On Wednesday, Libby asked to know a little bit more about what was going on behind my couch. I am more than happy to oblige!
The fabric panels behind the couch have been with me a long time. When I moved into my first apartment (with a roommate) in 2007, it was 100% furnished with leftovers from my parents’ guest room. Okay, that’s not entirely true. The coffee table was a deeply discounted floor model from the local IKEA. Can you believe I dug up an old photo of my first place?
Isn’t it amazing how far digital camera technology has come in the past 6 years?
This looks like it was taken with a cell phone, but I assure you it was not.
While at IKEA nabbing a cool coffee table for a cheap price, some yardage of fabric caught our eye in the textiles section. It was so long ago I can’t remember if we grabbed the remainder of the bolt or just a couple of yards. Anyway, this fabric was being discontinued and my mom and I thought the pastel color palette would really go with the blue-and-white striped couch and easy chair. Note: looks like my addiction to sales, discontinued items, and the “as is” section at IKEA is not a new thing!
Back in the late 80s and/or early 90s, my mom actually stretched canvases as a side job. Or something like that (I was a baby so my memory is, understandably, not crystal clear).
She was happy to revive her skills and help me out by doing these!
I like how they can be flipped and rotated to create different designs (compare this arrangement to the first photo in the post).
These beautiful pieces really haven’t had a home until now. They were just what the room needed to balance out the height created by the sliding door and barfy vertical blinds. They help the “living” area look finished. I was worried that Doug would think they were too feminine, so I didn’t press the issue–but when he saw them he actually really liked them!
This is an awesome, and like I said, inexpensive way to make some large-scale art for your living space. Large-scale art is often expensive but it can really make a good impact–I think I have achieved that here! You could even use a tablecloth or textile found at a thrift store, or pick of fabric at the local JoAnn’s. I can picture an awesome ikat fabric, or suzani, or otomi… it seems like geometric or “native” types of print work really, really well with this kind of project.
I like this particular fabric because it has an ikat motif (gray) a sakura motif (green) and a moroccan/arabic star technique (blue)! Of course, I didn’t know what the terms for these designs really were when I bought the fabric… you don’t have to like something just because it’s trendy–just pick something you are drawn to! It’s what I do and it seems to work out well.
Want to create your own wall hangings? Grab some stretcher bars or any old wooden frame and stretch your favorite fabric!
I don’t have a step-by-step DIY tutorial for you, but maybe watching this guy will help.
My Friend Staci 