Main criteria (A) Neutral Linen Look and (b) Within our budget (this bench is 8 feet long!) and (c) Durable. It's in the kitchen. We're having a baby. Something that will clean up easily with soap & water. :)
First shopping trip we went to MacFab fabrics here in Toronto, as I had found out that they moved into the East end from the West End. So one night we just zipped over to see what they had. Candy store!
Hellooooo beautiful fabrics
It's impossible for me not to initially compare MacFab to the all time favourite store, Designer Fabrics in Toronto. Us Torontonians love places like Designer Fabrics, for good reason. The store is huge, and have a wide variety of fabrics in all price ranges. However, other than the fact that they are both fabric stores, they offer totally different lines. MacFab is (a) much smaller and (b) stocks more higher end fabrics on my initial comparisson. Don't discount the store...if you're looking for that PERFECT fabric, this store likely carries it. They have swatch books after swatch books, and you could stay for hours browsing through their carefully selected collection of fabrics.
I didn't see something on my first stop in but I didnt really know what I was really looking for. The first trip to any fabric store for me is generally like this - you go, let your eyes adjust to the eye candy and possibilities. I'll go back, now that I'm having a better, clearer idea of my needs for this bench.
A few days later I went to Designer Fabrics and brought home these samples.
I know. They look boring, but we have to consider the "overall vision". :) (click to see the post where I posted my inspirational pictures) My favourite is the top left. And of course, it is the most expensive and kind of out of our price range. (Banging head on desk) But colour wise, it was bang on. The others, although gorgeous and would work, aren't making me fall in love. I'm not going ahead with this until I find a fabric I love.
The, we stopped in to see eye candy at Restoration Hardware. They have their outdoor collection out now. *Sigh* It is gorgeous. I loved it last year, and love it again this year. They maintained the same colour pallet from 2009, which always makes me drool. What I love about their outdoor collection is their natural fabric colour that they stock on the floor model outdoor samples. It looks like Linen but it's not linen obviously since it's outdoor furniture. It's Sunbrella Fabric. And of course I touched & felt the cushions, and it feels like soft fabric, not like plastic cushions at your grandmothers backyard patio set.
So, what does their outdoor collection have to do with my bench?
I thought to myself that if we could find the same fabric for our bench I would be sold! My thought process is this...
Durable enough for outdoor = durable for kids and in our kitchen.
But, knowing my taste, this fabric is going to be $100 a yard and I'm going to cry.
Restoration Hardware lets you order samples of fabrics (hello, this is awesome) so I ordered 2 fabric swatches, one of the exact fabric that I saw in-store, and one a little darker. Since I loved it in store, I'm going to see if I love it in our house.
I've also emailed Sunbrella to see who carries their line of fabrics in Toronto. I've seen them in a variety of stores, but I'm not recalling who carries a full collection. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations, I'm all ears. :)
So, my search for the Restoration Hardware fabric may prove to be a dead end, but at least what I've gotten from this is a clearer direction on the fabric look. :)
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