Date post: | 22-Jan-2018 |
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SOFT FURNISHINGSCURTAINS, LOOSE COVERS, CUSHIONS, BEDSPREAD,
Dr. Bhavya Khamesra
Soft furnishings include curtains, loose covers,
cushions, bedspreads and quilts.(not carpets).
-They have colour, pattern and texture and add to
the interior decoration of the room.
- They give protection, warmth, and comfort
Fabric/ material used are of prime importance.
Natural fabrics like cotton, silk, velvet, wool are
used. Nowadays synthetic materials like terelyne,
acrylic, rayon are also used.
CURTAINS
Functions of curtains are:
Give privacy
Darken the room
Bring character by colour, pattern and texture
Reduce heat loss
Reduce noise levels inside the room
The life expectancy of the fabric depends on the exposure to sunlight and degree of soiling , these causes fading and rotting of fabric and colours.
Curtains have high fire risk due to combustible material. A fire retardant finish should be given
Curtains should hold shape properly and drape well. They can be suspended from a horizontal rod or a transverse track made of metal, wood or plastic.
The width of curtains should be 1.5 times that of width of window. The curtains may extend to both sides of window.
They may be of height of window, from window top
to floor, from ceiling to floor. These all have different
effects on the look of the room.
They are fixed to rod by hooks or rings.
The base of curtains should remain at least 1.5- 2
cm above the floor so that do not get dirty.
Different pattern on fabrics are used to give
different effects.
Good curtains are usually lined. Lining means heavy curtains have a light curtain attached to it. Heavy curtains face the room side. Sheer/ light curtains face the window side/ sunlight. Light curtains are of light colours (white/ cream/ baize) as light colours do not fade
During day time only sheer / light curtains are drawn. During night for privacy heavy curtains should be drawn.
For public areas, lobby, restaurant rich, colourful, expensive and heavy curtains are used. For room light colours, less expensive material can be used. For bathroom curtains made of plastic / glass are used.
NON DRAWING CURTAINS
These cannot be drawn like fabric curtains. These are
of following types:
Roller blinds roman blinds
venetian blinds
Shades bamboo shades
wooden shutters
Screen fabric on wooden frame
PELMET, VALENCE, SWAG
Palmet: they are rigid, made of wood, hard board.
May be painted or polished. They are used to hide
the rod. Now a day’s pelmets are not used.
Valence: a valance is made of frilled or pleated
material and hangs from a valance rail.
Swag: it is a draped finish to hide the curtain
heading and is frequently completed with a tail.
NET CURTAINS
They are sheer or light curtains. It softens or
diffuses the light coming in the room.
There should be sufficient weight at the bottom for
proper drape. They are 2 to 3 times the width of
window.
White/ pale: patterned / plain material of cotton /
manmade fabric are used to make net curtains.
NET CURTAINS
CARE AND CLEANING OF CURTAINS
Keep rod and track free from dust with help of
broom / vacuum cleaner.
Shake the curtains often. Use vacuum cleaner to
suck the dust.
Reverse the position of curtains frequently.
Have lined curtains dry cleaned. Have unlined
curtains laundered.
Solvent spray extraction machines may be used.
LOOSE COVERS
Loose covers are detachable / removable covers
fitted over upholstered chairs, stools, and sofa.
They give a clean fresh look to the room but needs
maintenance.
They are used to protect the original fixed
upholstery.
They are tailored or fixed under chair. They are
fastened by hooks and eyes, zip, touch and loose
fasteners.
Closely woven fabric is preferred for loose covers
as it does not allow dust to filter through. The
material should not crease easily.
They are available in a variety of patterns and
texture.
They can be laundered or dry-cleaned.
Antimascarrars: they are used to protect
upholstered furniture and shield the arms and back
of sofa.
CARE AND CLEANING OF LOOSE COVERS:
Shake and tidy frequently,
brush or suction regularly
Attend to repairs
have laundered or dry-cleaned as required
CUSHIONS
They are used to increase the comfort of chair or
sofa. They come in various shapes, size, and are
filled with down, kapok, foam, plastic, cotton. The
shapes can be rectangle, square, cylinder.
BLANKETS
Blankets provide warmth in bed. Often white/ pale/
light coloured blankets are used.
Top/ edges/ border are often binded. They have
good insulation, ease of cleaning, and non
inflammable. They are made of wool, synthetic
material or mixtures or cotton.
Cotton blankets are used in hospitals.
Take precaution against moths and rodents. Repair
ends immediately.
woolen
Are attacked by moth
Are warm /
inflammable
Have to be dry-cleaned
Synthetic-acrylic/
nylon
Are warm light in
weight
Have low moisture
absorbency
Can be laundered/
washed
QUILTS
They are light bed coverings but expensive .They
are placed under bedspread.
DUVET
They are used extensively. They have replaced
blankets. They are generally filled with synthetic
fibers or polyester fibers.
BEDSPREAD
They are used to cover bed during day. They are
removed during night/ evening service, folded
and put away. Their colour and pattern must suit the
décor of the room and match / contrast the
colour of curtain and carpet
They may be fitted on bed or it can be of throw over
type. They may have frills/ pleats to within
an inch of the floor. Materials like satin, velvet,
tapestry, candlewick are used to make
bedspreads.
RUNNER