Every room can tell a story, and you are the author. Once you decide what the story you want to tell is, the rest will fit right into place. With February being the month of love and romance, we will talk about how to bring romance alive in your home, specifically with the use of wall coverings and fabrics.

When you think of romance, that could be anything from the different shades of blushes, reds, and whites that one typically associates with Valentine's day to a balcony in Paris or a storybook forest. Pictures and art can bring certain aspects of that story alive, but sight is only one of the senses. Fabrics are also a way to get feeling into play.

For example, you can choose to bring a romantic storybook feel to a formal dining room. This whimsical floral fabric brings that fairy tale romance into your space as drapes. Pair that with your traditional wooden table set and your china to create a whole new space just by the drapes adding to the story you are telling.

Romance does not always have to be the traditional sense. Let's take that same traditional space and add a new fresh, fun pattern to create a whole new story for that same space. Reupholstering your old furniture can create a whole new piece of furniture. Let's say you have a traditional dining room, but you want the story in your room to focus on a more modern twist. The pink in this fabric brings in that romantic, feminine feeling without dating the room. This fabric would be perfect for a chairback or cushion while still keeping that formal feel with the original furniture but with a playful pop of color in the fabric.

Wallcoverings are also a great way to make your room the art. Like reupholstering a piece of furniture to change a space's story, you can also use wallcoverings to do the same. In one of our recent projects, we used wallcovering to help transform the room. They wanted the room to have a warm, feminine feel without it being traditional. The wallcovering complements the wall colors while still being a focal point in the room. Once the room's story was decided, the chandelier, the lamps, and accent pillows continued that same story to complete the room.

Telling a story through your house is what makes decorating it fun. Sometimes it is hard to figure out what you want your style to be, and finding the furniture, art, fabrics, light, etc. might seem intimidating, but remember we are always one call away to help.

 Happy Valentine's from the Allen and James Team