Viscose vs Silk

Viscose vs Silk



VISCOSE

Viscose is a man-made fiber that can be found in clothes, furniture and textiles. It's the silk-like material that everyone gravitates to at some point. But what is it? 

Viscose is a solution of cellulose xanthate made by treating a cellulose compound with sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide. More plainly stated, it's made of wood pulp and treated with chemicals. You'll probably have it in your closet, but it's labeled as RAYON. It's has a soft, silk-like feel. It's ideal for textiles (clothing, fabric) because it has a soft feel, drapes well and is cheap. Most of the clothing at Old Navy is made of rayon because it drapes well but is inexpensive. Viscose can also be labeled artificial silk.

From JD Staron's Harcourt Collection. As you can see, the viscose has a shiny-look, very similar to silk. Viscose is an affordable fake-silk option. (Note: JD Staron has silk options as well.)

Viscose looks good and feels good. You'll recognize it in a showroom because it looks like silk. It's shiny and pretty. They only problem is that it doesn't wear well because it absorbs water too well. This means that if you purchase an area rug or carpet that has viscose in it - water will damage the material because it will absorbs the water and alters it's natural state.  Again - the fibers will be visibly altered. For some people - that's ok. A viscose rug is a temporary item. It is not a rug you will have forever. What's a forever rug? Silk.

SILK

Silk is a natural protein fiber, cultivated from the cocoon of mulberry silkworm larvae. There are many types of silk: raw, jacquard, chiffon, etc. Most of the silk supply comes from China followed by India. Silk had a soft, luxurious feeling. Because it is natural, it can withstand water (you can wash your silk scarf in the sink!) and will wear well over time. Oriental rugs made in the Middle East are made of silk because it's a durable material that will last. It's also much more expensive than viscose. 

emma gardner design's flow in wool and silk

Bottom line: silk and viscose are two very different materials. Buy silk if you want to invest in a product that will last. Buy viscose if you want to invest in a product that looks good and will last for a set amount of time.

What do you think about silk and viscose? 

Metallic Wallpaper

Metallic wallpaper is in! Recently, I've received a lot of requests for metallic wallcoverings - silver, gold and bronze. It's not a surprise since metallics are on trend in fashion (shoes, handbags, clothes, etc.).

There are a couple of different metallic wallcoverings. There is wallpaper that is metallic and may have a tone-on-tone pattern or have a colored pattern in conjunction with the metallic color. There is also sisal wallcovering that usually has a color (beige, green, aqua, black, etc) with metallic woven into it.

Below is a tone-on-tone metallic wallpaper by Crezana.

Below is a metallic sisal wallcovering.

Contemporary Entry by Chicago Architects & Designers jamesthomas, LLC

Here are a couple of metallic wallpapers that I thought looked really great. I chose the bronze tones only because I thought it would look better on the computer screen. Each of these come in an array of metallic tones.

Schumacher's Chevron Texture in Sable.

Schumacher's Meteorite in Pewter. 

Winfield Thybony's Metallic Foil in Pewter.

A couple of things to keep in mind when considering metallic wallcoverings:

While most wallpaper is sold in rolls that are *usually* 8 yards, many speciality wallcoverings are sold by the yard. Typically when it's sold by the yard, it's going to cost more. For example, some metallic wallcoverings sold by the yard are approximately $50 a linear yard, while vinyl metallic wallpaper can come $65 a roll (8 yards). Just something to think about when you are looking for metallic wallpaper and wallcoverings.

What's your favorite tone in metallic? Gold, silver, bronze, pewter?

xoxo - Fi

Hermes: Jungle Palm Wallpaper

I opened up this weekend's Wall Street Journal Men's Style Magazine and immediately saw Hermes' beautiful Metamorphosis ad.

The beautiful palette of green and blue hues look rich, sensuous and vibrant.This beautiful background immediately reminded me of Cole and Son's Palm Jungle wallpaper.

Palm Jungle from Cole and Son's website:

Cole and Son's Palm Jungle wallpaper:

This wallpaper looks gorgeous in person, though it may look a little muted on your computer screen. The green and emerald hues in this wallcovering are very striking. Cole and Son's Palm Jungle can be found in their Contemporary Restyled collection. (There are a lot of great patterns in this book!) They also have a couple of other colors in this pattern - blues, black and gold, etc. Either way - you can't lose.

Here are a few examples of the Palm Jungle installed. What do you think?

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Welcome to Yellow Yardstick Design! Neutral Area Rug Ideas

Welcome to Yellow Yardstick Design!

I'm so excited to be here. I'll be blogging about design - beautiful photos and the material - wood, carpet, tile, wallpaper and more that are in the photos. Feel free to ask me questions!

Welcome and enjoy!

I love this photo from Elle Decor. It's an apartment in Brussels and it looks great. What I like the most are the soft natural hues, the mismatched furniture and the light. But my favorite is the area rug. Why? Because if brings the whole room together!

Area rugs are essential to the design of any room. The vintage Knoll leather sofa and the 1950s armchair are beautiful but it's the area rug that adds a softness to the room. Elle Decor's website says this area rug us by the Rug Company. I have a couple of other ideas for reproducing this rug:

Stark's Ebbe and Flow is a beautiful broadloom made of cotton, viscose and linen. This product can be installed wall-to-wall or can be made into a custom area rug. I would suggest making this into an area rug. Viscose does not react well with water. Although an area rug can be expensive, a wall-to-wall installation is more permanent, while an area rug can be easily replaced. I think Stark's Ebbe and Flow in taupe would be a great compliment to the area rug in the photo above. For a 9 x 12 rug such as this, expect to spend at least $2,700. Go to the Stark website and find a dealer near you.

Stark's Ebbe and Flow in Taupe

Or what about Momeni's Distinctive? It's a hand tufted wool and has the same visual of stripes. Wool is a great material to use for both a wall-to-wall installation or an area rug. Wool is a natural fiber and will thus be easier to clean that other materials. With that said - if you spill grape Kool-Aid, you won't be able to get it out. Well, maybe you can, but it will be difficult. Momeni's Distinctive has a very rich texture that will feel and look luxurious. Expect to pay at least $1,800 for a 9 x 12 rug like this. 

Momeni's Distinctive

Just a note, from the Elle Decor photo I can't be positive what the color of the area rug is. The Stark style I suggested comes in many colors. The Momeni style comes in a few cream to beige colors.