An Unexpected Fabric Source

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn a commission on all qualifying purchases. Thank you!

As decorators and homeowners, we are used to reconciling a variety of styles, opinions and budgets. Clients often have partners or family members who weigh in during the decision-making process, and taking everyone’s needs into consideration becomes a delicate balancing act.  Over the last year and a half I’ve been helping clients across the country decorate their homes, and I’ve been loving every minute of it.  Aside from meeting the sweetest people, the problem-solving aspect of decorating is what keeps the process interesting & fresh for me. Each project comes with its own set of restrictions and challenges, and budgets are often at the top of the list. In an ideal world we’d all have tons of loose cash laying around, waiting to be spent on lovely things for our homes, but for most of us this is not the case. The good news, however, is that reconciling budgets (or any other set of constrains) often forces us to think creatively, and arrive at original solutions we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

One proven method to stretch the budget is by training our eyes to find beauty in unexpected places, which adds to the thrill of the hunt – not a bad thing. We can unearth treasures at local antiques shops or flea markets and save quite a few dollars in the process. It may take time and patience to find exactly what we’re looking for,  but when that special piece finally shows up – it’s all butterflies and fireworks.

Another place where we can stretch the budget is through textiles. I know that many of you share in my love of exquisite fabrics that come with designer price tags, but sometimes – no matter how much we want them – they just don’t fit with what we have to spend on our rooms. In that case, sourcing pretty textiles at more affordable prices becomes a necessity. With my own home, my approach is “If it looks beautiful and I love it, it’s good enough.” So on this note, today I’d like to share with you a few affordable fabrics I’ve used recently that I love and have recommended in the past in some shape or form to clients. Some of these come from an unexpected source – Amazon – while others were found on eBay and Ballard. So… if you’re budget-fatigued and looking for some affordable decorating fabrics, you might want to check these out:

1.

The first one is this beautiful cotton duck denim that has the look of antique Japanese tie-dye fabrics. It is also stain repellent and I absolutely love it and have ordered extra yards for slipcovers. It is more blue than teal, and the listing picture doesn’t do the color justice. You can spy it as a lumbar pillow on our family room sofa in the first image.

It could make beautiful slipcovers, pillows or curtains. You can find it HERE, HERE and HERE.

2.

Stripes, and geometric patterns in general, are a great way to round out an existing fabric scheme and I love this thin stripe from Ballard. ( I found it half-price on eBay though, so you might want to check it out HERE first. ) It’s upholstery strength so would work great on chairs, sofas as well as pillows.

3.

Last, this large Waverly stripe from their Colonial Williamsburg collection could easily accommodate other geometrics, smaller prints or florals.

Bottom line: When we decorate thoughtfully and intentionally over time, we can discover beautiful things for all budgets. And when we mix these items with higher-end pieces or family heirlooms, we are then rewarded with rooms that look attractive, storied and real. Conversely, when everything is of the same value, when everything has provenance and pedigree, a room can end up looking a bit tired and one-dimensional. In decorating, as in life, one needs some contrast and variety to keep things interesting. Don’t you agree? 🙂