SOFT FURNISHINGS

 SOFT FURNISHINGS

MEANING –

Soft furnishings are a general name for curtains, furniture coverings, and other things made of cloth that decorates a room. Household textiles, frequently referred to as soft furnishings, are fabrics used in the home. By incorporating fabrics (swags, curtains, blinds, table linen, furniture covers, bed linen and cushions) one can change the décor from plain, dull and lifeless to one that has softness, warmth and vitality. Soft furnishings are an important element of interior style, being both practical and decorative. They add the last details in comfort and style.

IMPORTANCE –

·        Soft furnishings turn the neutral spaces into personal and very special places.

·        Fabric is the prime contributor in soft furnishing products and thus it must provide the texture, color, character, scale and anything that is missing in the architecture.

·        Soft furnishings has many roles to play, it brings style, reflects one's taste and controls the mood. Moreover, it is the most flexible and can be easily changed, replaced or added to.

·        They increase livability and workability of a small place, reduce noises; make music and even speech richer and more resonant.

·        For getting all the advantages of fabric used for soft furnishing, it must have properties such as light fastness, resistance to seam slippage, resistance to staining, pilling and snagging, flame retardancy etc.

·        Soft furnishings are an important element of interior style, being both practical and decorative.

·        They add the last details in comfort and style.

RELATIONSHIP OF FURNISHINGS WITH SPACE –

When soft furnishing is considered through public and private space relationship understandings, it shows that soft furnishings are also the reflection of people reveal, want and control. Thus, the usage of soft furnishings in public spaces shows the same attitude as of using public spaces. They are the places where all people are gathered and get into contact. That being said, the selection of soft furnishings should be suitable for communal uses. They are mainly selected by considering health, safety and well-being of the public. Thus, main considerations are the flammability, physical and aesthetic durability of the fabrics/textiles. The goal is both to select the least flammable and the most durable fabrics/textiles where people’s traffic is dense. Cleaning activity is frequent in public spaces; hence used fabric/textile should be durable for frequent use. These are the main considerations for the usage of soft furnishings in public spaces. The functionality is, therefore, the first consideration to use soft furnishings at public spaces. Therefore, for the usage of soft furnishings in private spaces is not much different than public spaces as theses paces are also shared with other people. Private space is part of a space where individuals enclose to control their exclusive use. It is the enclosed spaces that get into some contact with other people. It can be an office, workplace or a school therefore; health, safety and well-being issues become main considerations again.

Home is considered to be the symbol and materialization of private realm. Therefore, it is the place of private spaces which is separated and protects its users from the public spaces. Furnishings have an important role especially for the home environments. They are selected and used by the user’s wants and reflected in various ways in interior spaces.. Home environments are organized directly with the user’s wants; not for other people’s wants. Thus, soft furnishings are shaped and reflected to a home environment by the user’s identity.

Homes include a variety of rooms to live in it. They mainly consist of the entry hall, living space, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Every room has different needs and requirements in terms of their functions. Different functions are provided by the usage of different materials and the use of furnishings at home environments. Furnishings have a role to humanize with the needs and requirements of different functions. Generally, the functional needs are provided by the use of furnishings and also together with the soft furnishings. The usages of soft furnishings help to confront people’s requirements that with what they want to see at their interior spaces of the home environment.

SELECTION -

To determine the best fabric for a particular soft furnishing, a balancing act takes place between the functional requirements and the aesthetic requirements, as well as other factors like cost and availability.

Some of the determining factors for fabric selection are outlined below:

• Appearance: Often a well-designed piece of furniture becomes totally inappropriate because the wrong color, texture, or pattern is chosen. The designer should ensure that the colors and patterns of the furniture blend in with the rest of the design.

• Durability:This includes resistance to abrasion, fading, and other abuses as well as its clean ability and stain resistance. Fabrics like nylon and wool are more durable than say, rayon.

Flammability : This is a very important consideration, particularly in public places like auditoriums, Hospitals and restaurants. Certain fabrics are inherently more flame-resistant than others, but today, the majority of fabrics can be treated with various chemicals to enhance their resistance to ignition and smoldering. Many states and most federal agencies have flammability standards for furniture. These are discussed in the chapter on codes.

• Maintenance: Some fabrics require more maintenance than others. If the furniture is tobe subjected to substantial wear, an appropriate fabric should be chosen.

• Comfort: People come in direct contact with furniture more than another component of interior space, so comfort must be appropriate for the intended use and for ergonomic requirements. A waiting room chair does not need to be as comfortable as an office worker’s chair. The designer should choose an appropriate fabric that is comfortable to the touch. A porous fabric breathes and is more comfortable for long periods of sitting, and where the temperature is high. Likewise, smooth fabrics are more comfortable than rough textured ones. There are many other factors which the designer should consider in making a fabric selection such as fabric durability, its touch characteristics, the scale of its patterns or texture, and so on.

                                                                                                             BY

                                                                                               N.VIJAYALAKSHMI

                                                                                   HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

                                                                                 INTERIOR DESIGN AND DECOR

KANTHA OF BENGAL

The Kantha of Bengal

The traditional folk art of Bengal is famous as Kantha, which means 'Patched Cloth' and 'quilting'. The Dacca muslin saris of gray, black or white coloured are used for thin embroidering. The old discarded cotton saris or dhotis are piled up on the top of each other quilted and embroidered. The size of thickness of Kantha varied according to its type. The layers of pieces are sewn together by simple darning stitch in white thread, drawn from the old sari borders. The design is first traced and the filling is done by coloured thread, taken from the coloured borders of saris. Lotus is the most common and important motif widely used in Kantha.

 Method of stitching:

 Usually satin with tacking is used for this kind of embroidery. Tacking is done to attach layers of fabric together. Work tacking stitch from centre to edge or vice versa.

 Motif:

 100 petal lotus is the most common motifs used for kantha. Other than this scenes from day to day life, folk stories, mythological stories are used.

 Speciality:

 In original kantha both the sides will be identical.

Items with Kantha embroidery:

There are different kinds of kanthas named according to its utility. There are seven types of kanthas used as wrappers in winter, for book, valuables, mirrors, combs, wallets, pillows and bedspreads.

a. Bayton:

 Bayton, a three feet square piece serves as a wrap for books and other similar valuables. It has a central motif, usually the lotus with hundred petals called 'Satadala Padma'. The core has Satadala Padma with two or three borders on the sides. The other motifs commonly seen are water pots conch shells, kalkas, trees, foliages, flowers, birds, elephants, chariot, human figures etc.

b. Arshilata:

Arshilata is used as cover or wrap for mirror, comb and other such toilet articles. It is a narrow rectangular piece of 6' x 12' length. It has a wide border and the central motif is taken from the scenes of Krishna leela. The lotus, trees, creepers, spirals, inverted triangles, zig-zag lines, scrolls are also some of the commonly used motifs.

 c. Durjani:

            It is a square piece Kantha of 16' x 16' covers the wallet, has a central lotus motif with an elaborated border. The three corners of this piece are drawn together inward to make the tips to touch at the centre and are sewn together like an envelop. It will have another flap to which a string, tussle or a decorated thread is either stitched or mechanically fixed, which can be wound and tied up when rolled. The other motifs used are various types of foliages, snakes and other objects from the natural surroundings.

 d. Lep Kantha:

 It is relatively a thick quilted wrap of 6feet x 4 feet by more number of sari layers, placed on top of each other to provide warmth during winter season. Simple geometrical designs are worked with running stitch using coloured threads. The entire lep piece is been given a way rippled appearance by working simple embroideries.

e. Oar Kantha:

            Oar (ooar) kantha serves as a pillow cover. It is a rectangular piece whose size is about 2' by 1'. Usually simple designs like trees, foliages creepers, birds or a liner design with longitudinal border constitutes the ground base and decorative border is stitched around its four sides.

 f. Rumal:

 Rumal is nothing but a hand kerchief and is the smallest among all the kanthas. A square piece having a size about one square foot. Lotus is the core and other motifs embroidered around it. Sometimes plant and animal motifs are also embroidered but invariably has a well decorated border.

                                                BY

                                      SAGARA S.G

                                  ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

                 DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN AND DECOR