Dear Melissa:

I recently inherited a beautiful 1823 American Empire loveseat. Unfortunately, it clashes with our carpeting. The piece is a gold-camel color, but the carpet is a lovely kind of mauve…What do we do? Reupholster or re-carpet? What would you do in an established room? C.D., UT

Dear C.:

First of all, is the fabric on the loveseat original upholstery? If so, I’d get it appraised before you inadvertently destroy the value. If not, consider which is in worse condition. If they are equal, work the numbers to see which cost is the lesser of two evils. You’re in the same ballpark with an inexpensive carpet and an excellent upholsterer.

Must you reupholster? Does the loveseat clash with all of the furniture in the room? Get out your crayon box. Could you incorporate the loveseat into a color scheme like mauve/burgundy/gold,  or mauve/slate blue/yellow, or mauve/periwinkle/turquoise/yellow? If you can’t work it in, I should caution you that while gold is still popular and  historic, mauve --while outdated --  refuses to die. A similar shade of pink is comning in. M.A.K.

Asthma

Dear Melissa:

I wonder if you have any thoughts on how to make a home environment better for those suffering from allergies or asthma. Do we really have to go down to bare floors and toss out the favorite sectional and replace it with leather? Ugh!! L.D., MO

Dear L.:

Treating a home for people with respiratory ailments depends on the severity of the problem. Sometimes it necessitates a move to Florida or Arizona. I’m serious.

Less drastic measures start with attentive housekeeping, quality heating & air conditioning, mold control, hypo-allergenic well-vacuumed bedding, sealed windows, and the removal of all known offenders: pets, dust, down, feathers, heavy draperies, textured fabrics, fluffy carpets, and facial tissues (extremely dust producing).

One doesn’t have to end up with a sterile setting, however. Instead of heavy window treatments, try pretty valances with shutters or pleated shades beneath. Consider covering your sectional with a washable cotton slipcover – unless it’s stuffed with feathers or down. Then it will probably have to go. As for flooring, you might experiment with cotton area rugs. There are also some wonderful low-pile, low-gas carpets on the market designed for the healthcare industry. Consider sisals and canvas floor cloths, too. Since everyone is a little different, you might have to experiment a little. Good luck. M.A.K.

What Works with Red and Purple?

Dear Melissa:

The colors in my living room are red and deep violet. I know it sounds gross, but it’s really nice. I want to recover a chair in my living room, but I can’t find the right shades of either the red or the violet, so I’m stuck. I don’t want to do a neutral and have it stick out like a sore thumb. I have looked everywhere. W.S. 

Dear W.:

I think your color scheme sounds great. Unfortunately colors come in trends, with certain shades going out of favor for a while. You don’t have to match colors for them to blend well in a room, however. Have you considered using an intermediate color to bridge the two colors – say, amethyst or wine, for instance? A bridge color wouldn’t be as obvious as a neutral. Another option would be to experiment with an analogous color like ginger or tangerine. M.A.K.

Using Opulent Fabrics in Your Home

One of the hottest trends today is the use of opulent fabrics in the home, particularly silk. At one time we had to really search for the right silk at the right price. Now silks are featured in the showrooms, and with more variety comes lower prices. Slightly lower. Silk is like an “iron butterfly”; it has surprising tensile strength when lined, yet it is highly sensitive to sunlight, heat and moisture.
Silk must be backed for upholstery and should not be used on windows with southern or western exposures.

Linen is another prestigious natural fabric. It comes from flax, which is dimensionally stable. While it is easily bleached, it doesn’t dye well so colors are often limited. Linen has a crisp feel and wrinkles easily unless blended with other fibers.

The most popular fabric in the home is cotton. It dyes beautifully, is extremely durable (often lasting centuries), and is often inexpensive. It is susceptible to sun damage and mildew, however. Cotton, in and of itself, is not considered opulent unless one considers its stunning patterns, rich colors, and transformation into velvet.

Wool is one of my favorites. It takes dyes beautifully, and ranges from stiff and extremely durable to soft and flowing. The latter makes stunning drapery. If kept away from mildew, wool is extremely long lasting.

There are also amazing new manmade fabrics on the market today, particularly from Europe. No more snobbery about polyester; they have come a long way. These manmade fibers eliminate many of the drawbacks listed above when blended with the natural fibers.

There is now so much variety out there that no matter what the budget, everyone can enjoy opulence in their home.