I haven’t sewn anything yet… I just draped the fabric over the curtain rod.
I don’t think it looks bad. True, there is no yellow in the fabric, but I think it looks fine next to the stairway color.
'F' for Fabric• Library
Primrose Fabric: Yay or Nay?
You Might Also Like...
Previous Post
Plans for the Library
Next Post
Paper Daisies
Tarajane
February 12, 2009 at 12:30 pmA big Yay! I love that fabric!
jen
February 12, 2009 at 12:37 pmnay
Dionne C
February 12, 2009 at 12:39 pmI like the fabric itself, but not sure about it being by that wall.
jo
February 12, 2009 at 12:41 pmi love the fabric but i have to say “nay” on using it in that spot.
Kerry
February 12, 2009 at 12:43 pmI say yeah — the green pillow and yellow throw on the chair bring them together. LURVE Amy Butler!!!
amy
February 12, 2009 at 12:44 pmi didn’t get the vision from your last post, but now i kind of like it.
Mackenzi
February 12, 2009 at 12:44 pmWhat about adding a thick mustard yellow trim on the leading edge of the curtains- or a trim of somekind that ties in the yellow?
Modern Ink Studio
February 12, 2009 at 12:46 pmYAY! Who cares if there’s no yellow? It all looks good together and isn’t too matchy matchy. I think you have a great eye!
quarterlife girl
February 12, 2009 at 12:51 pmnay. Not the right fabric for that area in my opinion. It looks to dark. Especially since I loved that other fabric you had!
lori
February 12, 2009 at 12:54 pmi totally LOVE it.
Stephanie
February 12, 2009 at 12:57 pmDe-lurking for this very important design decision… :)
I do love the new fabric but I feel it doesn’t have the punch that your other fabric did. The former fabric really made a cohesive statement when you saw the room as a whole. Maybe Mackenzi’s suggestion of adding a trim would tie everything together better? I do think that this fabric has a softer vibe… more calming. I see why you are drawn to it.
And the pooch is the perfect accessory for any library!
Deb
February 12, 2009 at 12:58 pmlove the fabric, but not in that spot. I really like the curtains you already have there.
Shawna Stobaugh
February 12, 2009 at 1:04 pmLove it.
Anna @ D16
February 12, 2009 at 1:04 pmNay, sorry. I totally understand you wanting to switch out the curtains, but this is kind of a bummer compared to what was there before.
lisa
February 12, 2009 at 1:05 pmThe beauty of the old curtain is the lightness that it brings to the space. The new is too heavy, beautiful but heavy. It creates too much of a separation between inside and out, as well as drawing too much attention to the ceiling height, in a way shrinking the room. You’re definitely going to miss the “airiness” if you replace the old.
p.s.
I didn’t had one ounce of respect for the color pink until I started reading your blog. You have a such a way with color. Go with your first instinct on this. Nay.
Vanessa Vandersande
February 12, 2009 at 1:06 pmI’m going to agree with other posts-I think it’s a beautiful fabric but I prefer the original drapes you have. But…I will temper that comment with the fact that pictures don’t always completely look the same as real life. So I’d have to see it in real life. Shall I drop by? :)
Kaylee Cobb
February 12, 2009 at 1:06 pmAbsolutely love it!
lisa
February 12, 2009 at 1:12 pmp.s. garble translated:
p.s.
I didn’t have one ounce of respect for the color pink until I started reading your blog. You have such a way with color. Go with your first instinct on this. Nay.
ellen
February 12, 2009 at 1:13 pmYay — surprisingly, I rather like this.
Lisa
February 12, 2009 at 1:15 pmI give it a big fat YAY!
Amy
February 12, 2009 at 1:17 pmPerhaps a thick yellow corded tieback with a yellow/pink tassle to help tie things in?
lsaspacey
February 12, 2009 at 1:18 pmHow about mixing it with a coordinating pattern and/or solid that has some of the yellow in it at the top? Though I’m not even sure if you need to add some yellow but I do think you need to break up the print some. I could also see mustard yellow ball fringe on the edges, yes?
Lea
February 12, 2009 at 1:18 pmnay
Kari
February 12, 2009 at 1:19 pmI lo-ooove the new fabric, but not loving it in the library with the colors next to it. Are you maybe thinking this also, hence the “I don’t think it looks bad” comment versus maybe a “I can’t wait to get it on the window”? Of course, you could repaint the stairwell…and still use the fabric.
Karen
February 12, 2009 at 1:19 pmI agree with some of the other comments. While I love the pattern/color of the primrose fabric, I’m not sure about in that room. Plus, I really like the curtains you had up.
So, if you do go with primrose, I’d love to take those off your hands!
Melissa
February 12, 2009 at 1:27 pmOh my, your puppy is adorable. He or She looks exactly like my Lacey… You can see a picture of her here : http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/3115554785_67329280c0.jpg
I saved her from the pound about 4 or 5 years ago when she was only 3 months old. We never knew what kind of dog she was so we just called her a “Lace-Dogg” hehe
What bread is yours???
Ayla
February 12, 2009 at 1:28 pmYou’re right, it’s alright. I don’t hate it, I don’t love it… I guess that makes it a nay? I think that fabric would look 10 times better in some other situation in your home!
Henley
February 12, 2009 at 1:30 pmLike the fabric but not for a study. It looks bedroomy to me. I like what you already had up! It varies your color scheme more.
ali
February 12, 2009 at 1:33 pmnay! sorry! I love the fabric…I just dont think it goes with the yellow wall. I’m all about colors not being matchy matchy…but something about the sage and the dark yellow doesnt quite flow.
patricia
February 12, 2009 at 1:44 pmI think I would prefer a stripe of colors, you could sew the colors together.
Like a neopolitan – chocolate, pink, yellow, mint — something zippy like you.
I do like that fabric but just not in that much of a dose. Maybe an accent pillow.
pve
Denise Smith
February 12, 2009 at 1:47 pmNo. I think the mostly white ground in the other fabric was wonderful with the white of the bookcases. I think you love the fabric and are TRYING to make it work, which, in my experience is usually more of a design scheme killer than not. I know you can find somewhere else for it!
Lindsay
February 12, 2009 at 1:49 pmLove it!
julie
February 12, 2009 at 1:50 pmLove it!
Lisa
February 12, 2009 at 1:55 pmI love everything in your house and the way it all flows together. I am not loving this fabric or at least not loving it in this room. Primarily because it just looked so perfect before. The other curtains were gorgeous, they looked beautiful in that room and it was very cohesive with the rest of your house. This fabric pattern is not the same look as everything else you have. Not that all the rooms have to go together perfectly, but I just don’t like this fabric as much as others and I especially don’t like it in this room. Why mess with perfection even though I know what its like to be compelled to change things. Your whole house looks perfect now. Why not just enjoy it and relax a bit. You will be tired once the baby comes.
beth
February 12, 2009 at 2:01 pmI’m going to have to go with the nay vote as well, though that fabric is to die for. Just not next to that wall. I would personally paint the wall as opposed to not using the fabric there. But the way you had everything tied together with the other curtains was fabulous.
Elle
February 12, 2009 at 2:05 pmStrong nay. It’s lovely fabric, but I’d find another use for it. It has a heaviness that I just don’t think works there, and the color issues only make the problem worse. I agree that matchy-matchy is bad, but things should flow and I don’t think this does.
I thought the curtains you had before were absolutely perfect for that space.
M
February 12, 2009 at 2:06 pmI think if you have ask, then you know deep down that it doesn’t work. I love the fabric, I love the room and color scheme, but I don’t love them together.
I think that fabric would look great as an accent pillow, but not curtains.
If it doesn’t find a home up there, it might look cute in your nursery?
Briana
February 12, 2009 at 2:07 pmWhat does the fabric look like with a liner behind it? i,e, what will it look like when there’s no light coming in from the windows?
Also, the wall color in this picture looks was different form the one in your previous post. Which is more accurate?
jessica
February 12, 2009 at 2:07 pmI love Amy Butler fabric, and am all for putting it everywhere, but I feel it is not the right fabric for that space-loved the before photo as it was!
Amy
February 12, 2009 at 2:10 pmnay, but if you changed the stairway color i think it would probably work.
Taylor
February 12, 2009 at 2:12 pmI think it clashes pretty badly with the mustard walls.
Taylor
February 12, 2009 at 2:14 pmalthough the color matches the pillow. :)
Making it Lovely
February 12, 2009 at 2:15 pmOK, I must admit I’m leaning toward ‘nay’. I LOVE the fabric, but maybe not for the library after all. Plus Brandon said that he’s not a big fan, so that counts for a lot.
I will say though, that the other curtains look better in the photo from that last post than they do in real life. Behold the power of a professional photographer for a glossy magazine! The colors were more saturated (the hallway is actually more accurate in my photo above), and the curtains looked lighter and airier than they actually are. Those curtains have a beige/tan background, not as white as they seem.
Oh, and I don’t want to paint the stairway. It’s already had a coat of primer, a coat of pale purple (very briefly — I didn’t like it at all), and two coats of the yellow it has now. We have to use our bendy adjustable ladder to reach all of the awkward ceiling angles and it’s just a TERRIBLE pain to paint! Plus the yellow looks good with the yellow in the living room downstairs, and I can’t think of another color that I would like better.
Making it Lovely
February 12, 2009 at 2:17 pmThe ceiling is a soft green, by the way (I know it’s hard to tell). That’s why I always had that green pillow in there.
Kerry
February 12, 2009 at 2:31 pmI’m on the ‘nay’ side too. I think it’s the light pink in the curtains that just don’t go with the yellow. And who wants to change the colour of the stairway when you’re 31 weeks pregnant?? There’s nesting and then there’s crazy. :)
lulu
February 12, 2009 at 2:47 pmI don’t think it works —
Amanda
February 12, 2009 at 2:50 pmI thought I loved your old curtains, but I REALLY love the new fabric! It looks fantastic!
JLC
February 12, 2009 at 2:53 pmNay! While I like this fabric as curtains for the library nook, I don’t LOVE it. I prefer the old curtains. The fabric is fab though – just in another spot. Maybe make a duvet out of it for when your baby is older?
tto
February 12, 2009 at 2:53 pmi say yes.
but what do i know about design.
nothing.
Erika
February 12, 2009 at 2:59 pmNay – I love the fabric itself, but it doesn’t seem to suit the space as well as the original curtains.
BTW, your house is absolutely beautiful.
Tabea
February 12, 2009 at 3:30 pmYAY, YAY!
Whitney
February 12, 2009 at 3:40 pmYeah, I think it works.
Marti
February 12, 2009 at 3:51 pmI truly enjoy your blog.
I’d say nay for that fabric as curtains in that location. I actually like the current curtains much much more in that area.
Kara
February 12, 2009 at 3:52 pmLove the fabric, but, like it has already been said, not-so-much next to the tan wall.
Kim
February 12, 2009 at 3:58 pmI actually really like it, even better than the curtains that were there.
Alex.
February 12, 2009 at 3:58 pmI know you’re asking about curtains, but I’m just distracted by your gorgeous pup!!
Allison
February 12, 2009 at 4:04 pmI think they look okay, but not great. They might work better if you had something (artwork?) in the hall that directly picked up on the pink or green. But really, I think it would always be a bit of a struggle and you’ll enjoy the fabric more when you find the Right place for it. Bedroom maybe?
Jen
February 12, 2009 at 4:24 pmI have to agree with the nay-sayers’ although I too love the fabric! I just don’t think it fits in with the gorgeousness of the brown and mustard together…if the fabric had some brown in it, I might feel differently. Can you use this in your nursery?? It could be cute in a baby’s bedroom :)
RoseCampion
February 12, 2009 at 4:27 pmI like the fabric with the yellow okay. What I don’t like it with is that dark brown on the walls of the study. I think you could make it work if you choose a different color instead of the dark brown. But that would be a big pain. I’d say stick with the curtains you have now.
Dewi
February 12, 2009 at 4:29 pmWishful thinking will will NOT make it work!
Make a duvet cover with the fabric.
Elizabeth
February 12, 2009 at 4:32 pmI have to say I really like it. It looks more finished somehow than the old curtains did.
Dewi
February 12, 2009 at 4:37 pmLooking at the fabric again I now understand why it does not work. It’s not so much the colors.
The fabric pattern is very 1800’s Victorian period looking, and does not work with the chair/rug/cleanness of your design aesthetic in the rest of the house.
Does that somehow make more sense?
Kristin
February 12, 2009 at 4:48 pmYay! for me… add some colors from the fabric as pillows would look awesome. Love that fabric..
jbhat
February 12, 2009 at 4:50 pmChiming in late with another nay. For lots of reasons that other commenter have already said. Maybe a pretty pillow or two in the nursery? Or somewhere else, but not in the library.
My two cents.
Dewi
February 12, 2009 at 5:01 pmhttp://www.romofabrics.com/2008_manderley2a.htm
Now I’m being a pain in the ass! ;-)
Are you familiar with Romo fabrics and wall coverings?
They have some really perfect mid century patterns that are in the colors you like.
mustard/rose pinkish/brown
Lisa
February 12, 2009 at 5:03 pmLOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!
chelsea a
February 12, 2009 at 5:15 pmDefinitely works. Make sure you have some other green accent in the room to complement it though.
Riley
February 12, 2009 at 5:20 pmi like it a lot
Blondie
February 12, 2009 at 5:22 pmI like the fabric but I have to say Nay! It’s like what I’ve been doing in my bedroom (going to make a padded headboard) and why it’s taking me so long to complete. In fact I just spent the last hour in my bedroom trying to make this fabric I have work (draping it, adding other trims to it) and came to the conclusion I just need to buy new fabric!
I think that’s how you’re going to end up —-trying to make that fabric work instead of really loving it in that particular space.
May I make a suggestion: I love your old curtains but have you thought of lining them? I think it would make them look a bit weightier for the window which may be what you need there plus the pattern wouldn’t allow light through like it does now.
Joi
February 12, 2009 at 5:37 pmHmmm…consensus seems to say no, but I really like it!
Laura
February 12, 2009 at 5:57 pmNope – I love the old fabric. Please keep it
amy purple
February 12, 2009 at 6:06 pmLook at murray – that handsome fella!
laura
February 12, 2009 at 6:16 pmnay, but it is a great fabric. the old curtains really married the brown and yellow walls with the white bookcases and chair. you do need a bit of yellow in the curtains, otherwise that yellow wall can seem disconnected, perhaps there is another amy butler print that would work?
Melanie
February 12, 2009 at 6:23 pmFrom the looks of this photo, I definitely say yay.
Jules
February 12, 2009 at 6:26 pmOkay, here is my opinion, which after 71 comments should be of UTMOST importance. (I say NAY, in case you don’t feel like reading my missive.)
My first thought was how mild the yellow looks in this picture. I actually prefer it over the mustard/overly saturated picture the professional took. The fabric looks okay next to it, and not the stark contrast I was expecting. BUT, with the bead board, the buttery yellow, soft green, Amy Butler fabric et al…it looks really country to me.
Plus, I stand by my comment in the last post. If you’re asking for opinions, then you are trying to sell yourself on it and you won’t love it in the end. You’ll like it, but you won’t love it.
p.s. I’ve seen those Pier 1 curtains, and they photograph really well. I agree with you, Nicole, in that they are just okay in real life.
p.s.s. For those who were wondering, you can bid for those curtains on eBay.
beth
February 12, 2009 at 6:39 pmI agree with Dewi about the victorian-ness being a big factor.
fromtherightbank
February 12, 2009 at 6:41 pmI like the print but for that spot, I like the curtains you had there before. Love your library in any case.
Julie Anne
February 12, 2009 at 7:02 pmSorry to be so late to the party…
But I vote “Nay” as well.
I originally thought I would be a “Yea”, as I love the Amy Butler fabric, especially in that design and colorway.
But, surprisingly, looking at the whole – especially in light of the fact that you are happy with the hallway color right now and the mustard works with the living room as well as the library…I’ve gotta vote nay to the Amy Butler in that particular location.
What about something in the nursery, the kitchen, or the downstairs bath?
valentine
February 12, 2009 at 7:40 pmI have to vote Nay as well! The fabric is nice, but not good for the library. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing it, but i do love the others curtains more!
debbie k
February 12, 2009 at 8:37 pmyay…i like it! go for it!
i don’t believe in perfectly matchy matchy. i think this is more sophisticated and modern actually.
debbie k
February 12, 2009 at 8:39 pmone more thing…with this pattern you can go more “ethnic” in the room and give it more gravitas….it brings out the wood and carved ethnic shape to that new side table.
clare
February 12, 2009 at 8:42 pmit was nay at first… but I keep coming back to it, and liking it more each time. go with your instincts on this one…
Viv
February 12, 2009 at 8:50 pmWhat about using it in the living area instead? I love the curtains you have there already but maybe for something a little different? The pink in the fabric might work in that room.
Leisa
February 12, 2009 at 9:06 pmYAY, so pretty!
rena
February 12, 2009 at 9:13 pmlooks good i love it!
daisy janie : scoutie girl
February 12, 2009 at 9:24 pmHard nay on this one as a curtain. If it were a treatment that lays/lies flat (like some kind of shade), then I might like it. I just don’t think it’s a pattern that adds anything when it’s bunched or gathered.
Your doggie looks swell, however!!!!!! Hope you’re feeling well, too. :)
Elizabeth
February 12, 2009 at 9:34 pmI say yay but trim the curtains with a yellow a shade or so lighter than the walls. It will help tie everything together.
Michele
February 12, 2009 at 10:03 pmSorry, I’m with most others on here and I say “nay”. I think you should change the curtains if you don’t like the ones you had but definitely not to this. Maybe something that has yellow in it already. The fabric just doesn’t look right with that wall color.
sk
February 12, 2009 at 10:59 pmnay
Malory
February 12, 2009 at 11:01 pma definite nay, I love the curtains you already have!! I think that they look perfect as is. :)
Jen
February 12, 2009 at 11:05 pmJust in case you have the energy to read another post here… I love the new fabric, but not with the wall color. The one you had before was really vibrant and the white in it looked so fresh and inviting. I don’t know if you’ve seen this lady’s fabrics http://www.heatherbaileystore.com/?Click=25, but if you wanted a change she has some beautiful designs with yellows.
joan vignocchi
February 13, 2009 at 1:09 amnot as good as the original. save your money!
Nina
February 13, 2009 at 1:18 amnay, sorry. I like the fabric, too. but in this arrangement it looks very busy. something simpler like what you had before is better in this place in my opinion.
montseta
February 13, 2009 at 3:07 amNay, sorry. I really like the fabric but not in that spot
Dewi
February 13, 2009 at 6:17 amSome have wrote they like it because the fabric is “ethnic”, it’s not an ethnic pattern, unless you think white Anglo Saxon Victorian is ethnic.
(that’s a joke!)
The fabric is a common Victorian pattern and colorway.
Dewi
February 13, 2009 at 6:22 amIt’s funny how invested I feel that you have the “right” look and pattern.
I think you should design your own fabric for $18.a yard at spoonflower. You have such fantastic design skills, create your own.
http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome
Carrie
February 13, 2009 at 6:55 amYay! It blends beautifully.
Jennae @ Green Your Decor
February 13, 2009 at 7:12 amI say nay. I love the fabric, but the old curtains looked better against the wall.
Carley
February 13, 2009 at 7:17 amI like it against that wall. It’s something I would do, but I think you need gold accent trim. Maybe…gold tassles?
Joanna
February 13, 2009 at 7:35 amIt’s a huge YAY from me. It is gorgeous, and the room looks ‘done’ with it there. The green has a definite yellowish hue to it. Plus it’s by one of my favorite quilt fabric designers, so that automatically makes me want to say yes!! Love it, love it, LOVE it! But having said that, just do what you love. Who cares what we think?!