Soft furnishings are great for livening up the home. They are available in a wide range of fabrics and a kaleidoscope of colours. Depending on the soft furnishings you choose, you can create a room with a predominantly spring, summer, autumn or winter feel.
The soft furnishings themselves cover everything from curtains, fabric wall panels, cushions and bedspreads. You can buy cheaply or get some designer items or of course mix and match.
For a spring look the colours need to be fresh to reflect the new life that the season brings. Colours will include daffodil yellow, the blue of a clear sky or a carpet of bluebells, and the green of new shoots and young leaves. Designs can be reflective of the natural world - things that remind you of new life - rabbits, baby birds, young leaves and more. The fabrics should be fairly light - silk will work well and add a touch of the luxury.
Summer is where you want the lightest fabrics, both in weight and colour. Chiffon is perfect for this. Whites look good, especially white netting for the windows - as it billows in the wind it is reminiscent of holidays in the sun. The white will also help reflect the light in the room. A summer room can also take lots of colours to reflect the riot of colours going on in people's gardens - bright poppy red, vibrant purple, hot fuchsia pink - you get the idea. Check pattern are good as they remind people of picnic rugs, and fabrics with flowers on are also very summery.
Autumnal rooms reflect the falling leaves and the end earth returning to brown. Russets, gold and oranges are good colours. Fabric becomes a bit heavier to help keep out the cold and add a sense of luxury. A heavy Shantung silk will work well. Motifs on fabrics could include mature leaves and nuts.
A winter room will need really heavy fabrics to keep the warm in. Velvet will be perfect as it is also soft, snugly and luxurious and leather is also good. Colours associated with Christmas go down well - rich red and dark green particularly. Chocolate brown is also a good winter colour as is a rich purple. Motifs can include holly, robins and other iconic Christmas images or you can go for bare trees.
Whatever soft furnishings you choose for a room, remember that because they aren't fixed, they can easily be changed. If you can afford it you could have a set of light curtains for spring/summer and some heavier ones for autumn/winter. You could also buy a few cushions that are particularly reminiscent of the season and swap them when the season has finished. If you do that, remember to store the fabrics suitably until the season comes around again the following year.
Also remember that whatever soft furnishings you choose, they need to go with the furniture and style of your room. If you have designer furniture, the fabric accessories should reflect that and if you have chunky pine furniture, they should be in keeping with that.