Y’all, I’d barely unpacked before I was already shopping for fabrics for our new apartment. Cause y’all know, if there’s ever a legit excuse necessary to give yourselves a home makeover, it’s a move into a new space. A lot of folks work themselves into a full-on panic thinking that buying all new furniture is the only real way to update the look of their homes. Not true. What they need is a Textile Turnout!! By switching out window treatments, throw pillow covers, upholstery and even rugs y’all can completely transform your spaces in the most dramatic & often EASIEST ways!
Once you’ve selected the items you want to turnout, now it’s time to shop! Y’all can go the route of pre-made/store bought, or custom made. Guess which method generally costs more? In either instance, to keep the shopping process from being overwhelming, I try to choose a “founding fabric” or foundation as my starting point. With a strong foundation, it’s easy to build up from there. Your foundation can be anything: a chic set of store-bought curtains, an amazing rug or an awesome throw pillow.
For me, a great print or pattern makes for a strong foundation b/c from it, I can get lots of yummy color cues for the other fabrics in the room. I grew up wearing Garanimals, so I say, “when in doubt, match it out”! If it seems elementary, it is, but you can never go wrong with this theory. Y’all can amp up the glam and sophistication by selecting shades or tones of colors. Also, this is where you can play with textures, other patterns and scale to add drama and depth.
Here’s what I mean…This amazing vintage toile is my founding fabric for valances in our living room:
I scored this at Brooklyn Flea several weeks ago for $15 bucks…it’s in great condition and incidentally, is currently one large valance. But with some easy modifications, I’m going to make into two, since we have two windows in the living room. This medium scale print is busy as hell y’all & I love it!!! But paired with simple white panels trimmed in teal twill tape—a color I’m pulling right out of the print-- I’ll be taking y’all there with these window treatments.
But wait, there’s more! Check out this incredible awning stripe (from Premier Prints) I’ll be backslapping our living room chairs with! Oh shiot! 
The bold graphic stripe will give order to the chaos that is the valances. And y’all don’t even need me to explain why I chose chartreuse…
I’m doing my window screen room divider in this Waverly number:
It’s yummy teal, graphic pattern will help to bring more order to the other side of the room. And b/c it’s smaller in scale, it works well with both the valance & chairs.
The sofa will get this canvas in teal: 
A solid is always a super-safe yet smart option, especially with a larger, upholstered piece. I’ll get more bang for my buck here b/c I can always turnout the look of this sofa by updating the throw pillows, when I want to freshen things up. This is why it’s a good idea to limit bolder patterns and prints—especially when it’s custom—to items that aren’t crazy expensive to redo.
Lastly, if any of y’all want some of the fabric goodness that I’ve featured, check out Fabric.com. And even if you hate what I’m doing to my space, y’all should STILL check out Fabric.com. Aside from their amazing selection of really yummy fabrics that are super-cheap, they carry all sorts of other fabric-related items as well as helpful hints on how to measure for yardage needed, etc. And remember: when fabric shopping anytime, ALWAYS get samples BEFORE you buy!!!
And be sure to check back y'all, as I'll be sure to post photos of our fully fabric-dazzled living room once it's finished!
Also if you want sources for any of the items in this post, check the I want that! page for details.