I was watching Sarah Richardson (Sarah 101) the other night (thanks DVR) and she mentioned that at the end of a makeover she has usually used around 10-14 fabric textiles in each room that she does.
And as the title of this post suggests, it totally surprised me. Doesn’t that sound like a lot? Of course she’s an expert when it comes to layering prints and patterns, but I couldn’t imagine a “regular Joe” going into a fabric store and walking out with 10-14 swatches that they were going to combine. But then I realized that she was counting the upholstery fabric on chairs and sofas and headboards along with curtains and a ton of accent pillows. So while vegging in the living room at 11pm while watching that very show, I looked around and counted all of the fabrics going on…
Karl The Sectional’s dark gray fabric (he’s from Ikea) = 1
The faux leather seat of our desk chair (from Target four years ago) = 2
The curtains (from Ikea in April) = 3
The linen-like fabric on the ottoman (from Marshall’s) = 4
The faux sheepskin draped over the ottoman (from Ikea last year) = 5
The green zebra pillows (from West Elm about a month ago) = 6
The printed pillows that I tea stained (from this etsy shop) = 7
The textured felt pillows (from Crate & Barrel last year) = 8
The branch pillow (from Ikea a while ago) = 9
The faux cow pillow (from Ikea a while ago) = 10
The shag mohair pillow (from Target a few months back) = 11
The soft champagne-y metallic pillows (from Bed Bath & Beyond years ago) = 12
Twelve! Who knew? Granted a lot of those fabrics are more tone on tone/textured than brightly patterned (thanks to the colorful rug and art going on). But it’s really interesting to think that we sort of subconsciously mixed all those materials together (although we didn’t exactly have things upholstered and tailored for us a la Sarah Richardson).
So it got me wondering how many fabrics you guys have going on in your living space. Is it in that 10-14 range? Way lower? Way higher? For some strange reason I’m dying to know how things stack up at everyone else’s house.
Tell me, tell me! Also, doesn’t Sarah have awesome blazers and what appears to be very glossy and perfect hair? The woman has style for days.
Jessica says
So glad you had an afternoon post. I was widdling away the hours at work on pinterest…..and they locked me out for system maintenance….AAAAHHHH!!!! Now I probably have to do actual work. Sad face….
allison says
I think you just helped me figure out what’s wrong with my cold-feeling living room. I only have 4 fabrics! 6 if I can count a blanket and the rug. Not really sure how to incorporate more into my small space, though, without going overboard on the throw pillows…
Sarah says
Sherry, what was the name of your curtains? I remember they are from Ikea… and was there was a tragic story behind them too, like they are not carrying them anymore? And yes, that would be tragic because I love them!
YoungHouseLove says
Sadly they no longer sell them but maybe they’re on ebay? They were called Alvine Kottar. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lisa says
Wow. You are totally right! I was totally thinking we had about 4 or 5, but it’s 9! Gotta love those accessories!
Hillary says
I have three at most. Then again, my living space is kind of tiny and it’s just me and I’m decorating on a teacher’s salary, so I guess three is appropriate ; )
Liz says
And that doesn’t even include wallpaper, rugs and natural fiber textural thingies (like baskets, etc.)! I’ve been trying to get better at layering fabrics and patterns (I kinda suck at it). I heard a tip from David Bromstad where he said when mixing patterns, contrast the scale, like small print next to big print. It helped me sooooo much!
Chantalle says
Ok, my new favorite show is ‘Sarah’s Summer House’. Favorite home ever! It was only a few episodes long and was on earlier in the summer, but it was an amazing redesign of her summer island/house. Love me some Sarah!
Amanda Nowak says
You have my favorite website and she has my favorite show. Do I have good taste or what? :) Oh, and I went to the antique stores Wendy recommended to me and they were aaamazing. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw so glad to hear it! Wendy knows where to shop! Haha.
xo,
s
Cara D says
I love sarah’s style. She is so great at combining patterns. I’m trying to do it for a nusery and it isn’t as easy as she makes it look.
April says
Interesting to think about. I love fabric and was surprised that I don’t have a high number in my living room. I need to fix that. Sidenote: I loved when Sarah was preggers in her shows because she had the cutest maternity clothes. I was thinking where in the world did she find all this cute stuff??!!
YoungHouseLove says
Totally. I would guess a lot of it isn’t maternity and it’s just regular stuff with stretch or in a larger size.
xo,
s
Val says
Boo. We don’t have as much fabric going on as I would like. But I just ordered some Etsy pillows, so when they get here that will bump us up.
JennaK says
I just need to express my love for Sarah Richardson…I’m so glad you guys like her too – I just can’t get enough. And who looks that cute while pregnant?
YoungHouseLove says
Agreed! Sometimes I don’t even notice she’s prego until the episode is almost over. How does she do that?
xo,
s
Adri says
To my shame, I only have 4 different textiles going on in my bedroom – but I’m working on changing that! I’m hoping to add some curtains & an area rug sometime soon, as well as more pillows.
Mary @ stylefyles says
hehehe I totally thought you were going to count Burger!
Alyson says
I love her! And her hair! It always looks perfect and I would love to know how she gets it so glossy and fabulous looking.
Annalea says
Cool thoughts . . . but there’s one thing that’s bugging me. Did you guys DIY those faux-sheepskin rugs? You bought a real sheepskin at Ikea, and when you realized that it came from an actual sheep*, you DIY’d two faux sheepskin rugs and found the Ikea rug a new home. Let’s see . . . here’s where you made the one in today’s post. I knew I wasn’t losing my mind (at least not that part of it. lol)
*Soft sheepskin rugs like that are usually from Merino sheep, which are a dual-purpose breed grown for meat & wool, so no part of the animal goes to waste.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup! We didn’t know they were real at Ikea and then we DIYed them and then Ikea started selling faux ones too (that looked really good for for $12.99) so we grabbed a bunch of those too. We can never have too many faux sheepskins! Haha.
xo,
s
Annalea says
P.S.) I have eleven textiles, but I’m kinda cheating, because my living room and entry are one and the same . . . living room alone is seven.
Lana says
4 for me! But I have a teensy weensy little studio so I think it’s just right :)
Skooks says
You know what . . . I have 12 in there right now and I still don’t feel like it’s enough. I’ve been really itching to switch things up in there lately.
Kate Ediger says
I am totally in LOVE with SR. Recently as we were discussing our house remodel project and I came up with another thing we should do, but all the work would actually be on him, my husband said “You want to be Sarah Richardson, but I don’t want to be Vito.” LOL!!!! IT’s so true! Just FYI, since HGTV doesn’t advertise her well, like her on fb and they keep it updated about when shows are going to air in the US and Canada.
YoungHouseLove says
Such a good tip!
xo,
s
Amy in PA says
LOVE Sarah Richardson – esp her focus on fabrics. Maybe it’s because I like to sew & can see myself actually mixing and matching fabrics like she does – hopefully in some clothes that look as pulled together as her does (although that’s a BIG hope!)
Side note: whatever happened to the fireplace insert you removed from the kitchen? Sorry if I missed the post about it – but I have this mental image that it’s still sitting in your office! Thx
YoungHouseLove says
We actually sold that to someone local for $50. I think they were going to cart it to a scrap metal facility and make more money than that, but they had a truck to haul it and we didn’t so it was a fair trade!
xo,
s
Kristen says
I only counted four in our living room. That makes me feel like it’s really boring and I need to up the anty a little bit.
Laurel says
So funny… I started counting as soon as I heard her say that. I’ve been taking “sarah lessons” all spring, trying to learn to successfully mix patterns, so I felt like I earned an A when I hit 12!
Cynda says
I saw that episode! I love the fabric she picks for chairs and the different fabric for the piping. I adore Sarah, Tommy, and Vito. I think I laugh out loud during every episode.
Is it just me or does it seem like Sarah’s constantly pregnant? Must just be the timing of taping for the shows.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! I used to have a theory that Candice Olson was also always prego but I think she just taped a ton of shows in that short time span…
x,
s
Jennifer B. says
I just counted & I only have 7, but I don’t have as many pillow textures as you guys. I’m sure it will eventually get there. Current count:
1. Rug from Ikea
2. Couch/loveseat
3. Grey pillows
4. Black floral pillow
5. Upholsered bench
6. Curtains
7. Burlap lamp shades
Jeri says
LOVE Sarah, and feel like I’d be a disappointment to her as I’m only at 4. Though my windows aren’t condusive to curtains, but that’s not enough of an excuse. This does inspire me to look into maybe making a new ottoman slipcover in something a bit more fun (currently matches the couch – snooze).
The Orchard says
Even though I don’t know Sarah and have absolutely nothing to do with her success, I am hugely proud of the fact that she is Canadian! :) I love her too.
Oh yeah, I love all the fabric combos that you have going on. Awesome!
T
Ana says
I love all the Sarah Richardson shows AND her blazers. I actually did some Internet stalking, er, research on her clothes. Did you know that a lot of her clothes are designed by Tommy’s sister Christie? The line is called Smythe: Les Vestes. I saw some of the jackets on Bluefly, but they were still pretty pricey despite the massive discount. Kate Middleton wore a Smythe blazer on her trip to Canada so they’re super high-end.
YoungHouseLove says
Woah- she’s fancy. Haha. And I LOVE that you did research. Someone else commented about that too. You guys are smart little Sarah detectives. Haha.
xo,
s
Kate Ediger says
SR has been talking about the Smythe line constantly on fb. ;)
Amy says
I LOVE SARAH and her blazers! I have 9 fabrics so I will inform my husband that I need to go shopping.
Kate says
I have probably about 20, but that’s because I have a bookshelf where I keep all (well, most of) my folded throws, and boy do I love a good throw blanket! I have about 8-10 all folded up (with a few more stashed in a fake leather ottoman…). However, the rest of my living room is dying for a bit more textile, things seem a bit cold and harsh in there at the moment. But I also want to unite the room since it has a lot of different woods/colors going on. Ack, my brain! If only I had Sarah’s talent!
Mary says
If I win the lottery I plan to fly Sarah R. & Tommy to Kentucky and redo anything she wants to for me!!!! Never miss any of her shows….watched some of them many times.
Katharine says
11, if you count the area and throw rugs. DO you count them? I thought they counted, because our area rug is a woven wool and it seems like a textile to me. It’s very textured, anyway.
YoungHouseLove says
They’re definitely textiles I was just thrown by Sarah’s “fabric textile” comment, so I thought she only meant upholstery and other fabric related stuff.
xo,
s
OwningSingle says
I count 9 from memory since I’m not home. I only counted the living area proper excluding the foyer and dining room which are both connected and would bring my total up some. Fun post!
Meredith @ Welcome to Heardmont says
You just inspired me to count ’em up in our living room and we’re at 15! Yikes that sounds like a lot! :)
YoungHouseLove says
I think it sounds awesome! I’m in a the-more-the-better camp because I’m so shocked we have 12. I could easily picture myself adding ten move over time! Haha.
xo,
s
katie says
Ummm, do the bouncy seat, play mat & baby blanket count??? All the kid stuff about doubles my total!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah- I vote yes. They’re fabric!
xo,
s
Layla says
Whoa, that just blew my mind as well. Because I expected to come in at way lower, since we just bought the house and the living room doesn’t quite feel lived in yet. It still needs a ton more pillows, and curtains, and maybe a blanket. But we still came in at 9! 9 already! Crazy!
Jessica says
I’m sure someone already posted this, but Sarah wears Smythe jackets…Tommy, her side kick, is Tommy Smythe; his sister is the Smythe half of those jackets.
Go figure; they’re about eleventy bajillion dollars ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- we hear they’re super pricey! Someone commented to say that Kate Middleton wore one once. Woah!
xo,
s
Azure says
I only have four, but that’s because I only have one fabric of throw pillow (2 pillows). I don’t think it’s typical to have *7* different throw pillows. ;)
Danielle says
I’ve only got 7 which kinda bums me out, but that’s because we’re in this space temporarily and I haven’t really bothered to style it up at all. I’m trying to acquire all the big pieces that I’ll want to use in our someday-house and not really focusing much on the aesthetic of this place. I’ll go nuts when we finally do get there, though! I’m gonna layer fabrics like whoa. :)
JR says
At the risk of sounding like a stalker, I see Sarah at the grocery store every so often. I always do a double take because not only is she fabulously talented she’s always so well put together. Love her work. Love her blazers. I think she’s the only decorator who can do no wrong (ever) in my eyes. For reals.
(By the way… I suppose you could imagine me saying the above in a ‘Canadian accent’. Just one question though… what exactly IS a Canadian accent? I don’t understand what y’all are talking about. Emphasis on “y’all”)
;)
YoungHouseLove says
So jealous of all you ladies who actually share air with her- I’d lose it if we were in the same county, let alone the same room.
xo,
s
Jen says
This is really interesting!! I never thought of that before. I can’t wait to get home and count all the different fabrics in my rooms. :)
Dani says
I love Sarah, she is seriously my style icon (along with you guys, of course ;) ) A friend took me to a spa once and she was there! I helped her put her (amazingly stylish) boots on because her nails were still wet. I wanted to say “omg I love you come to my house and do whatever you want!” but instead I just helped her with her boots while wearing a bathrobe. The whole thing was rather surreal.
YoungHouseLove says
NO WAAAAY! That’s amazing and if I had touched Sarah’s boots my head might have exploded.
xo,
s
April says
Wow, I have 12! That surprised me.
Jaimie says
Only six for me! Rug, throw, two different pillow patterns, matching armchairs, and couch. We don’t have curtains in the living room. It’s the only room without, because when we had them they just didn’t look right. I would love to find some that would work, but I just don’t see it happening.
My armchairs are vintage and covered in a sad brown vinyl; I’m gonna try spraypainting them soon (with vinyl spraypaint of course, in either white or grey). Eventually we will get them reupholstered in a linen or something, but it should make them look nicer in the meantime. Wish me luck!
Elizabeth says
I can’t get over how SKINNY she looks on Sarah 101. And how much did I love watching her and Tommy planning that kitchen and lounge in IKEA…it was soooooo cute…and GREEN!
For the record I have 12 fabrics in my living room. Sarah would be proud! Although I have no pillows with buttons across them which seem to be a Sarah staple!
jamie says
A big variety of textiles definiately adds interest in a room! Currently, all the throw pillows in my living room are the same. Even though they’re different than the sofa, it still looks BORING! seriously, SNOOOZEVILLE. I’m totally hunting for fabric to make new covers or a variety of new pillows to liven things up!
Megan says
Does dog hair count?! Gross, I know, but two dogs (plus one that died a few months ago that my house still is holding on to even though we clean every week – how does that happen?!), two cats, three humans… but unfortunately we don’t have many. Some day I plan on it!!! My daughter’s room may be the highest count but it’s also the room I’ve cared the most about over the last 2+ years!
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry to hear about your dog Megan! We definitely have a little pet hair sometimes too! Although the fact that Burger’s underbelly is completely bald and he has really short hair up top might come in handy.
xo,
s
Chelsea says
Where did you get that super cute candle holder on your table? I love it!
YoungHouseLove says
That was from TJ Maxx or Marshall’s for $2!
xo,
s
Jenny @ Bakography says
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a HUGE girl crush on Sarah. She’s so stylish and in the know about how to style a room, layer fabrics, and just everything decor. One day when I have a “big kid house” (we are 28 and still in apartments because of my husband’s career training) I am just going to steal all of her ideas and fuse them into one house. Did you watch her summer special where she re-did her husband’s lake house? Every single room was TO DIE FOR!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes- I think that was her best project yet!
xo,
s
Becky says
LOVE Sarah Richardson!!! I love here style and I’d love to layer tons of fabrics… just don’t have the time or moola to do it… Yet. :) I’ll get there someday!