Windows, furnishings are quick change artists
Room decorating trends come and go. The space you decorated in the 1990s with pastels and brass is decidedly out of style now. But what do you do? You don't want to pitch your expensive, well-made furniture and window coverings, only to have it all come back in style in a few years.
Besides, you aren't made of money, right?
Home decorators say that you can make surprisingly big changes to your home's look with new window coverings and with somewhat minor furniture substitutions, rearrangements and even reupholstering.
For instance, Anne Hildreth, a designer in the Vernon Hills Steinhafels furniture store, said that many homeowners are transforming their previously formal living rooms into second (slightly more classy) family rooms that have a lounge-like feel.
“In these rooms it becomes all about creating conversation groupings. In one case, we had four wingback chairs facing each other in front of a fireplace with a day bed without arms in the middle. This way people could enjoy two different conversation groups, sit as one large conversation group or one person could lie down on the day bed to enjoy the fire,” she explained.
A variation on this idea involves four wingback chairs facing each other in front of a fireplace with a round ottoman or cocktail table in the middle for comfortable entertaining. A television would probably become part of the room, which was seldom the case in “days of olde” when a formal living room never included a television.
Hildreth recommends that any upholstered furniture you purchase for such a room is done in solid colors that are fairly neutral and that you dress them up and keep them trending with colorful pillows in up-to-date patterns.
Colleen Lynch, manager of the Calico store in Barrington, agreed.
“If you have a piece of furniture with a neutral base it is easier to change the look of a room without spending too much. You can do almost anything you want when it comes to rugs, pillows and accessories when you are putting it up against a neutral.”
“You can save thousands on your formal spaces when you can easily change them and bring them up to date with small touches like pillows, vases and lamps,” Hildreth said. “Grays and taupes are still very popular and currently they are being combined with lots of navy and orchid touches, particularly those using the Ikat (cat's eye) pattern which is popular this year. Tweeds and woven herringbones in those basic grays and taupes are particularly hot, too, because they add a bit of texture and pattern to a room.”
Upholstery is also on the rise in the dining room and bedroom. Homeowners are increasingly upholstering their headboards in an attempt to “change up” the look of their most private space without spending a fortune. The fact that the entire look of the room can be changed a few years later with the addition of a new fabric is an advantage, Hildreth revealed.
Upholstered dining room chairs are also taking center stage. In fact, the addition of an upholstered bench or settee on one side of the table, particularly up against a wall in a small dining room, is very popular today.
And when you move to the traditionally casual, family-centered area of the home — the family room — it is all about contemporary “glam” using touches of chrome and nickel or sophisticated rustic. The latter features button-tufted, worn-looking leather with an almost industrial feel and exposed nail heads in oil-rubbed bronze, Hildreth explained.
“This leather is not coated or protected like traditional leather. It shows lot of lines and almost feels like suede. You can clean and condition it, but seeing the marks in the leather is part of the beauty of it,” she added.
“But if you have pets and children and are worried about the leather absorbing stains and oils, you can always opt for ‘sauvage' leather which looks very similar but is protected. The worn effect is created by the use of a technique similar to sponge painting,” Hildreth stated.
No matter which casual look one prefers, sectionals are much preferred to couches and love seats, according to Hildreth, simply because of the extra seating they afford. Sectionals are also more comfortable for lounging.
Homeowners who want to change the look of a room without breaking the bank can also consider purchasing a custom-made item; reupholstering a piece that is already in their home; or investing in totally new, up-to-date window coverings.
Calico, which has stores in Barrington, Hinsdale, Deerfield and Wilmette, specializes in selling totally custom furniture. Homeowners can choose not only their preferred fabric, but also which leg, arm and seat cushion they want for a totally unique look, according to Lynch.
They also offer re-upholstery services and allow customers to choose from more than 3,000 durable fabrics, many of which are considered “performance” fabrics because they are cleanable and especially long-wearing, she added.
“We are seeing a lot of people today who are coming in because they want to buy one totally new piece of furniture or they want to have one of their high-quality items reupholstered in a more modern fabric. In fact, we have seen our re-upholstery business skyrocket because people today want solids on their couches and chairs. They also know that when we re-upholster a piece, we open everything up and make sure that the ‘inners' are fine, too,” Lynch said.
“Today's homeowners are using their pillows and window treatments to bring pattern into the room instead of putting patterns on the furniture item itself,” she added.
Lynch said that if you are considering re-upholstery, it is important to note that it is only worthwhile if you have a quality-made piece of furniture. But, if that is the case, the cost of re-upholstery is usually about half of what it would cost to buy a new item of similar size and quality.
“Custom work is not as expensive as people assume it is. Having a custom piece of upholstered furniture made or having something re-upholstered is a great way to freshen up a room at a good price,” Lynch emphasized.
Changing out a room's window treatments can also have a huge impact on the look of a space.
First, according to Lynch, you need to decide the purpose of your window coverings. Do you need them for privacy or to repel the damaging rays of the sun or do you just want them for the purposes of decoration?
Once that has been established, it is time to choose a style. Lynch said that the use of cellular blinds (which can block the sun and prying eyes), along with standing drapery panels at either side of the window is a popular look today.
“The use of a nice rod with hand-pleated standing panels on rings is one that I, personally, advocate,” she admitted.
But many of her customers still gravitate toward the use of an upholstered cornice across the top of the window. Valances made of fabric alone are less popular right now, she said.
Most of today's homeowners, Lynch continued, choose to have their draperies extend all the way to the floor, but they no longer want to see them “puddle” with extra material on the floor. The exception to that rule is nurseries and kitchens where shorter window treatments are still preferred.
“The biggest challenge is to convince people who have gone totally neutral to bring some color and pattern into their window treatments. We see window treatments as a place not to be afraid of pattern. Since the fabric in window treatments is gathered, you get soft bits of color instead of overwhelming patterns,” she explained.
Nevertheless, floral fabrics are largely “out” while stylized, geometric patterns with clean lines are “in” — for both window treatments and accent pillows.
“I suggest that when you are starting from scratch that you first identify a pattern that you like. That will lead you into a coordinating solid and even a stripe and a wall color. The word ‘custom' isn't something to be afraid of, especially with window coverings. Get an estimate and compare that price to the cost of stock window coverings and you will see that there isn't much difference. Besides, with our custom services, you even get to take advantage of a visit from an in-home Calico consultant who can help you navigate your way through our more than 7,000 window covering fabrics,” Lynch stated.
Steinhafels is located at 569 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Vernon Hills (847-281-0050; www.steinhafels.com). The Barrington store of Calico is located at 56A W. Northwest Hwy. (847-304-0080; www.calicocorners.com).