Fabrics

Fabric is always my starting point for a design scheme for a room or home — I love the transformative effect it can have on any space. I rely on my fabric collections (as well as Otis Textiles, friends’ lines, and vintage finds) to bring color, texture, movement, and comfort to my designs. I use fabric for window treatments, sofas, chairs, bedcovers and bed curtains, pillows, lampshades, bench cushions, and so much more. You should too.

When designing a space for a client or yourself, I recommend spending as much time thinking about fabric as you do pouring over paint samples or researching furniture or appliances. You rarely touch the paint on the wall, but you encounter and even envelop yourself in the fabrics in your home every single day. My best advice: Find an upholsterer, draper, or seamstress you trust (or all three!) and make fabrics a starting point of your next project.

I believe every room scheme needs three or four fabrics, so each of my collections are designed to be mixed and matched. Built around a thematic point of inspiration, they’re designed to work perfectly together. And, unlike fashion, fabric designs have long lives, so you won’t tire of them.

Layering of textures and patterns, which has become my signature style, not only makes spaces visually interesting, but also supremely comfortable. And as my collections from across the years share certain characteristics — like favorite reds and blues — and are built to complement each other, you can layer the first collection with the last collection, and everything in between. 

Material is another area where variety is key. Alongside colorful linens and blends, versatile weaves and light-as-air sheers help make interiors feel well-suited for multiple seasons and moods. 

And don’t forget scale. Certain fabrics with small prints, like my Sunburst or Sidone, or subtle stripes, like my Lyall or Bamboo, are meant to serve as companions to some of the bolder, larger scaled fabrics (like Tatiana or Lola) within their collections. (“Kathryn’s Inspiration and Suggested Uses” on each fabric page offers more details on this front.)

To complete your spaces, check out our complementary Wallpapers and, soon, our Lampshades and Pillows.

I use solid fabrics very selectively in my interiors. Unless it’s a velvet, corduroy, or a stonewashed linen (like those at Otis Textiles) — in other words, unless it’s got something else going on — I’d rather use a pattern. So although you won’t find many strict solids in my collections, you will find fabrics like Moroccan Weave or Zazu, which read very much as solids to me but have that extra dimensionality that I think is critical in design.

I always say in a fabric collection, you need a Floral, a Check, and a Stripe. That mantra applies to room schemes too. And while a pretty floral print is a perennial favorite, challenge yourself to order samples for patterns you might not ordinarily consider. For example, I think we could all use a check in our homes. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a grand house or an informal space, a kitchen, a living room, or a bedroom, there is always room for a check.

Other favorite patterns — like Paisleys, Toiles, and Geometric — bring their own personality to the mix.

My fabric collections are inspired by both my global travels and the pressing needs of specific projects I’m working on at the moment, often thousands of miles away. That’s how trips to Morocco and Mexico several years ago informed the vibrant collection that I originally created for a Santa Barbara ranch. Or how visits to the Silk Road, Bali, Cape Cod, the French Countryside, Palm Beach, Ghana, and the British Isles all inspired fabrics and wallpapers that now live in homes around the world. 

And that’s the key — great design travels. Color, pattern, and texture translate across borders, and bring points of interest and energy to your spaces. The cozy plaids you fell in love with while visiting Scotland will feel right at home by your crackling fireplace. And don’t be afraid to use fabrics influenced by places you’ve never visited. Bali may still be on your “bucket list,” but a Batik fabric like Greta will fit right in in your beach house — and may one day inspire your next great travel adventure.