I don't know what it is about choosing fabric but it absolutely terrifies me. You guys with me on this? The thought of making the wrong choice sends me straight into panic-attack mode. I'm sure it has to do with my decorators remorse where, as soon as I make that final choice and purchase/make whatever item, I see something that I think would have worked better. It's like the iphone curse - as soon as you buy that new model - a newer & better version comes out.
I went on the hunt to find fabric for some roman shades for the windows in our kitchen and breakfast noo. I wanted something bold and graphic - with no actual color scheme in mind although one seemed to emerge.
These bluish-gray and white fabrics, some with pops of color, are all absolutely beautiful and my favorites were the more neutral options (go figure!) but I was nervous that the bold graphics would clash with the
painted wallpaper accent wall on the opposite side of the kitchen and with upholstery and pillows of the built-in nook bench which we haven't even started on.
I moved on from my "bold and graphic" search onto solids and fell in love with these
simple grosgrain roman shades from Pottery Barn.
I LOVED them and was sold UNTIL...I happened upon a
Martha Stewart post using sheer linen roman shades to create a bit of privacy but still allowing the natural light to filter in.
I LOVED this idea even more and its one that I've often used in our garden level condo and in our current bedroom and living room with the budget-friendly sheer
IKEA Vivan curtains. While the vivans are great paired with other curtains, I find them to be a bit too boring alone. I wanted a bit of color in our taupe kitchen.
These options were equally beautiful but I was encouraged to see the fabric in person - to get a feel for it and to test its sheerness. I stopped in at my local Joann Fabrics only to find their selection of tissue linens in beige, white and natural options. Not only was their in-store stock limited but they also couldn't get any colorful options in the store. Thems the breaks for living in a rural area.
I returned home frustrated and deflated. I had no options but to order online but that's where my paralizing fear struck. I could not decide on colors. Did I want yellow? or a yellowish-orange or perhaps a blue or turquoise? Purchasing a few yards of fabric without testing the colors at home seemed like a horrible idea - one that was sure to end in decorators remorse.
AND THEN, I remembered a stash of fabric upstairs which could possibly be used to make the roman shades. I brought down a few options from upstairs - two neutral striped semi-sheer, a solid navy linen curtains, a solid cream curtain and a solid turquoise cotton then hung each in the window.
So what do you think? Anything popping out at you as the winner? I'm at a loss, plus the wall color is showing quite a bit darker in these photos. I'd love to use something I already have to save both time and money. I like the wider striped version, but that's just more neutral. The navy is the perfect sheer linen that I've been looking for but it seems a bit too dark. The turquoise, which was used to just test the color, is nice but it seems a bit too bold. I don't know what it is about the small striped fabric. I feel like I should like it but I'm not really feeling it.
Ugh...so I'm back to where I started. I'm leaning towards the simple roman shades with the grosgrain ribbon and using white linen so we'd still get the light filtering through. But then again I could find something else that piques my interest.
Got any sage advice? Or just want to make the decision for me?
I really, REALLY, like the last one. Even if the walls are lighter than they appear, the color scheme is spot on and the horizontal strips are bold without being too bold. Just sayin.
ReplyDeleteI vote the last one with the stripes. I'm on a stripe kick right now and really digging the way it looks.
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