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.
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