Valentine’s Day is here again, and we’re positively blushing with excitement. And speaking of blushing (how’s that for a segue?), we think one of the best things about this particular holiday is all the yummy, yummy shades of red everywhere. Also, all the yummy, yummy chocolate, but that’s not exactly our bag.
Fabrics that bring all the feels, however? Now that we know something about.
So let’s take advantage of the holiday to luxuriate ourselves in red. Much like love itself, red is complex and has the power to evoke a richly varied range of feelings and sensations. Add to that the textural possibilities offered by different types of fabric, and it’s hard to come up with a more potent potion — or love potion, if you will — for transforming the feel of a space.
Today let’s slip into something red. We’ll send winter packing for a beat as we turn up the temperature with some red hot velvet, taffeta, silk, and sateen.
We’ll help you fantasize about a veritable mixed box of red upholstery fabrics and help you on your way to using them in your favorite spot. So put on some smokey jazz, light a candle, pour a glass of wine (red wine, of course), and let’s be valentines for a few minutes.
Your Valentine’s Upholstery Main Squeeze: Red Velvet
Let’s start with the fabric equivalent of going all out for Valentine’s Day. The upholstery version of pulling out all the stops with chocolates, balloons, flowers, a crackling fire, and a violin virtuoso serenading you and you’re beloved. We’re talking, of course, about voluptuous velvet.
We’ll get to how small, subtle touches of fabrics like velvet can deepen the wow and whimsy of any space a bit later. First, let’s take a look at something a bit bolder. There’s little that can compete with the inviting coziness of velvet. And regardless of the overall style you’re after, there are so many ways to work velvet into your design dreams.
With its sink-in soft texture and warmth, velvet can bring weight and grounding to an otherwise bright and airy space. Imagine walking into a room and being greeted by a velvet sofa decadently dressed in crushed burgundy velvet. It positively purrs as it invites you to snuggle up with your favorite someone. Or snuggle up with your favorite book instead in an armchair regally rolling in bold Bordeaux velvet. Take it tufted and your couch or chair becomes simultaneously classic and contemporary — an accent piece par excellence.
But velvet isn’t a one-trick pony limited to serving as an anchor for your space. It can lift and excite as well.
Check out Kathryn M. Ireland’s (of Million Dollar Decorators fame) stunning sofa as featured in Elle Decor. We love how the bright red tones of her accent sofa dial up the energy of the room. It feels like a smile and a sigh in sofa form. Bring a little of that glow to the “cheeks” of your living room with a bright and uplifting eco-friendly, performance velvet in resplendent rouge.
Whatever Valentine’s vibe vision you have in mind for your room, red velvet is up for the ride.
Feeling All The Feels For Red Taffeta, Silk, And Sateen Fabrics
This reveling in red has us feeling a bit carried away. We could go on about velvets alone for hours, but there’s more in store on our Valentine-themed fabric tour. Let’s turn our attention — and affection — to taffetas, silks, and sateens. Much like velvet, each offers unique notes to the tone of any room, not only with color but also with distinct, evocative textures.
The opulence and weight of fabrics like velvet offer one kind of sensual satisfaction. But that holds true for the opposite end of the spectrum, as well. Take taffeta, for instance. (Not just for wedding dresses and decor.) While admittedly, taffeta isn’t the cuddliest of the fabrics we’re exploring today, it decidedly has other gifts.
Take a room with a predominantly muted or neutral color palette and bring a pop of passion with some sultry cinnamon-colored taffeta drapes. You get the depth of color that inspires interest and intrigue but the expansive flow and visual lightness of taffeta’s taffeta’s airy weave. As a result, you’ll frame your windows without narrowing the feel of your space. That ability to create a sense of elegant, textured expansiveness is at the heart of what we love about taffeta.
And then there’s sultry and sophisticated silk — if you’ve ever worn silk, you know exactly what we mean. Silk is the quintessential fabric for all things sumptuous and sensual. What better place to add some of those delightfully delicious vibes than in your bedroom? Upholster your headboard in textured faux silk, marbled in deep reds, and make bedtime a romantic trip to another world.
Use Cupid’s favorite color like a well-placed spritz or two of perfume. Add just a few touches of sateen to your room’s decor through small things like throw pillows or decorative table runners. Try a contemporary patterned sateen in a Merlot color to add just enough red to welcome and allure. And, like silk, sateen offers those oh-so-inviting soft and slippery feels.
Love For Helping You Live Luxuriously Lives Here Year-Round
While our playfully passionate pass at all things red upholstery was in honor of Cupid’s big day, our love of helping you bring rev up the romance and lift up the luxury in your favorite spaces is no passing fancy.
Colors and textures matter. But just a little bit of intention in the fabrics you choose for your upholstery and other interior design elements can make all the difference in any of the spaces you live your life — home, office, and beyond.
It’s easier than you think. And you’re never alone. We love helping you love where you live. Oh, and one last thing, after you get those luscious fabrics, don’t forget the chocolates and flowers. Happy Valentine’s Day!
