Anuradha Ramamirthamtheaddress@timesgroup.in

With this seasonaimed at makingspaces appear

calm, cool and relaxed, ex-perts believe that there willbe a shift in upholsterytrends and nature as a themewill play a major role. Talk-ing about trends for furni-ture, fabrics and upholstery,Parushni Aggarwal, founderand creative director, StudioCreo, says, “To manage livingspaces, look to transformablefurniture. Despite the cost,transformable furniture con-tinues to be sought after dueto its multifunctional featurethat eases the issue of space.In upholstery, light earthy

The Address / FRIDAY / 25 AUGUST 20174

Neha.Bhatia@timesgroup.in

To elevate your home, bringin beautifully woven rugsand carpets that can

anchor the layout of a room.However, choosing a rug can betricky; the right one can define aspace, while the wrong one canmake a room feel cluttered. Butwith so many styles, colours andmaterials to choose from, how doyou know which one is right foryou? The answer, fortunately, iseasier than you think.

■ Create balanceWhile choosing a rug, the twoprimary factors to consider areyour lifestyle and your personalstyle. Do you plan to place the rugin a high-traffic zone, such as afamily room or hallway? Do youhave young children or pets? If yes,you should choose a rug that’s easyto clean and durable, like cotton orsynthetic. A patterned rug indarker tones will conceal stainswhich are common in high-activity areas.

If you want a rug for decorativepurposes, look to luxurious viscose,wool and leather rugs that areavailable in elaborate designs andrich colours. Recycled fabric rugsare great for the environmentallyconscious soul. “If you prefer asofter feel, then look for naturalfibres such as wool and cotton.Rugs made of synthetic fibresafford a deep, lush feel. Naturalfibres such as jute can besurprisingly soft underfoot, but it’snot as warm as a woven rug. It isimportant to mix and match thetextures and tones of your rug withyour existing furniture,” sharesAditya Gupta, director, The Rug

SPOTLIGHT

TREND TALK

Upholstery 101

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Just like fashion, trends in rugs and carpets tooare ever evolving and resonate with livingstyles and market trends

TRENDSMATTER

room size to rug size ratio shouldbe 2:3. “Give yourself some leewayto go bold with patterns. Mixingpatterns within the same colourgroup will add depth to yourdécor. While selectingcomplementary colours to pairwith your rug, select the non-dominant colour within thedesign. A brightly coloured orboldly patterned rug can be theright step if you want to lift upyour space,” adds Gupta.

■ The festive vibeFor the impending festivecelebrations, a lot of new textures

and fresh colour palettes that are insync with international designtrends are coming into play. Thedesigns aren’t limited to classics,but are suited to everyone’s tastesand include geometric patterns,plus the use of additional fabric toalter the nature of the rug. AyushChoudhary, MD and creativedirector, Cocoon Fine Rugs, says,“To design a space in keeping withthe festive season, natural materialssuch as wool, silk, jute and cottonin their various forms andcombinations are in high demand.Handmade rugs have always beenvery eco-friendly, as they are

generally made of natural materialsand have an Indian appeal tothem.” Hand-knotted rugs areideal for Indian homes because welike to entertain friends and familyduring festivals. With the help ofregular vacuuming, these are easierto maintain and are also washable.

■ Colour talkNeutrals such as beige, grey andivory along with the season’strending accent colours such asblue, green, lilac and tangerine areruling the interior landscapecurrently. These are easy to use inmost modern settings as they gowell with contemporary furniturepieces. “The trending colours ininteriors continue to include blues(from navy to teal) andincreasingly, more intense colours.”says Sebert. “If you have appliedthe colour-and-pattern principle,you might want to stick with asingle colour, which complementsyour existing furnishings. If youwant a patterned rug with multipleshades, place complementingfurniture and accessories with it.Dark, rich colours help define amore intimate space, while lightercolours make a smaller spaceappear larger. Bright colours suchas yellow or orange add warmth,while blues and greens create acalm ambience,” concludes Gupta.

Republic. The key is to use the rugto create a balance instead ofcompete for attention in theoverall décor. “If you plan todecorate any area, it is advisable tostart from the floor up. Set theambience and colour scheme byselecting the rug first. Ultimately,the rug or carpet should matchyour style. Finally, trust yourinstincts,” adds Gupta.

■ The ideal rugIt is advisable to design the roomaccording to the rug, which meanschoose the rug first, and thendesign the room around it. This

allows you to play around with thesize of the rug; so one can use asingle rug to cover the area of aroom or smaller rugs to highlightdifferent sections. Larger rugs tendto look grander, whereas smallerrugs offer their own aestheticcontribution to a room. CarolSebert, president, CreativeMatters, agrees, “We tend to lookat the furniture arrangement ratherthan the room size. The carpet canhelp establish the flow of a roomand can create an inviting area.”Angelique Dhama, spokespersonand chief marketing officer,Obeetee indicates that the ideal

If you prefer asofter feel, thenlook for naturalfibres such as wooland cotton. Rugsmade of syntheticfibres afford a deep,lush feel.

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shades have made a come-back because of the elegancethey exude.”

This season, the designsolutions are revolvingaround pastels and contrasts.Experts reveal that peopleare displaying an enthusiasticapproach to organic andearthy shades. “Look at

shades like turquoise, mudred, pink, green, yellow,olive, mustard and ochre.These hues can not onlymake a space appear largerand brighter, but also bringin energy and life,” says inte-rior designer Satviki Trivedi.

●● Use itWith access to technology,textiles have undergone atransformation. Moreover,it’s drawing inspiration fromthe environment as themes,motifs and textures reflectan earthier, more contempo-rary feel. The emphasis oncomfort has seen homes em-brace fabric like never be-fore. From sofas and cush-ions to rugs and curtains,homeowners are happy tocreate a warm, welcomingmood. Trivedi says, “Linen,cotton, cotton blend, wooland silk fall under the cate-gory of natural fabrics.Linen is best suited for for-mal living rooms or adult ar-eas because it soils andwrinkles easily. Cotton is, ofcourse, very popular. Wool issturdy and durable, as wooland wool blends offer highresistance to pilling, fading,wrinkling and soil. Vinyl iseasy to maintain and less ex-pensive than leather. Silk isa delicate fabric; only suit-able for adult areas, such asformal living rooms. There’salso velvet that manages touplift a space and lends it anelegant touch.” So the trickreally is to find a materialthat creates a harmoniousblend of colour, theme, look,feel and comfort.

●● Maintain itUpholstery is where majorityof the dust/dirt gets collect-ed. It is therefore importantto maintain it on a regularbasis to retain the appearanceof the fabric and to prolongits lifespan.

Begin by choosing theright fabric that is appropri-ate to your lifestyle. The up-holstered piece can extendyour furniture’s life. For ex-ample, synthetic fibres are abetter choice for upholsteredfurniture that sits in areas ofheavy usage. Synthetic fab-rics such as polyester, nylonand rayon are also easilyavailable in the market.

The next step is to protectthe fabric. “Wash only afterreading the manufacturer’sinstructions as some materi-als can only be vacuumed. Incase of any spills, attend to itimmediately,” says interiordesigner Payal Mehra. Theupholstery needs to be vacu-umed on a weekly basis toremove surface soil and pre-vent dirt from becoming em-

bedded into the fibres. Youcan also use a soft bristledbrush to gently whisk thedirt away without snaggingthe fabric.

Without rubbing, gentlyblot any spills immediatelywith a clean folded towel.Lastly, avoid direct sunlightas it can damage your uphol-stery fabric, causing it to fadeand even fray.

Here are the top trends inupholstery this season thatyou’ll love to embrace

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