Design Desires

Zarlin notes that trends in both indoor and outdoor fabrics this season have followed the fashion ateliers of Paris, Milan and New York-sheer and semi-sheers, metallics, luscious neutrals and lots of dressmaker details with beads, embroidery, lace, fringe, and pleats. Solids and stripes are popular, and the coveted colors right now are copper, coral, a range of dazzling blues, red, turquoise, and the whole collection of soothing neutrals from cream through latte.

Floral fabrics from manufacturers such as Scalamandre, Stroheim and Schumacher will always be popular, notes Zarlin. "We're seeing some retro patterns in the tropical motif," he says. "Nesson is showing oversized lush prints of banana leaves reminiscent of the '40s. They're incredibly beautiful, and some are available in 100-percent acrylic, which means they're just the thing for outside. They won't fade and are both mildew and water resistant."

At the J. Nelson showroom, Zarlin is enamored of a collection of silks and linens by Lucretia Moroni. The colors and textures of these materials are inspired by the designer's home in Italy, making this a fabric line to carefully consider if you're following a Mediterranean theme.

Zarlin believes homeowners have more difficulty selecting fabrics in the modern idiom than in the traditional mode. "When you make a fabric mistake in a modern room, it's more noticeable than in a traditional setting," he says. "That's because in a spare space, texture, color and the weight of your textiles stand out. They become a major part of the scheme. When they're wrong, they're wrong in a major way." Zarlin suggests that if you're doing a clean contemporary, a high-impact modern or Zen minimalist room, a visit to the fabric showrooms of J. Batchelor, Donghia, Design West and Jerry Pair will inform your tastes.

Zarlin's best advice? "Bring an interior designer to the fabric showrooms for guidance," he says. "You can make costly mistakes in a fabric showroom. Know your budget and bring pertinent measurements. Bring photos of furniture you want to recover or match. Even pages from magazines of fabrics you like will help."

On Nov. 6, DCOTA brings an unusual fabric show to the von Liebig Art Center in Naples. Designers promise a day of celebrating textiles by staging a fashion show of couture clothes crafted of fabrics not normally associated with apparel. It should be great fun, and we'll all learn a lot about materialism and fabrication in the best fashion sense of the words. For tickets, which are $25, call (954) 920-7997.