Maybe the cold weather is approaching, or maybe you just love flowers. Whatever the reason, there is no need to keep your favorite plants outdoors, nor do you have to struggle to keep them alive inside of your home. You can easily bring a touch of the garden into your home with floral fabrics.
1. Playroom
If your children have a playroom, why not decorate it like an enchanted garden? Line the floors with stepping stones and, if you’re feeling super creative, indoor-outdoor carpeting to mimic grass. Instead of filling your room with fake, plastic flowers, construct teepee play tents for your little ones.
Cut or purchase pieces of thin lumber that are six-feet tall. You’ll need three to four pieces for each tent, depending on your desired construction. Place the lumber in a form of a teepee and secure the sticks where they meet with ribbon or rope. Take your favorite floral fabric and cut it into pieces that are two inches larger than each section of the teepee, and three inches shorter than where the lumber is tied. Sew an inch hem along the top and bottom of your fabric, and a one-and-a-half inch hem along the sides. Secure the fabric to the lumber with spray adhesive, a hot glue gun, staples or Velcro.
2. Bedroom
You can always add floral curtains to your bedroom for a splash of color, or you can use your imagination and create a beautiful headboard. All you need to make your own headboard is foam paneling, floral fabrics and spray adhesive.
Decide how you want your new headboard laid out before you buy foam board. Once you’ve made your decision, by enough board to complete your layout. Cut your board and fabric if necessary, apply spray adhesive to the front of your board, attach your fabric to the board, smooth the fabric to release air bubbles, and secure the edges of the fabric to the back of the board. Hang your new panels on the wall behind your bed for a gorgeous headboard.
3. Bathroom
If you’ve ever dreamed of taking a shower in a tropical jungle, turn your bathroom into your vision. With stunning floral fabrics, your bathroom can be turned into an oasis. All you need to create a fabric shower curtain is a few yards of floral fabric, a grommet set, a sewing machine or hem tape, and curtain hooks.
To create a shower curtain, you’ll need to sew together two pieces of fabric; one won’t be enough to enclose your shower. Hem the sides to make them neat, add grommets to the top, equal distances apart, to create a space for your hooks, add your hooks, and hang your curtain. Pull colors from your shower curtain for accessories to give your room a cohesive look.
4. Office
If you work from home, you spend a great deal of time in your office. You should never feel like you’re being smothered or suffocated by your workspace. Liven things up with a touch of floral fabric.
Add cornice boards to your windows that are covered in bright hues of flowery goodness. Cover throw pillows in floral fabrics that you fall in love with. Take old paint cans, cover them in fabric by using spray adhesive, and use the cans as pen holders and planters. Don’t overwhelm the room with flowers; instead, make a single focal point and decorate the rest of the room around it.
5. Family Room
Recovering furniture is a great way to give a room new life without spending thousands of dollars. While you may not be skilled enough to reupholster an entire sofa, you can absolutely reupholster an ottoman. You need your old ottoman, a large piece of floral fabric, and a staple gun.
Lay out your piece of fabric, pattern-side down, and turn your ottoman over. Place the ottoman on top of the fabric, fold the edges of the fabric over the ottoman like you are wrapping a gift, and staple the fabric in place. If you are worried about people ruining your new ottoman with their feet, drinks or dinner plates, add a piece of glass or a wooden tray to the top of the ottoman to deter people from actually using it.
There are hundreds of ways that you can bring the outdoors in, but floral fabrics may be the best choice. You can find inspiration in home interior magazines, home decor stores, or even online. No matter what you want to do, don’t be afraid. Fabric is very forgiving and is easy to change if you get it wrong the first time. Let your imagination run wild and start decorating; you’ll soon find your inner do-it-yourselfer screaming for new projects.
Jenn Ryder is a full-time designer and writer. Find her latest article on Lewis and Sheron Textiles. through Twitter @Jenn_Ryder.
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