Design Dilemma: How To Coordinate Paint & Fabrics On A Budget

Design Dilemma,Soft Home,Windows & Walls | May 21, 20102 Comments

Design Dilemma: How To Coordinate Paint & Fabrics On A Budget

Yay! It’s time for another Design Dilemma. I love doing these I hope as much as you like reading about them. Today, we’re taking a look at a home in North Carolina with a relatively open floor plan. Dione writes that she recently moved into this new home and wants to make it her own, but she has a tight budget she’d like to stick do. Can I help her with paint and fabric ideas that don’t cost too much? Dione is an excellent seamstress and will make all her own curtains and slip covers. Her husband and kids will pitch in for the painting.

In particular, she hates the brown paint that runs throughout the house. She prefers greens, and would like to do something to enhance the shuttered windows. The entrance goes straight back to the family room and kitchen to the right. A music room is to the left of the entrance and the dining room is opposite. With a budget in mind, I came up with a few mix-and-match schemes Dione can use throughout the house.

Design Scheme 1

I kept Dione’s favorite green in mind, as well as the sunny climate of North Carolina. She was kind enough to send me samples of some of her existing fabrics. That made my life tons easier. The idea here is that the fabrics can be used in any of the rooms – with one color running through the main part of the house. The paints and fabrics for the dining and music rooms can be switched, if desired.

The main color is a beautiful green from Sherwin Williams (the best paint sold in that neck of the woods) called Ryegrass. I can see now that I should have numbered the fabrics differently but I’m too lazy to go back and fix them.

Here are fabrics for the dining room and close-ups of fabric choices 3 & 2 in the top layout. I thought I’d list the fabrics and paints as we go through the rooms.

Entrance: gathered sheers on the entry door windows, or fabrics #2 or #3 gathered in panels on either side of the doors and hung on a wide pole hung above the door.

Great Room & Kitchen

Paint: Ryegrass
Fabric for window valance: Calico Corners: Buffalo Check (#4) & (#5), Color: thyme, Price: $16.99
Application: Large check in the family room, small check in the kitchen. Gathered or pleated valance, hung near the ceiling on a wide pole and extending just over the top of the window. I haven’t seen a photo of the great room window, but if possible, add panels in the corners of the kitchen and on either side of the windows in the great room.

Dining Room

Paint: Berry Bush or Orchid
Fabric for Panels: Calico Corners: Jardin (#1 in top arrangement), Color: violet, Price: $31.99
Fabric for Chairs: Calico Corners: Blossom Embroidery (#3), Color: heather, Price: 30.99
Application: Curtains: soft, draped swag cornice with panels on either side.

Music Room Option 1

Paint: Mega Greige on 3 walls, Chartreuse on accent wall with the window
Fabric for Panels: Calico Corners: Hip (#2) in top arrangement), Color: Berry, Price: $32.99

Music Room – Option 2

Paint: Teal Stencil
Fabric for panels: Laura Ashley: Westcliff (#1 in bottom arrangement), Color: Laurel, Price: $31.99 (with 50% sale from JoAnn Fabrics = $16.00)
Fabric for toss pillows or a slip cover: Waverly: Harmony Spa (#4 in bottom arrangement), Color: Blue and green, Price: $32.99 (with 50% sale from JoAnn Fabrics = $16.50)

Note: the other fabrics with numbers are Dione’s.

Design Scheme #2

I used some of the same fabrics for this scheme.

Entrance & Hallway

Paint: Cabbage Rose or Mega Griege
Fabric on doors: gathered sheers on the entry door windows, or Waverly: Bafferton Square (#2), Color: Lacquer, Price: $39.99 (with 50% sale from JoAnn Fabrics = $20.00)
Application: panels gathered in panels on either side of the doors and hung on a wide pole hung above the door.

Great Room & Kitchen

Paint: Same color as main hall
Accent color: Red Tomato
Paint Application: Accent color goes on fireplace wall and the kitchen wall with the curtains.
Fabric: Waverly: Charlotte (#1), Color: Lacquer, Price: $39.99 (with 50% sale from JoAnn Fabrics = $20.00)
Fabric Application: The curtains will be made in same style – gathered or pleated valance, hung near the ceiling on a wide pole and extending over the top of the window. Use the Baffterton Plaid for panels, or use the plaid in the kitchen. It’s hard to tell what to do since I haven’t been in the house.

Dining Room

Paint: Wheat Grass
Fabric for Panels: Waverly: Carter’s Grove Embroidery (#4) , Color: Golden, Price: $49.99 (sale from JoAnn Fabrics = $25.00)
Application: Pinched pleat butterfly panels with a curved cornice and self-welt. The fabric (#5) is the existing chair fabric

Music Room

Paint: Majolica Green
Fabric: Calico Corners: Buffalo Check (#3), Color: Thyme, Price: $16.99
Application: Swagged valance

Here are some suggested curtain styles. I’ve seen Dione’s work, so I know she’s up to the fabrication challenge.

Not having seen the house, it’s difficult to judge how easy it will be to change colors between rooms. Another way to create these schemes to it choose one color and use that in every room – going up and down on the card so there is some variety between rooms.

Jennifer’s Tips

Check out JoAnn Fabrics: What I like best about this Design Dilemma is the use of fabrics from JoAnn’s. The quality of their decorator fabrics has improved vastly. They always run a coupon for 40% off one item – no matter how much you need of that item. Earlier with month, they ran a 2-week sale for 50% off all their home decorator fabrics. That’s an unbeatable price.

Check out Calico Corners: I also made sure to choose fabrics from the lower end of Calico Corner’s scale. Even so, their fabrics are often very reasonably priced. I get a small discount there.

Coordinate fabrics: by selecting one color to match in all the other fabrics. Make sure the scale make sense next to each other. If you’re not sure, ask for help. Or hire a professional for a consultation. An hour to two of a pro’s time can set you on the right path and avoid costly mistakes.