06 November, 2013

Jumping on the Trend Train

by Lisa Peck

I spotted this brief article in the New York Times Style Magazine devoted to design on October 20th. What it made me think was two things..."Wait, wool was out! I never knew." and second "I can imagine people all over embracing wool as a fiber. And saying to themselves, My gawd, linen is so last year (or two days ago), it's wool I want."

Trends are fun, staying up on them gives you topics of conversation for twitter or cocktail parties but if you are jumping on the trend train be mindful. Stop before you board and ask yourself..."Where am I traveling and why?"

Now I will get off my soapbox and just say that I have always loved wool and am in fact a fiber snob. As a Minneapolis interior designer the cold climates may have something to do with my fondness for wool.

Here is why I love wool:

Wool tailors superbly and shows the line of any frame it covers.
Wool drapes beautifully and is a lasting classic window covering.
Wool dyes wonderfully and has a subtlety that is only achievable in wool
Wool has an unmistakable hand and it is apparent to all that it is the genuine article.
It has a natural resiliency that creates a superior carpet.

With all this being said wool isn't the best solution in very situation. The article says "designers have grown fond of beige Belgian linen". Every great designer I know considers the use of a fiber and then uses a linen, wool, cotton or (gawd forbid) man-made fiber that achieves the functional, aesthetic, and budgetary needs of the space they are creating. Check out This and That for some suggestions on neutral wool textures.