On a complete whim, I bid on (and then won) a remnant of Schumacher's "Chiang Mai Dragon" on ebay. Ya'll, this fabric is so not "me," and you should have seen Wes' face when I told him about. I'm not sure what it was, but this fabric just seduced me, and I couldn't say no when I saw the listing. Okay, that's not completely true, I do know what it was, it was this image:
Style&Grace's bed just looks so fresh and fun, and of course I love the blue headboard. So I bought the fabric, intending to set it aside and use it in the guest bedroom when we get around to it (it's basically last on the list!).
About two days after the fabric came in, Wes and I came back from HomeGoods with another unbudgeted whim, a bench/ottoman to use as a coffee table. The existing upholstery is pretty terrible, but we justified the purchase because it was so darn cheap! Turns out, we both really love the way it looks in the room (minus the fabric), and are happy to finally agree on a coffee table.
Then, on another whim, I placed my Chiang Mai Dragon on the ottoman just to see. And it looked great! The room really needed some color and pattern, and goodness knows Chaing Mai Dragon has both. The colorway complimented what was existing, and the splashes of raspberryish-orange (yes, I made that up) brought out the coral-colored books scattered around the room. For about a week, I was sold, and I contacted a upholsterer to do the job.
Then I lost my nerve. I looked at my dream dining room, and back at the dragon sitting on the coffee table. I walked into my blue-and-caramel bedroom, and suddenly "the dragon" makes no sense in the living room. I still love it, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around what the room (and the adjoining dining room) will look like when it's finished. Part of me wants to go for it, but ... I just don't know! I aspire to a more colorful transitional look, but in practice, it's hard for me to execute.
Now I'm completely lost! I know I want the ottoman fabric to be a pattern (or at least I think I do!). Definitely not floral, a stripe or something geometric, maybe? And it would be nice to have some color. As Wes likes to put, the room is "brown, brown, brown" right now. Brown sofa, seagrass rug, wood furniture, and the club chairs we ordered are khaki. Help!
7 comments:
LOVE the fabric...then again, I never turn down bright colors...
I am famous for buying fabrics that I love but don't actually have any use for immediately. Sometimes I utilize them - sometimes not. But I can't for the life of me resist them.
Could be worse - I could be into shoes.
Have it covered...if it doesn't work, move it to another room or stick it in the attic!
I like the coffee table covered...that's just me. It really did brighten up the room.
In other ideas, I saw (not too long ago) on YOUR fabulous myhomeideas.com about using fabric as art, so that is always an option too.
Take the plunge and have it covered! Your dream DR chairs have a quasi Asian feel just bring in a little of the raspberryish-orange into the DR to connect. Good luck!
Great buy! I would go ahead and cover it - but if you've lost you're nerve, you could wait 2 more weeks w/the fabric out. Then you'll be more certain about wether to cover or not.
thanks for the advice, everyone! the consensus seems to be to have it covered, but I am taking Notting Hill's advice and leaving it uncovered for a bit. it definitely needs something, I'm just not sure what.
also, we're finally getting our curtains for that room tonight (reason #867 that I need to learn to sew: so I can hem my own curtains!) and I think seeing them installed might give me some direction. alternative fabric recommendations are welcome!
and lastly, I'm so glad that my "crisis" of the week is choosing a fabric. I guess that means I have it pretty darn good :)
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