Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Toiles



This refined dining room features a dramatic and elegant wallpaper, Plantation Silk, in a striking red on ivory color scheme. Full luxurious draperies are in Bellagio Silk Taffeta that have been lavishly banded and trimmed, and Silk Road Velvet upholsters the dining chairs.
http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-waverly-fabric-waverly-fabric-toile.aspx

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Oriental Rugs

During the past century, the Oriental rug has become valued throughout the world as a work of art.With its rich history and color, the Oriental rug often is called the aristocrat of carpets.Although the Oriental rug of today may not soar through the air like a magic carpet of Arabian legend, the Oriental rug does perform magic, transforming interior spaces into extraordinary spaces.
The term, Oriental rug, traditionally has been used to describe hand knotted rugs from the East. The process typically involves stretching warp threads on a loom and knotting the pile to these threads. When a row of knots is completed, a weft thread is then inserted. Once the entire carpet is knotted, the pile is shorn. To a large degree, the precision of the design depends on how tightly the rug has been knotted and how short the pile has been cut.
The rug's density, or number of knots the better. A superb Oriental rug may have more than 500 to 1,000 knots per square inch.
Historically, the great carpet producing areas include Turkey, Persia, the Caucasus and Turkestan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, India and China also must be added to the list. Also, under Arab influence, Spain, too has produced hand knotted rugs of distinction.
I have referred you here before and you will find many varieties of rugs, tapestries and more at affordable prices.... http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/control/style-search/~cid=7003

Sensuous Silks







Silk fabric has a soft, lustrous and supple hand. For centuries silk has had a reputation as a luxurious and sensuous fabric, one associated with wealth and success. Silk is one of the oldest textile fibers known to man. It has been used by the Chinese since the 27th century BC. Silk is mentioned by Aristotle and became a valuable commodity both in Greece and Rome. During the Roman Empire, silk was sold for its weight in gold.Characteristics of Silk Fabric Cultivated silk is a beautiful luxurious fiber with a smooth luxurious hand. This type of silk can be dyed and printed in bright colors that are very pleasing to the eye. Silk's abrasion resistance is moderate. However, it is ranked high in strength for natural fibers. Silk fabrics have good absorbency. Fabrics made from silk are comfortable in the summer and warm in the winter.Silk fabrics have only moderate resistance to wrinkling. It is often recommended that silk garments be dry-cleaned. When hand or machine washing washable silk garments, test for water spotting in an obscure place because silk gets water-spots easily.