Fabrics are the heart and soul of decorating. Fabric adds important elements of comfort to every room by bringing texture, pattern and color to living spaces. Fabricscome in different colors, patterns, weaves, and textures, which influence the
feel and the look that makes them function. The strongest fabrics are tightly woven;
these types are perfect for heavily used furniture. It limits the wear and tear
of the fabric.

Washed rayon chenille is one of today’s most versatile fabrics. This luxuriously soft and highly durable material looks right at home in spacious, contemporary lofts. Rayon also
achieves an abundance of comfort for those who prefer the eminence   of traditional, antique filled rooms.

LEATHER

Resists cracking and tearing, and is the longest-wearing upholstered material. Even better, leather ages gracefully, providing wonderful character and depth. It is easy to maintain, just clean with a damp cloth.

WOOL

Fabric brings warmth. Some wool is scratchy and gives some people the idea that they are "allergic" to wool. Wool fiber comes from a variety of animal coats, not all wool is
scratchy but rather extremely soft. The wool fiber has crimps or curls which
create pockets and gives the wool a spongy feel and creates insulation for the
wearer. The outside surface of the fiber consists of serrated scales that overlap
each other much like the scales of a fish. Wool is the only fiber with such
serration’s which make it possible for the fibers to cling together and produce
felt.

SILK

Is the fabric that makes its own statement. Say "silk" to someone and ask them what do they visualize? No other fabric generates quite the same reaction. Silk has had its reputation
as a luxurious and sensuous fabric for centuries. For those associated with
wealth and success, only had the best silk in their possession. Silk is one of
the oldest textile fibers ever known to man. It has been used by the Chinese
since the 27th century BC. Silk is mentioned by Aristotle and became a valuable
commodity both in Greece and Rome. Silk was sold for its weight in gold.

LINEN

Is elegant, beautiful, and durable. Linen is the refined luxury fabric. Linen is the strongest of the vegetable fibers and has two times the strength of cotton. Linen table cloths and napkins
have been handed down from generation to generation. Not only is linen fiber
strong, but it is smooth. With linen the finished product is always lint free.
China, silver and candles are enhanced by the brilliance of linen which only
gets softer and finer the more it is washed.

Has there ever been a time you have felt uncomfortable in your home? You may have committed a decorating faux pas and not even noticed. Here are some decorating mistakes and solutions that can help you with decorating your home.

• Do you have a focal point?
  A Focal Point focuses specifically on a point of interest which makes a room unique. It could be a wall with art, a sofa with art above it, a fireplace, and it could even be a spectacular view of the outdoors. Each of these can provide your room with a visual anchor that can bring it together as a whole.

• Trying to make an old piece of furniture look new?
  We all want a sofa that will not only continue to look good when times and styles change, but we want one that will hold up like new as time goes by. It is worth saving and buying a new sofa. Although, if you desire to keep the one you have, use your creativity and look for slip covers you can use and change out as the seasons change.

• Using the space you have wisely.
  If you have a sofa that is placed right against the wall, leave about 3 feet of walking space behind it. You can also add a nice sofa back as decoration and place plants and accessories to make it feel cozy. If you have a seating area with a sofa, chairs and a coffee table, leave about 18 inches of scotch room between the leg room and the coffee table. This will create a traffic pattern that lets you enter and walk around the room easily.

• Not sure how to hang your photos?
  The height at which art should be hung is according to your eye level. When spacing art that will be hung right next to each other, leave about 3 to 4 inches of space, or four fingers width. When hanging art all of the headers should be at the same height. This keeps the flow of the room feeling nice.

- Stained Porcelain Sinks and tubs – Rub in Soft Scrub (cleaning product) or baking soda with a toothbrush and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse, repeat if necessary. Sinks can also be re-glazed by a professional.

- Water marks on furniture – coffee grounds mixed with mineral oil can be rubbed into the water mark. Products such as Old English can help repair patchy or faded areas in wood.

- Scratches in wood flooring or furniture can be filled in wax pencils or markers.

- Dents in carpet created from the weight of the furniture can be lifted out by letting an ice cube melt in the dent and fluffing the carpet back up.

- Cabinetry that clear finish has flaked off – Use of a liquid wood conditioner such as Murphy’s oil. In a pinch, baby oil will usually work but test an area first.

- Tub and tile grout can be cleaned with bleach but have your clients test an area first to make sure the bleach does not etch away any surrounding materials.

- Stained carpet – on light colored carpet, one might test liquid bleach with a Q-tip on a small stain. On a pile carpet with a small stain, stained
fibers may be separated and carefully cut out.

http://academyofstaging.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-color-is-your-kitchen.html

I have been reading this book called House Beautiful- Favorite Paint Colors it is by Hearst Magazines- The Ultimate Paint Guide pages 55-58. This is where most of these blogs have been coming from. This book has so many great ideas and advice when it comes to choosing paint colors are questioning certain colors. I want to take the time to show you this article I cam across.

How do you want your room to feel?
Could you fall asleep in a red bedroom? Would you look your best in a blue dining room? It is not enough just to like a color. You need to think of how it will affect you. Every color has the power to make you feel calmer, livelier, prettier, younger, happier, healthier.

Color is sexy, fun, the most important part of decorating. But it is also the most psychological and elusive.

Three things guide us to the perfect color: The people who live there, the space themselves, and geography. The white you would use in California is not the same white you would use in New York. If we succeed, color is not the first thing people notice when they walk into a room. It is just part of a total realization and gets absorbed into the atmosphere and emotion of the space.- Donald Kaufman www.donaldkaufmancolor.com

With this said, please reply to this blog and let everyone know how you would like to feel when you walk into a room and what colors are you seeing in that room to make you feel that way? How would you like your clients to feel if they walked into that same room?

There are many Neutrals that designers love to keep coming back to.

Some designers could paint every room in the house a color called Coconut Skin. This color is a deep mocha with some milk in it. It is cozy and comforting without being childish. Grounding it with pastels, it is weighty with bright colors. Even with a crazy color like lime green, you have a great combination.

What designer does not love a grayish blue as a backdrop? The color blue of a washed out sky just after a storm has passed. Almost anything looks great with Glass Slipper. This color is what neutrals are all about.

The most enduring color is from Benjamin Moore called Papaya. Papaya looks like homemade vanilla ice-cream with a little caramel in it. It looks great with blues, greens, and blue-greens of the sea and sky. There is nothing edgy about it. This color make the room look pretty and beautiful.

Mesquite is a flattering light moss green without much yellow.

A pale gray that does not turn blue or green is the color Horizon. It is the perfect background for many interiors. Blues of course look beautiful against this gray, and so do pinks, lavenders and wood furniture.

It is called Wenge and it is from Benjamin Moore. It is a rich blackish brown, the color of a bitter chocolate with cocoa. A neutral should get along with every color in the fan deck. This color goes with silvery greens and creamy yellows, and is wonderful with red.

Today's color topic is all about Whites.

These are the colors most of us want to come home to. Whites, an entire rainbow of them.

Off whites, cozier and creamier than ever, thanks to new and better
paints. A whole new world of neutrals that turn up the volume with just a
hint of color. Beautiful, interesting, and yet still easy to live with. If you have ver treied to pick a white paint, than you know there is such a thing as too many choices.

If you have a wall with a bow in it or a floor that has settled, use
Strong White. This will make an old room feel graceful rather than brand
new. It has more pigment and therefore more character.

Everything looks great against a true, clear, eye-chilling,
freezing-cold white. It is like a snow blizzard or marshmallows. Use Super White so anything placed in the background projects like technicolor.

It's tough to get a crisp look without being cold. This is where Ivory White does the trick. It is also the most flexible white to work with and works with any color.

Decorators White usually comes across as white- white, yet it is soft rather than harsh. It also works very well with art.

You do not want a highly reflective wall surface if you are going to be hanging a lot of art. China White is a very subtle off-white with a gray tone that helps the art work stand out.

When you are in doubt, Linen White. It may seem like a cop out but it works beautifully. Mostly used when people are unsure or if they want something light and airy. No matter what light shines on it, it looks great.

Mushroom White is a beige and it changes drastically. One minute it is putty and the next it is rosier. Chameleon almost and mysterious. It takes the properties of the color around it. You almost want to out your hand out and touch the wall because it does not seem solid. It is almost cloud like.

A good standby to have is Grant Beige. it is like a favorite pair of worn khakis. It works with modern spaces and traditional ones. If you want to keep your palette clean with whites, creams, and accents of black, it becomes very architectural, or you can warm it up with soft reds, blues, and greens.

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