Sunbrella’s exclusive Home & Garden Collection for 2015 has some great pattern and color combos. All are made of 100% solution-dyed acrylic, which means they can be used both indoors and outside.  They are easy to care for, which makes them perfect for homes with active kids and pets.  These fabrics also resist fading in […]

Robert Allen’s Stitch Ring fabric caught my eye due to its new take on the Ikat look that has been around for some time now.   The scale is smaller than most actual Ikat patterns, which makes it work well in more types of window treatments and bedding applications.  Surprisingly, given the embroidered embellishment, the fabric […]

The first day of spring is on March 20th.  So I looked for a special floral pattern to feature — and found one in Mary McDonald’s Chinois Palais print for Schumacher fabrics. Inspired by an antique Chinese silk mural, the pattern spans 51 inches across by 131.5 in height and depicts tree branches with peonies […]

The  lovely watercolor effect, embroidery and Suzani-like motif combine to lift this fabric out of the ordinary into something special.   And the weight and scale of this fabric make it work well for pretty much anything (except upholstery for sofa and chair seats). It’s available in one other colorway, Flamingo, shown at the bottom of […]

Jane Churchill’s Amara fabric in the ‘Red’ color at Cowtan & Tout Given the Chinese New Year is on the last day of January — it’s the Year of the Horse, I thought a pattern with impact featuring red would be appropriate. Amara, a large scale pattern, shown above in the ‘Red’ colorway, definitely fits […]

Given the time of year, the Cher pattern above reminds me of the shape of some old-fashioned tree ornaments my family used while I was growing up — in spite of its contemporary palette. The rows of embroidered detailing add extra interest and the medium-sized scale make it useful for many applications.  However, the embroidery […]

January’s pattern certainly caught my eye — along with many others in the design community:  This mosaic tile pattern, Estrella, was recently selected for a Best of the Year award by Interior Design magazine. It’s easy to see why; it’s a beautiful pattern and, depending upon the colorway and how it’s used, would work beautifully […]

Due to the beginning of the winter season, I’m sure, this pattern suggests the silhouette of trees in the snow in the Noir & Creme colorway shown above. The name of the pattern is Fern Tree but oddly enough, it isn’t available in any shade of green. The two other colorways available feature pastel turquoise […]

The color palette in this month’s pattern epitomizes a trend with major staying power.  Grey with yellow, which first appeared everywhere several years ago, is a duo that’s still going strong today. Part of the reason may be due to the evolving shades used with this color combination.  Here, the palette is warmed up and […]

Washing your hands often is recommended as the single best way to avoid catching (and spreading) the cold and flu bugs that always make the rounds during the holiday season. So what can you do for your guests to help prevent the spread of germs after they wash their hands? Decorative paper towels are one […]