Soft Furnishings Ideas

The decor of every home needs to be reinvented every now and again and with the huge variety of soft furnishings available to you it can be an easy and fun project to undertake.  You should find it an easy task to make your home more stylish and individual.

Each individual household is designed according to the requirements and style of the person living there.  Culture, age group and personal preferences are all factors that contribute to making one home different from another.  Heavy furnishings like furniture and fixtures can be hard to replace generally because of the high costs involved.  Soft furnishings on the other hand are affordable and can allow you to make over your home with every change of the seasons.

The fundamental parts of home decor are things like bed linen, tapestry, cushions, upholstery, table covers, curtains and rugs.  By making the right use of these soft furnishings you can add colour and zest to your home.  His can also be done by choosing the right fabrics, prints and colours.  Think about things like the stitching on pillows and cushions as trends change from time to time.

Traditional and more formal home decor puts a lot of emphasis on the embellishment of soft furnishings.  The use of rich colours mixed with gold give off a more formal and stylish look and a combination of bright colours and rich fabrics like silk and brocade will accentuate your stylish living. If you are interested in more formal decor then things like heavily worked cushions and table tops are perfect for you.

When purchasing a rug you should make sure that it compliments the colour theme you have. Rugs can be oriental or plain and be pure wool or synthetic, there is a huge choice out there.  If you have upholstery or tapestry these are easy to change and by doing this you can create an entirely new effect in your home.  Bare walls can give the impression of an empty room and wall hangings are a good way to prevent this.

Curtains are the most prominent and essential feature of any room.  You can also show off your individuality by choosing the right set of curtains.  Keep in mind the size of your windows as curtains for a large house with big windows can be more elaborate whereas in a small apartment they will detract from your decor.  If you have a sea view through your window then using sheer curtains is a wonderful idea, otherwise beautiful curtains in bright colours are a good alternative if you wish to hide the outside view.  There is such a wide variety of curtains that you will be able to cater to your own personal requirements and different rooms.

Some important tips for purchasing modern curtains

Adding curtains to the windows in your home can add a lot of character and not just to the window, but the entire room. Simply by changing the curtains and the way they are styled you can completely change the look of a room. It is also a lot cheaper to change the curtains then to re-decorate a whole room!

Nowadays modern design uses a lot of neutral whites, beiges and greys and these colours also make great curtains.  Cotton curtains are a classic style and you can maximise their effect by draping the fabric.  Choose curtains that make use of interesting textures and don’t create a stark look.  Fabrics like silk are timeless and provide sheen and luxury to your existing decor.  For the ultimate textured modern curtains use natural materials such as grass cloth or bamboo.

There are a few things you should keep in mind when shopping for modern curtains.

Firstly make sure you measure your window with measuring tape.  You will also need to decide whether you want your curtains to fall to the window sill or all the way to the floor.  Make a note of the measurements you have taken and remember to allow for extra length for tabs and pleats and also allow room for shrinkage.  For narrower windows you could go for a single, wide curtain instead of making the window feel cluttered with two curtains.

The style of modern curtain you choose should be a reflection of your current decor.  There is a wide variety to choose from and you can choose casual, semi-formal or formal modern curtains.  The variations within each of these styles are many.  If you are looking for curtains that are easy to install then I would suggest tab tops or eyelet curtains, these also look great in a kitchen.  For a more formal room like a living room or dining room then ideally you need to choose a semi-formal or formal style of curtain.  A pleated curtain would be perfect for this type of room.

Modern curtains come in a variety of fabrics including both natural and man-made.  There is such a wide array and you can choose from organza, silk, cotton, taffeta and voile curtains.  The best idea is to take samples of the different fabrics and check them against the furnishings you already have to make sure they match.  Curtains are multi-functional and as well as bringing style and elegance to room they also give you privacy.  With such a wide variety of fabrics and styles available it is a good idea to explore all your options before you decide to buy a pair of modern curtains.

Furnishing Studio: Help you choose best Soft Furnishing for Your Home

Soft furnishings are the accessories that you choose for the rooms in your house to help co-ordinate the decor.  They can include anything from cushions, pillows and throws.  If you wanted to add soft furnishings to your kitchen for example, you could make hard wooden chairs more comfortable by adding some padded cushions to the seats.  These cushions could be covered in the same material as your kitchen curtains.   You can buy cushions that have tabs or ties which are used to secure them to the chairs.

When it comes to soft furnishings in your living room there are many options.  To add a decorative touch to the room you could throw cushions onto the sofa.  Choose a colour that contrasts the colour of your sofa so they stand out from the sofa itself.  These decorative cushions also look great in the bedroom and can come in various shapes and sizes, such as heart shape, round or in a bolster pillow.  Throws are another type of soft furnishing, you can have them folded over the end of the bed or over a chair or sofa.  They can also double up as a blanket when you want to snuggle up and watch television.  The use of a rug or carpet is also considered a soft furnishing and can completely change the feel of a room and add a feeling of luxury.

There are certain things you need to keep in mind when choosing your soft furnishings.  The most important is co-ordination. Make sure your soft furnishings are co-ordinated with the colour scheme of the room.  Look at different materials to add texture to a room.  Be aware of who is going to be using the room.  For instance if you have small children you may not want to choose light colours or materials and covers that cannot be removed and washed.  Cushion with zippered covers that can be removed and are machine washable would be ideal in this situation.

Soft furnishings are not expensive and you can change the whole look and feel of a room with a few well placed soft furnishings.   The use of soft furnishings can add character and mood to a room but be careful that they don’t become the focal point of the room.  If you want some help furnishing your office or home there is a company called Furnishings Studio who are more than qualified to help.  They can help you decorate to your taste but also offer their technical expertise and flair. 

Attractive & Quality Modern Blinds

As a homeowner wishing to give your home a more contemporary and up-to-date feel, it can be a challenge to blend your traditional style with more modern elements without having to undertake expensive renovations.  Using modern window blinds is a more effective and affordable solution.  Modern blinds come in a huge variety of material and styles which make it easy for anyone wanting to introduce a more modern feel to coordinate colours, textures and fabrics with their existing decor.

Using detailed and fussy furnishings can draw the eye to these furnishings alone, whereas using the clean, contemporary lines of modern blinds can direct the eye to take in the room as a whole.  Modern blinds can also give an added feeling of spaciousness to a room and if you use splashes of colour they can also serve as a focal point for the room. Using a modern blind can immediately add a modern touch to a room and if coordinated with the room’s colour scheme can expand the feeling of space.  By choosing a colour that matches the most predominant colour in the room it can instantly make a room appear open and airy.

Another important factor is the choice of material for your modern blind.  Metallic and glossy materials are often associated with contemporary design and so are natural woods.  By using these materials and mixing them with a tailored material such as suede, using upholstery, pillows and draperies you are able to extend that modern look throughout the room.  You really do not need to replace all your furnishings to achieve the modern look you want.  Quality modern blinds will give an instant contemporary feel and will keep an up-to-date feeling in your home for many years to come.

Modern blinds are both practical and versatile.  Some are washable in your washing machine and others, like ones made from wood can be wiped clean with a damp sponge or cloth.  If you want to control warmth, magnify daylight, prevent dust and cut out unwanted noise then modern blinds are definitely the way forward for you.  Modern blinds are very important and can help to conserve money, accentuate a room’s decor and even stop spying eyes.

There is an amazing home furnishing company called Furnishings Studio.  They have a wonderful collection of modern blinds available that can be made to fit any type of window.  All their fabric blinds are hand finished and the structured blinds are all bespoke.