 Material
Witness
What’s new in
today’s fabric choices
by Priscilla Kohutek
photography by Robert French
Layering is back in a big way. Layered window treatments, bedding, table dressings and piles of pillows in a variety of fabrics are all the rage. Yes, it’s all about fabrics: beautiful, luscious, luxurious fabrics — the most useful decorating tool available after paint. And never have there been more fabrics from which to choose.
Charles Forster, vice president of Orville Carr Associates Inc., tells us that manufacturing techniques and foreign sources have made luxury fabrics more available and affordable. China and India are producing silks that in the past only the very rich could afford. Forster is especially fond of silk from India because of the extraordinary workmanship, particularly the embroidered designs formerly seen only on the saris of wealthy Indian women.
Knock-offs of fabulously expensive fabrics like Fortuny are being manufactured and sold at a fraction of the cost although they are still fairly pricey. However, the advent of synthetics has significantly lowered the price of many designer look-alikes. For example, faux silk and velvet produce credible designer-like flocked fabrics.
Whether the fabrics are natural, synthetic, or synthetic blends of natural materials, the finishes, textures and colors are perfect for today’s tastes, which suits Forster just fine. He leans toward a formal look. He says, “Yes!” to classic styling and pure colors and “No!” to trendy treatments and colors, especially mod color combinations that may come and go quickly.
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