elements. Other than that, have fun!

PS Jonathan Louis Furniture is a perfect foundation to build contemporary with traditional and create your one-of-a-kind home. Keep in mind they also have smaller scaled pieces to fit your condo or small city bungalow!

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Holiday House Tour – November 8 to 10: Ideas and Inspiration

November 8, 2013 by Stoney Creek Furniture

Holiday House Tour 2013 revisedThe holiday season is just around the corner – and there’s no better way to start feeling festive than by attending the Holiday House Tour in support of the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington. The tour’s focus is all about viewing beautiful homes in Ancaster, Burlington and Hamilton. Each one is uniquely and exquisitely decorated for the holidays. But the Holiday House Tour is so much more than that! Drop by and you’ll have the opportunity to take your passion for design – and for the festive season – to a whole new level.

holiday house tour

Forestvale home – decor by Stoney Creek Furniture

So Much to See and Do

HOLIDAY HAMPERS – Bring along a non-perishable food item when you visit any of the holiday homes. Items collected in the Holiday Hampers will be used to fill community food cupboards. At this time of year it’s especially important to be give what you can to help those less fortunate have a happy holiday.

FIREFIGHTERS – Hamilton Firefighters Local 288 and Burlington Fire Dept. Local 1552 will be greeting guests at the Tour homes. Yes, ladies, that’s another reason to attend!

DESIGN DEMOS – New this year! Design Demonstrations show you how to make your home a show stopper this holiday season. Find out what’s new and trendy and how to make it part of your home holiday decorating. Design experts will share their best tips for tree trimming, mantle and staircase decorating, creating inviting table settings and fabulous centrepieces as well as pointers for entertaining and holiday baking. Classes are held at Marquis Dreamstore: A 7000 sq ft Christmas showroom located two minutes off the Fruitland Road exit on the QEW.

DINE WITH A DISCOUNT – After the Tour, have a delicious meal at a great discount. Select restaurants are offering 15% off to Tour attendees. Offer valid from November 8th to 30th. Visit www.holidayhousetour.ca for details.

holiday house tour

Forestvale home – decor by Stoney Creek Furniture

Stoney Creek Furniture is a Proud Sponsor 

The photos here are just a sample of our designs and what you’ll see. Stunning furniture, stylish accessories, the latest colour palettes, window treatments, floor treatments – these spectacular homes are dressed to the max. Keep in mind that while the theme is holiday decorating, you’ll find ideas on the Home Holiday Tour that you can use all year round.

About the Junior League

With roots dating back to 1901, the Junior League was originally begun in New York to improve the health and literacy of immigrant children. A women’s organization, Junior League is now in 4 countries with more than 155,000 members. Still dedicated to helping families, Junior League is constantly finding new ways to lead and contribute to positive change in their communities.

The Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington was started in 1934, providing valuable community services as well as enhancing the development of its members.

Forestvale home - decor by Stoney Creek Furniture

Forestvale home – decor by Stoney Creek Furniture

Tickets

Tickets for the Holiday House Tour are still available at the door. For more information:

www.holidayhousetour.ca

905.525.1077

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When to Splurge (and Save) on Home Purchases

November 7, 2013 by Stoney Creek Furniture

Few of us can afford the best of everything for our homes – and even if we can – it just feels good to spend wisely. What’s most important is savouring the pleasure of living in a well appointed, comfortable and functional home. Don’t you agree? So whether you’re updating a single room or decorating an entire house from scratch, here are some things to consider as you make major (and small!) purchases for your home.

How hard does it work? Perhaps this is the best guideline for determining when to spend and when to save. If an item gets lots of use in your home and needs to stand the test of time, SPLURGE. If it’s something that just needs to look good, won’t get much use and will go out of style, SAVE.

Mattress. The ultimate splurge item. A good night’s sleep is priceless. Choose from pillow top, memory foam, firm mattresses, innerspring mattresses, adjustable beds and more. P.S. I think quality linens are a justifiable splurge too!

Adagio by Hooker Furniture

Dining Table. Choose one that you love of timeless design and quality craftsmanship. Chairs may come and go, but your table can be a centrepiece for decades.

Lighting. A well lit room makes everything sparkle. Choose high end ceiling lighting, especially in key rooms like the living room, dining room and foyer. Go lower end for lamps and sconces that you’re more likely to replace.

Jura by Palliser

Sofa. If you have children, you already know that you need to splurge on a good quality sofa. Choose a durable fabric that is stain resistant. Leather is a good choice for many families. The frame should be made of a hardwood and at least an inch and a quarter thick. The foam should have a density of at least 1.8 pounds per cubic foot.

Faucets. Choose the finest that you can afford. Not only will they perform better, but you can make an entire bathroom or kitchen look high end with spectacular taps.

Floors. Nothing works harder in your home than the flooring! Gorgeous solid wood floors are an investment that will pay off when you sell your home, but they’re also wonderful to enjoy right now. They are classic. Splurge.

Caracole - Naturally Casual

Special Furniture. Not every piece needs to be an investment, but sometimes a distinctive or special item is worth the splurge. Maybe it’s a dresser or a headboard or a hall table – if you really love it – go for it.

Art. Some will argue, but for many of us, art is not just for decor, it’s for the soul. So if a piece of sculpture or a painting or an extraordinary antique armoire moves you, take the plunge and splurge. You will take pleasure in it for years.

Countertops. Cupboards are important but countertops are the workhorses! I’m of the opinion that you can save on cupboards and dress them up with stylish hardware, but splurge on countertops. Go for the granite you’re dreaming of. It will look and wear beautifully.

Safety. Keeping your family, your home and your valuables protected is priority one. Always choose the best alarm system and security you can afford – as well as quality smoke and gas detectors.

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