Reader Question: How Can I Use Fabric to Decorate My One-Bedroom Apartment?

Q: I just moved into a one-bedroom apartment and my problem is our bedroom wall. It is so bare and I cannot decide what to put on it. The color of our room is light blue and most of my accessories are blue and yellow. I was thinking of putting photos and frames and abstract paintings, but I prefer to use fabric as my wall décor.

Could you suggest a specific color, texture and pattern that I should buy and where I can buy them? I like fabrics that are simple and beautiful but not expensive. My husband is coming home soon and I would like to transform our bedroom where he could relax after two long years of working abroad. I hope you can help me. —Tere, San Juan, Metro Manila

A: Before you begin this project, decide first on how you want to display the fabric on your bedroom wall. There are a number of options:

• For a more classic formal look, put the fabric in a frame much like how you would display a painting or a photograph.
• If you want your room to look warm and cozy, mount it on plywood like an upholstered headboard.
• For a more dramatic, contemporary look, attach the tightly stretched fabric with string at the corners and middle.

In choosing your fabric, look for a piece that will complement your chosen display style. Don’t go for a pattern that is too busy or too bold since you want the room to be relaxing. You can go for a subtle monochromatic toile de jouy or a fabric with a modern, geometric pattern. Shades of orange or lilac would harmonize well with your yellow and blue color scheme.

I found beautiful fabric with really nice patterns at Townes Fabrics at Pasay Road. You can also try Shell Canvas and Fabric Warehouse —both have branches all over the Metro. 

Click here to learn how you can make affordable and interesting painted banners!

Read the original article ("Ask It") in the September 2007 issue of Real Living Magazine. Download your digital copy of Real Living on the Real Living App now! Log on to summitnewsstand.com.ph/real-living for more details. 

WHERE TO BUY:

Townes Fabrics

• 916 A. Arnaiz Ave, Makati

Shell Canvas

• Unit 348, 3/L, Glorietta 4