soft furnishings - interior decoration

SOFT FURNISHINGSCURTAINS, LOOSE COVERS, CUSHIONS, BEDSPREAD,

Dr. Bhavya Khamesra

Soft furnishings include curtains, loose covers,

cushions, bedspreads and quilts.(not carpets).

-They have colour, pattern and texture and add to

the interior decoration of the room.

- They give protection, warmth, and comfort

Fabric/ material used are of prime importance.

Natural fabrics like cotton, silk, velvet, wool are

used. Nowadays synthetic materials like terelyne,

acrylic, rayon are also used.

CURTAINS

Functions of curtains are:

Give privacy

Darken the room

Bring character by colour, pattern and texture

Reduce heat loss

Reduce noise levels inside the room

The life expectancy of the fabric depends on the exposure to sunlight and degree of soiling , these causes fading and rotting of fabric and colours.

Curtains have high fire risk due to combustible material. A fire retardant finish should be given

Curtains should hold shape properly and drape well. They can be suspended from a horizontal rod or a transverse track made of metal, wood or plastic.

The width of curtains should be 1.5 times that of width of window. The curtains may extend to both sides of window.

They may be of height of window, from window top

to floor, from ceiling to floor. These all have different

effects on the look of the room.

They are fixed to rod by hooks or rings.

The base of curtains should remain at least 1.5- 2

cm above the floor so that do not get dirty.

Different pattern on fabrics are used to give

different effects.

Good curtains are usually lined. Lining means heavy curtains have a light curtain attached to it. Heavy curtains face the room side. Sheer/ light curtains face the window side/ sunlight. Light curtains are of light colours (white/ cream/ baize) as light colours do not fade

During day time only sheer / light curtains are drawn. During night for privacy heavy curtains should be drawn.

For public areas, lobby, restaurant rich, colourful, expensive and heavy curtains are used. For room light colours, less expensive material can be used. For bathroom curtains made of plastic / glass are used.

NON DRAWING CURTAINS

These cannot be drawn like fabric curtains. These are

of following types:

Roller blinds roman blinds

venetian blinds

Shades bamboo shades

wooden shutters

Screen fabric on wooden frame

PELMET, VALENCE, SWAG

Palmet: they are rigid, made of wood, hard board.

May be painted or polished. They are used to hide

the rod. Now a day’s pelmets are not used.

Valence: a valance is made of frilled or pleated

material and hangs from a valance rail.

Swag: it is a draped finish to hide the curtain

heading and is frequently completed with a tail.

NET CURTAINS

They are sheer or light curtains. It softens or

diffuses the light coming in the room.

There should be sufficient weight at the bottom for

proper drape. They are 2 to 3 times the width of

window.

White/ pale: patterned / plain material of cotton /

manmade fabric are used to make net curtains.

NET CURTAINS

CARE AND CLEANING OF CURTAINS

Keep rod and track free from dust with help of

broom / vacuum cleaner.

Shake the curtains often. Use vacuum cleaner to

suck the dust.

Reverse the position of curtains frequently.

Have lined curtains dry cleaned. Have unlined

curtains laundered.

Solvent spray extraction machines may be used.

LOOSE COVERS

Loose covers are detachable / removable covers

fitted over upholstered chairs, stools, and sofa.

They give a clean fresh look to the room but needs

maintenance.

They are used to protect the original fixed

upholstery.

They are tailored or fixed under chair. They are

fastened by hooks and eyes, zip, touch and loose

fasteners.

Closely woven fabric is preferred for loose covers

as it does not allow dust to filter through. The

material should not crease easily.

They are available in a variety of patterns and

texture.

They can be laundered or dry-cleaned.

Antimascarrars: they are used to protect

upholstered furniture and shield the arms and back

of sofa.

CARE AND CLEANING OF LOOSE COVERS:

Shake and tidy frequently,

brush or suction regularly

Attend to repairs

have laundered or dry-cleaned as required

CUSHIONS

They are used to increase the comfort of chair or

sofa. They come in various shapes, size, and are

filled with down, kapok, foam, plastic, cotton. The

shapes can be rectangle, square, cylinder.

BLANKETS

Blankets provide warmth in bed. Often white/ pale/

light coloured blankets are used.

Top/ edges/ border are often binded. They have

good insulation, ease of cleaning, and non

inflammable. They are made of wool, synthetic

material or mixtures or cotton.

Cotton blankets are used in hospitals.

Take precaution against moths and rodents. Repair

ends immediately.

woolen

Are attacked by moth

Are warm /

inflammable

Have to be dry-cleaned

Synthetic-acrylic/

nylon

Are warm light in

weight

Have low moisture

absorbency

Can be laundered/

washed

QUILTS

They are light bed coverings but expensive .They

are placed under bedspread.

DUVET

They are used extensively. They have replaced

blankets. They are generally filled with synthetic

fibers or polyester fibers.

BEDSPREAD

They are used to cover bed during day. They are

removed during night/ evening service, folded

and put away. Their colour and pattern must suit the

décor of the room and match / contrast the

colour of curtain and carpet

They may be fitted on bed or it can be of throw over

type. They may have frills/ pleats to within

an inch of the floor. Materials like satin, velvet,

tapestry, candlewick are used to make

bedspreads.

RUNNER