Saturday, 26 July 2014

A Fashionable Life

CHANEL


There was an interesting article in the FT a few weeks ago that said that consumers are moving from just wanting to look fashionable to wanting an entirely fashionable life; a wish to not only dress themselves but also to dress their homes too.

However, when moving home it’s presently a challenge to decorate in a way that fits your budget without having to buy mass market products, which does not satisfy the personal desire to not only find unusual objects for the home, but also acquire experiences over just buying “stuff”; that exciting alchemy when a person often buys not the object first, but the photo of the desired object which becomes a reality through the long UPS (or whatever) journey to their home.    

So we decided to start this blog, because as we are at the sharp end of design we have the tools to enable you to create YOUR home, which is, let’s face it, a place where you should feel “you”, which fits in with your style, and is a mirror of your life and aspirations, and not just a carbon copy of something you might have seen on the net or in the news that you feel obliged to adopt because someone, somewhere says it’s fashionable. 

So stick with us, we’ll be looking at trends, style, our inspirations and obsessions, plus, secrets and know-how to help you create the ultimate living space that reflects the real you.  We’ll be giving the heads up on Facebook and Twitter so follow us; for pics follow our style boards on Pinterest.  

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Chunky

Chunky Textured Fabrics Update.

This fabric is from The SPRUCE STUDIO Collection and is called Milano, we discovered this fabric on our last trip to Italy and as you can see we like it, a lot. It is very Italian but not like any other Spruce fabric.  
If you are recovering a classic modern piece of furniture then this is a fabric to consider.

chunky textured fabric in aubergine
Studio Collection-Milano-Aubergine

chunky textured fabric in camel
Studio Collection-Milano-Camel





Saturday, 14 June 2014

Martindale - Rub Test - What is it ?

At Spruce London we have a section in each product called Abrasion Test, this refers to a result obtained by testing the fabric with The Martindale Abrasion and Pilling Tester, this test is performed by our weavers the result is commonly known as a Rub Test, Abrasion Test or a Martindale Rub Test.

"The Martindale Abrasion and Pilling Tester is employed, throughout the world, for testing the abrasion resistance and pilling properties of textiles." James Heal http://www.james-heal.co.uk/en/martindale#section-7












Image: Courtesy of James Heal



What do the figures mean;
The results span around 5,000 to over 100,000
As a guide see below
6,000   Occasional domestic use, display pieces
15,000 Light domestic
20,000 General Domestic
25,000 Heavy Domestic
30,000 Severe Domestic
40,000 General Contract
50,000 Severe Contract
A Martindale test is for abrasion only.  There are many other factors that can affect the wear and tear of upholstery on a piece of furniture, including chemicals used in cleaning the fabric, UV exposure, and embedded dirt. or grit.
 A high rub count does not mean the fabric will be resistant to cat claws, buckles, rivets etc.

Resources, http://www.james-heal.co.uk/en/martindale#section-7

Monday, 28 April 2014

Our Fabric Collection for Men

Spruce has made a selection of fabrics and put them into a ( Textile Fabric for Men ) collection. The collection is called for him Textile Fabric for Men
For example.
twill curtain fabric in brown
The Gleneagles Collection, Dunster Twill Bracken Brown

twill fabric for curtains in old gold colour
The Gleneagles Collection, Dunster Twill in Golden Brown

twill fabric in a stone colour
The Gleneagles Collection, Dunster Twill in Stone



wool twill curtain fabric in brown
The Gleneagles Collection, Dunster Twill Bracken Brown

Sunday, 20 April 2014

Monday, 14 April 2014

The GAINSBOROUGH Collection


The Gainsborough Collection
Damask furnishing fabric for furniture curtains and cushions inspired by The Arts and Crafts movement. 
We have a large collection of tweeds and linens but we fell in love with these fabrics, and it was inevitable we would seek out more of the incredible weaving popularised in Europe by the Italian and French weavers.
We are proud to share, display and offer you more we now have them on The Spruce website here......

Damask Fabric - Stratford in Sage -Spruce London

Damask Fabric - Stratford in Grey -Spruce London

Damask Fabric - Stratford in Sard -Spruce London

Damask Fabric - Stratford in Gold -Spruce London

Damask Fabric - Compton Ice Blue -Spruce London

Damask Fabric - Stanway -Spruce London

Damask Fabric - Stratford in Violet -Spruce London

Sunday, 13 April 2014

Blue Herringbone Wool Fabric

Wool fabric is so popular at the moment especially herringbone weave. This is from our PETWORTH Collection



http://www.sprucelondon.com/interior-furnishing-fabrics/herringbone-fabric/midhurst-herringbone-36662.html