Fabric Is the New Wallpaper, According to Designers
When twenty-two of the nation's most acclaimed interior designers and architects get together to transform a home, you take notes. Well, this year, the writing—or should we say the fabric—is on the walls. The Fourth Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas, a fundraiser for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, offers no shortage of design inspiration. Cathy Kincaid Interiors, Laura Lee Clark Interior Design, and Simms Hayes Design used wallpaper to make an impact. Urbanology Designs and KMNelson Design created one-of-a-kind bathrooms. Melissa Gerstle Design and From the Ground Up Landscape created transportive outdoor spaces on the exterior of the home. But there was no overlooking one major trend running throughout this year’s show house: fabric on the walls. Multiple designers used the material to problem solve and create beautiful, liveable spaces. And you can too!
Whether you're a renter who can't make any significant changes to your space or a homeowner who does not have the time or bandwidth to replace that damaged sheetrock, Kips Bay Show House Dallas offers a luxurious, efficient, and relatively low-lift resolution to all of your "what do I do with the walls?" woes. If you'd like to experience the incredible home for yourself, you can visit the show house in the Old Preston Hollow's Sunnybrook Estates neighborhood of Dallas November 7th through 12th, as well as on the 14th. "The designers, architects and sponsors along with the entire Dallas design community have worked tirelessly to create this Show House and we’re eager for everyone to visit," says James Druckman, President of the Board of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. But if a trip to Dallas isn't in your future, read on to discover what fabric can do for your own four (or more) walls.
Disguise Your Storage
Hide your junk and add some hidden storage by hanging drapes along your walls, not your windows, and extending them over a built-in, like Designer Julie Dodson of Dodson Interiors did with this drapery of Coromandel Print fabric by Zoffany. Now your guest won't see those unsightly cords, toys, and files that you'd rather keep hidden.
Set Off A Sleeping Nook
In the primary bedroom, the team at Pursley Dixon Ford Interior Design used fabric to create a floor-to-ceiling headboard. Then they extended fabric out from the wall to cocoon the bed in its own space within the room.
Create a Room in Underused Space
Got an area no one seems to spend time in, like an entry, foyer, or extended hallway? Build a wall with fabric. That's what Morgan and Madison Design did in this stair landing, turning what was once just a pass-through space into a separate room. What looks like a fourth (fabric) wall hides the half-wall banister behind it.
Conceal Damage
Think of fabric as concealer or foundation for your wall's blemishes. Designer Chad James's space was anything but a blank canvas; removing built-ins left the sheetrock damaged beyond repair. Hanging fabric along the walls offered a simple and easy fix that looks luxurious. Follow his lead and none of your guests will know what lies beneath.
Go Faux
If you love the idea of covering your walls in fabric but want an easily applicable (and strippable) option, opt for paperbacked fabric wallpaper. Design duo Kelli Ford and Kristen Fitzgibbon chose this Sailor Stripe Canvas stripe from Phillip Jeffries to add a cozy layer to the family room.
Change Unsightly Structures Without Construction
Add subtle drama while hiding a structural feature you might not enjoy. Designer Darren Henault, of Darren Henault Interiors, hates a recessed tray ceiling. Rather than removing the tray ceiling in this bedroom, he lined it with soft blue fabric, softening the harsh angles and concealing the molding he didn't like.
Go All Out
For a bold-but-cozy look, encase your space in the same continuous fabric, like designer Mark D. Sikes did in this dining room. You can extend the fabric to the ceiling, or take a page out of the designer's book and have the ceiling painted to match.
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