Country Decor Blog

It’s hard to imagine that there once was a time when all outdoor fabric had the thick, scratchy feel of cheap car upholstery. Worse, the only colours it was available in was forest green and the three primary colours. Now, the colour world is your oyster when it comes to finding spectacular outdoor fabrics. As everyone continues to nest at home, they are taking their living rooms and moving them outdoors. I’ve been doing a ton of research into outdoor fabrics for Canadian Gardening magazine’s 2010 season (I also edit Canadian Gardening) and have come up with some fantastic new names in the world of outdoor fabrics. If you’re thinking about doing a little outdoor decorating, there are some great inspirational websites to look at. One of my new favourites is a British designer (who is soon to be repped by Y&Co in Toronto) named Christopher Farr. His outdoor fabrics are elegant with a touch of whimsy. My absolute favourite fabric is called 36 24 36 (guess why?) and shows the silhouettes of curvy stair spindles. Very cool! I love it in orange - very fresh and fun.

36 24 36 in orange from Christopher Farr

Another site that I think is fantastic for graphic patterns for the outdoors is called Hable Constuction - neat products for indoors and out! And they are now retailing their great patterns as outdoor fabrics (also repped by Y & Co). Finally, Sunbrella is doing some really beautiful products in gorgeous shades. There’s even a dark charcoal that is incredibly chic. Sunbrella is a terrific brand, and the fabric feels terrific to the touch.

If you’re looking for inspiration about pulling together a palette, we did a story in Canadian Gardening’s May 2010 issue that was produced by Style at Home design editor Ann Marie Favot. Her focus was on two trendy looks: nautical and tropical. It’s worth taking a look at her story - in fact, here’s a sneak peek!

It always seems that creating a colour palette is one of the most daunting decisions when decorating. There are lots of ideas out there on how to create a look for your home that you love, but the idea that always works for me is to focus on things that I love and use them for inspiration. In the case of the update of my living room decor, I started to look at what I loved in the room and what I was tired of. LOVE: my antique black satin glass, my floating dark walnut shelves, my high-backed settee. TIRED OF: the warm colours of the walls, the warm wheat fabric of the settee, the gloomy feeling of too much dark colour in the small space. So off I went to Robert Allen fabrics, where I started to go through their fabulous fabrics. I was looking for the “one statement” fabric that would work. I didn’t want a complete overhaul of my room - just an update. I found a fabulous fabric, Beacon Hill Luxury Velvet in Moss, that was just right. Still a neutral colour, but more greige then beige. I worked it in with a Beacon Hill class oatmeal linen fabric that I have always loved: Linen Weave in Linen and then found a great pattern in Beacon Hill’s new upholstery fabric: Bouncing Ball in Pewter. The tones are all soft and would be considered a warm grey. But not too warm! It’s interesting, because often people will start with a paint colour and then find fabrics that work with them. I always do it in reverse. I want the fabrics and textures in a room to be the focal point, the paint should just work as a backdrop. The accent colour that I used is a bold French blue linen. I love it! I have my stack of fabrics sitting on my desk while the pieces have gone out for reupholstery. I can’t wait to update you with photos of the pieces when they’re ready!