Phillip Sides, who began his career as an architect and then launched his own
interior design practice in 1987, says that his ideas about fabric first developed
while he was in college. "I was taught that you never wear a silk rep tie
with a seersucker suit." In every room of our Rosemary
Beach showhouse, Sides demonstrated creative ways to work with fabrics.
Here are his six quick lessons:
1. Fabrics should enhance the architecture of a room. In the great
room, it would have been too grandiose to drape fancy curtains from the
top of the windows. Instead, I hung a sweep of sheer fabric at standard doorway
height from a rod that encircles the room. It has this wonderful tented effect
and brings the room down to an intimate scale.
2. Don't let the treatment of a fabric overshadow its inherent beauty.
Gorgeous fabric is gorgeous, period. There's no need to get fussy to make a
statement.
3. Get creative with application. In the media room, I designed a rug
with an alpaca upholstery-weight fabric. It's like walking on your favorite
sweater. Instead of curtains, I used sliding panels covered in an Asian-inspired
pattern. They serve as artwork but can be moved over the windows to become blackout
shades. The same fabric covers the room's cabinet doors.
4. Mix classic with contemporary. I paired an old-fashioned crewel with
a 1950s chair in the great
room. The pattern looks very fresh and organic, like something swimming
in the ocean.
5. Think in layers. In the guest room, I used a nubby channel-quilted
throw over a sleek, shimmery headboard in front of a bold linen print that rises
to the ceiling.
6. Don't get too serious with your fabric choices. Pair playful patterns
with brightly colored stripes. I used two colors of silk to make checkerboard
curtains in the study.
The design takes the stuffiness out of an otherwise formal material.
RESOURCE: Phillip Sides Interior Design, 3017 2nd Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35233, 205/328-6106.
