New Season – New Fabrics

Every few months we take on the task of ordering a new crop of furniture for the store. It involves us all gathering around the long table by the fabric racks – you know, the 13′ foot table that looks like the dining table in the servants hall at Downton Abbey.

We start out putting the catalogs out to see our frame choices, we start pulling fabrics and tossing them in a pile. We want a mix of frames – different arms, traditional and modern, formal and casual. We need a selection of fabrics – solids, neutrals, and prints, in linen, cotton, velvet, blends. We toss in a leather or two. we try to get a mix of slipcovers and tight upholstery. It doesn’t end there either. we have to decide about the stain color of any exposed wood. Do we want piping or no piping? How about topstitching – what color? what size thread? We choose nailhead for a few pieces – and there are choices there too – we have to choose color and size. 

It sounds like fun, right? …..It’s not. Let’s just say we have a lot of personalities that work here, each with their own opinion…..about everything. It can be a volatile combo. it can get ugly. If you come to the table, you come with a tough skin ready to defend your choices. It’s not unlike The Hunger Games.

In the end though, we are left with a nice stack of fabrics and a full order. Then begins the self-congratulations. And finally the worst part – waiting for it to arrive.

Here’s what we finally came up with this time :

Why do we torture ourselves in this way you may ask? Well, as trite as it may sound, it’s for you – when you come into our store, we want you to be able to see examples of all these choices and options. We want you to be able to try out chairs, cushion types, tight backs and down cushions. We want you to see frames with solids, stripes, ikats, etc. We want you to see a rumpled washed slipcover and a tight formal velvet. We want to educate you and help you make choices for your home, your space.