This
plus this
equals these.
GET OUT! Sophisticated, but whimsical at the same time!
Take a closer look at this one. Love the silk plaid on the bias.
What do y’all think?
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My Little Chickadee!
The Skirted Table
This is what usually comes to mind when thinking about skirting a table.
And this is good!
However, don’t limit yourself! The skirted table can be round, half round, rectangular, multi-sided or square. It can be used at the bedside, as a console, as a bar, as a foyer table, dining table or accent table. Check out these creative designs!
Wisteria
Store extra glassware and bar accessories under the skirt!
Ana Spiro
A beautifully feminine desk. Hide the unsightly office supplies underneath!
Foyer tables! Manhattan designers Tom Scheerer (orange with piping) and Amanda Nisbet (blue print) have interpreted the box pleat beautifully and originally by using custom made forms. Tom’s has 6 sides and Amanda’s, five. The elegant round table is a picture from the girls at cote de texas.
It’s the perfect time for a table skirt to lighten your decor for spring!
New fabrics arriving daily!
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Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Knoxville
If you live anywhere in or near the Knoxville area, you know that we were honored to be a host city for an Extreme Makeover build. A very worthy couple, Daniel and Mandy Watson and their 3 children were the fortunate family who received a new home from ABC and the Extreme Makeover team. Even better, some lucky single moms benefitted too. The Watsons run a non-profit called The Restoration House which mentors and helps single mothers build a network and get on their feet by providing them housing, among other services. Extreme Makeover built not only a house for the Watsons, but also a duplex on their property for 2 of their single moms.
The Family Watson
The Fabric Market was so honored and excited to work with the designers by donating and providing several of the fabrics used in the main house and one side of the duplex. We’ll have to wait until fall (when the special program airs) to see what the designers came up with because no photos were allowed at the reveal of the inside of the houses!
Plenty of photos were takes as the build took place. Scroll down for a look. These photos were courtesy of Google Images if not otherwise credited.
The Watson's old house.
#1 Volunteers at the muddy site.
#2 Almost finished
#3 It was a 24 hour site. Night as bright as day!
#4 About to see the inside! (this photo was taken from @chris2point0 ‘s twitter feed)
A couple of pictures from the “reveal.”
Our own talented designer, Ashley (right) was fortunate enough to work at the site on Tuesday, the scheduled reveal day. (Unfortunately, Knoxville’s weather did not coorperate! Reveal was Wednesday morning.) She and her friend Meredith (left) worked hard (beginning at 6:00 a.m.!) to unpack accessories and put together furniture. So glad she could represent TFM!
Volunteer Spirit surely was alive all week. We are not Volunteers in name only. This past week Knoxville and the surrounding areas came out and proved that we are THE TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS!
For more pictures and information on The Restoration House, Grace Construction and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, click on these links.
Twitter:
@restorefamilies
@extremehomeTN
@typennington
@knoxnews
@chris2point0
@ericaestep
@girlontheroof
or search the hashtag #EMHEKnox
Facebook:
The Restoration House of East Tennessee
Extreme Home TN
Websites:
Grace Construction
wate.com
The Restoration House
Johnson University
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Tagged community, extreme makeover home edition, knoxville, the restoration house, volunteers
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New Year, New Colors!
Around the end of the year and on into the beginning of a new season, customers always ask this question. ”What are the new, hot colors that you are seeing?” And I usually fumble around with an answer. Well, this year, I REALLY have an answer. I’ve been surfing around on the internet and reading the trade magazines and papers and I have found the answer. Knoxville, Tennesee, you are going to LOVE this. Or not, maybe.
The 2012 top trend color of the year is…..Tangerine Tango! Pantone Colour Institute executive director Leatrice Eiseman described Tangerine Tango as “sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow,” she said.
The PANTONE name is known worldwide as the standard language for accurate color communication, from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer, across a variety of industries. Pantone continues to develop color communication and inspirational tools, and aggressively adopts new digital technology to address the color needs of the creative community everywhere. The PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner is a biannual trend forecasting tool that offers seasonal color direction and inspiration 24 months in advance for multiple usages, including menswear, women’s wear, activewear, cosmetics and industrial design. Introduced in 2004, PANTONE VIEW Home is a comprehensive forecasting tool for the home furnishings industry.(www.pantone.com)
Caroline Kennedy who writes for Gifts and Decorative Accessories magazine says in the December issue, “Just as “G” and “H” follow “F”, gift and home follow fashion. Color and design elements that appear on the fashion runways are often seen mirrored and adapted in gift and home decor collections”.
So, home decor products for the spring will follow the above colors for fashion and apparel. And you will see these colors promoted and advertised in all of the spring magazines from floor to ceiling, fabrics, paint, rugs and accessories. Now that I’ve answered that burning question, let me say this. Pantone has FORCASTED the colors represented above as a TREND. That does not mean that everything will only be available in these colors. But it does mean that you might not find the old burgundy, hunter green and navy to match your grandmother’s oriental rug readily available anymore. (Actually, they haven’t been readily available for some time now.) Here we do not see the “robins egg blue/brown” combination waning at all. It is such a restful palette, especially for a master bedroom. We have been seeing an increase in using orange as an accent over the past few seasons and clear shades of blue are back as well. Neutrals remain popular, especially in larger re-upholstery projects and grey is growing in favor as one of those choices. Rich earth and spice tones will always be popular here and you can never go wrong with greens that bring our beautiful East Tennessee outdoors into the home. Many of these trend colors will be able to be incorporated as accents to already existing color stories in your home. If not, you can always wear them!!!!
I can’t guarantee that we will have all of these 2012 trend colors available in the coming weeks but we always strive to have what you want and need in stock and also have a taste of the fresh and new!
Learning about Linen
“Linen has that subtle elegance that helps to achieve a clean tailored look for many of today’s modern interiors,” says Alice Guercio, VP of Product Coordination for Kravet and a top expert on textiles. In researching this topic, I found two articles written by Ms. Guercio for kravetnews.com that were very informative and I learned several things I didn’t know about linen. Most of the info and pictures in this blog came from her articles.
Linen is a textile made from the fibers derived from the inner bark of the stalk of the flax plant. The plant has bluish flowers that bloom for only a few hours in the cool of the morning, from dawn to noon, when the blooms close up and fall off. Flax can only be grown on the same field twice before signs of “flax fatique” set in. When that happens, it will be another seven years before flax can be cultivated again on the same field.
Flax is grown in many parts of the world, but top quality flax is primarily grown in Western Europe. Many believe that Belgium grows the finest quality flax fibers in the world, with Scottish and Irish linen close behind. In recent years bulk linen production has moved to Eastern Europe and China. This is where most, if not all, fabric distributors source the product that we sell here in our store.
Hand harvesting, pulling up the entire plant, or cutting the stalks very close to the roots produces the longest possible fibers. Long fibers are desirable because they produce the strongest end product. Linen fabric is much stronger than cotton because of the length of the fibers. To harvest the flax fibers from within the woody stem, the stems must be “retted” (rotted). Retting uses bacteria to deompose the pectin that binds the fibers together within the stem. Natural or organic retting processes take place in tanks and pools or sometimes directly in the field using only moisture (dew) and sunlight. Chemical retting methods are faster but more harmful to the environment. The woody portion of the stalk is then removed by crushing them between metal rollers and then the fibers are combed to leave behind the longest, soft flax fibers. They are then spun into yarns, dyed and woven into fabric.
Linen is versatile, strong and breathable, making it both a utility and a luxury fabric for the home. It absorbs dye well and retains its color. It has a crisp and textural feel that can range from stiff and rough to soft and smooth. The natural fibers make the woven textile slightly bumpy with a smooth finish. The better the quality of linen the smoother the surface will be. In many cases you will find knots or slubs running through the fabric. This is often desired by the fabric consumer as well as intended by the weaver. But it is also characteristic of lesser qualities of linen. The finest linens have a very consistent diameter and will not have slubs. I find, however, that the more natural texture a linen has, the more interesting it is in certain applications.
There are a multitude of variables that determine a fabric’s price and quality. Labor intensive production is but one of the factors that contribute to the price of linen. But what other fabric do you know of that has stood the test of time? From the Biblical era and through ancient Egypt on up to today, linen has never gone out of style.
Information taken from kravetnews.com and fiberorganics.com.
Bright Idea
Lamps are in! We’ve gotten some great pieces from Uttermost. Some table lamps, a couple of floor lamps and a great pair of indoor/outdoor buffet lamps. Come see what’s lighting up our beautiful fabrics!
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Tagged accessories, buffet lamps, floor lamps, lamps, lighting, table lamps
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New Fabs and Other Fab Things
New fabrics and color palettes are now in stock along with a few other fabulous things!
Accent with Orange
Passion for Purple
Jewels
New Novelties
Golden and Grey
Beautiful Blues
Also, new and in stock, various solids and tweeds to go with all these great fabrics. Unfortunately, they do not photograph well! (Maybe it’s the photographer!) You’ll just have to come into the store, or call for a swatch card!
And in other news:
A handful of Cowtan & Tout closeout fabrics have shown up on our doorstep! Designer retails are from $100 – $400 a yard, but at TFM they are MUCH, MUCH lower! You’ll have to see it to believe it.
New Uttermost lamps just arrived!
New samples of selected ShowHome patterns have been made and installed! That means there are some valances for sale at great prices, just waiting for the right window! Maybe it’s yours! Click here for an overview.
What is Railroading?
Every industry has it’s lingo. So occasionally I will attempt to educate y’all on some of ours. It always helps to know some terminology when speaking with fabricators (another term for workroom, seamstress or sewer) and upholsterers.
Railroading. What does that mean?
Railroading refers to the layout of a fabric on a piece of furniture in regard to the way it is woven at the mill. Best illustrated by stripes, railroaded upholstery allows the fabric to be used without seaming and have the pattern of that fabric correctly placed on the furniture. The majority of fabrics woven for furniture manufacturing are railroaded. It is a more cost effective and time effective way for the mills to weave it and for the furniture manufacturers to apply it. Some of the best uses for railroaded fabrics sold at retail are sofas, long bench cushions or window seats, and long expanses of valances or cornice boards.
This drawing helps to illustrate the concept, but let’s look at it with real fabric.
Looking at the fabric hanging on the bolt (left photo), the stripes are horizontal. But when applied to a sofa or anything wider than the width of the bolt, the stripes would be vertical on the piece, with no seaming in the larger areas like the outside back of the sofa or the front platform. (Image borrowed from The Inspired Room.)
A railroaded pattern would look sideways viewing it on the bolt, like the photo below. See how the stems are horizontal? When the fabric is made up, the flowers will be growing upright on the furniture, valance or bench cushion with no seams on the long expanses.
Regular, or “up the roll” stripes (left) are better for drapery, and anything less than the width of the bolt so that when constructed the stripes remain vertical. Any project measuring wider than the bolt will involve seaming and pattern matching.
An up roll pattern would look right side up hanging on the bolt like these birds on the right.
That concludes our lesson on “railroading.” Hope you learned something new today. Please let us know if you have any other questions and we’ll be happy to try to answer them for you!
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Ikat an Opinion
Interior designers have always understood the value and stylishness of the ikat. But sometimes I feel like it is misunderstood by the average Joe. I, personally, LOVE it, and this being my blog, here’s my opinion. 
It’s a pattern that never goes out of fashion. Textile designers are forever borrowing it from the past and re-coloring it for the future. It’s value comes from it’s versatility when it comes to pattern mixing or it’s ability to stand awesomely alone. It can be used in the same room with prints, plaids, stripes and textures. Or it can be the focal point, the pop that everything springs off of, the inspiration piece of the room.
The word “ikat” (pronounced ee-cot or eye-cot by some folks) means to tie, bind or wind around. One of the oldest known textiles in the world, ikat refers to the ancient way that the fabric was constructed as well as the fabric itself. Now days, ikats are either printed or woven and are often very affordable. Besides drapery and upholstery, you can find ikat patterns in table ware, linens, wallpaper, towels, home accessories, rugs, apparel, handbags….It makes a statement on your body as well as in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and even bathrooms and kitchens. Very versatile!
Here are some ikats we have in stock and a couple of pictures I found. Easier to understand once you see it made up, yes?
Ikat patterns are stylish and timeless. Modern and traditional, old and new. Hope you can find a way to add some ikat to your life, a little or a lot!
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Tagged curtains, drapery, ethnic, ikat fabrics, upholstery, versitile
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Living Light-UTK’s Solar House
The Fabric Market is one of the many sponsors of the University of Tennessee’s Team Living Light and their entry into the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2011.
Team Living Light is an interdisciplinary group from the University of Tennessee comprised of students and faculty from the departments of architecture, engineering, interior design and graphic design chosen to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2011, to be held on the National Mall in Washington DC! The competition runs from September 23rd through October 2.
From the homepage of the LivingLight website:
“In the Solar Decathlon competition, we will study the integration of aesthetics, technology, and energy efficient construction through the idea of LIVING LIGHT. This concept not only relates to the sun, daylight and energy; it is a way of life that actively engages each participant in a learning experience to promote sustainable living.”
This video will give you a visual understanding of the project.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwHihp9CI-w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
This video explains the value of the Solar Decathlon competition to the student body and the university.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mjsuyq12dE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Please click on this link to the Living Light website and read more about the solar house. It is fascinating! We are so proud to be a sponsor of this project! If you feel compelled to donate to this endeavor, click the donate tab to find out how.
Click here for more information on our team. Only 20 teams were chosen to compete and as you can see, there are several international teams.
The Fabric Market comes in during the last phase of building the solar house. We are providing the fabrics for the bedding, dining chairs, table dressing and accent pillows for the furniture. Read this post from the Living Light Blog for more information on the interiors scheme. Stay tuned for photos of the finished house with all the fabrics installed! I am so proud to be an alumni of the University of Tennessee and to be able to give back to the university in this way!
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