Passionate About Fabrics
I was searching the net for some information on black velvet upholstery when I came across this interestingly upholstered velvet chair.
Nice image from attic-mag.
Not sure if you can buy that wallpaper however 😉
A contemporary lounge chair or sofa attains its contemporary’ status by having the right combinations of ‘form’ and an expertly upholstered, quality finish. Here we will just look at upholstery and, in particular, silk velvet upholstery fabrics.
Contemporary furniture is designed to be striking, with the better examples typified by great craftsmanship. Consequently you will find many designers and upholsterers specifying fabric such as that sold by leading fabric houses including Kravet, KOTHEA and Donghia.
Why?
A velvet fabric is one where the fabric is made with very many tight loops of yarn. A cutter then chops off the end of every loop leaving yarn that ‘points’ upwards, tightly packed together. Often you will have encountered this type of fabric in theatres and cinemas – more so now in private theatres. The length of the remaining yarn can vary and this is called the pile; it could be a few mm or several mm long. The longer the pile the more likely it is to ‘fall over’. This, by itself, is neither good nor bad. It depends on what you prefer. The direction in which the pile falls is called the ‘nap’ and when upholstering a high quality craftsman must understand how to correctly work with the nap.
The nap can show some of the side of the individual strands of yarn and the sides can be more reflective than the cut ends. Thus, often, velvets have ‘shine’. Shine also occurs with wear as the pile becomes compressed, exposed and rubbed/polished with usage. People often, incorrectly, associate this solely with ‘silk velvet’ but that is not necessarily always true as many velvets can show more shine with age.
So we have learnt a little about how velvet is made and how it wears. Where does the silk come in?
Well, velvet can be made from many yarns. Cotton, viscose, mohair, linen or sheep’s wool. Silk is a natural substance spun by a silk worm. Silk is commonplace but varies tremendously in quality. Often silk is combined with other yarns to increaser its strength or to achieve other properties. For example one of our most luxurious fabrics is a silk and cashmere velvet. The resulting mohair velvet fabric feels great AND also has much improved durability properties. Cheaper silk will degrade much more rapidly.
So, typically, silk velvet is mixed with other yarns and often has a shine. This makes it great for contemporary furniture
We’d like to share a little free love with Interior Designers.
We’ve already had over 56,000 Interior Design visitors this year and if you, as an interior designer, would like to talk about your services or your website/blog then we will gladly display something you want to write about. No interior design subject is off-limits although please bear in mind we have our own fabric collections so ideally you won’t go overboard with competitors’ products…our love is free and almost boundless but limited nevertheless!!
Ideally you will use a striking image for the best impact and you can link back to specific projects or content on your own site. (We won’t charge you anything…love is free).
Your thoughts will be shown here: https://www.kothea.com/category/re-blogs/thoughtful-musing-from-interior-designers/
Verity and the team
xxxxx
We’ve scoured the net to find and list the sites we know and love. Some you already know, some you will love once you see them for the first time. Either way enjoy the depth and variety of the information on our industry and don’t forget to see which ones are voted as the ‘best’ at the end of this article – you can vote for your favourite too.
These are all sites that might be useful for interior designers rather than ones created by interior designers (or their suppliers) to promote their business. Maybe they provide a nice showcase or perhaps just a tad of inspiration in a seemingly never-ending sea of banality. Enjoy!
In no particular order then:
Shows:
As the cleverer ones amongst you have spotted there are not YET the 99 promised. Suggest more to me using the voting mechanism below (you can add voting options)….
Please LIKE or SHARE … it keeps us sane to know that you are out there benefitting from the information WE share. XOXOXOX
Now VOTE for your FAVOURITES – you have ONE CHANCE to vote but you can vote for lots of sites in that one voting chance. You can also add your own website or blog to the list if you feel brave enough in the face of very stiff competition!! If you get ‘lots’ of votes I’ll add you to the list with a link 😉 But YOU can only vote once.
[polldaddy poll=7238136]
Viscount David Linley of Nymans must rank as one of the most successful royals in business in recent years.
He is most famous for his passion in furniture making but also has a notable portfolio covering private clubs, ski chalets and hotels.
Famous clients? David Beckham (heard of him?).
Also many branded home accessories including the paints – I particularly loved the ‘In Love With Taupe’ and now a burgeoning TV career as well.
Anouska Hempel is globally recognised as a leading interior designer with a modern-minimalist style.
She is most famous for the Blakes Hotel and the Hempel Hotel.
Her work covers many areas from: yachts to private residences; boutique hotels to restaurants; and from private commissions to high-end retails shops.
More: Anouska Hempel Design