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when i set my mind on a thing, i do all i can to make it a reality. i am working on a special project and need to get cracking on redoing my chairs. from this POST you will know that i received a fabric sample in the mail. with the price point being $299-$550, the option to use it is not so much an option.
while blog hopping yesterday i came across a scarf with zebras and a red back ground. hmmmm...
i started typing some keywords into the interweb and came across the menagerie zebra fabric. i liked it. i especially like the $10 price point give or take a few dollars here and there, depending on where it is ordered from. it's cotton and is 45 inches wide which isn't the widest, but it's still enough for the application i want to use it for.
the scalamandre zebra fabric is $550 a yard. not for budget decorators. i came across a seller on ebay that offered it at $299 a yard...with a minimum of 3 yards ordered. that's how they getcha! the scalmandre zebras are obviously bigger with movement and the fabric is a cotton and linen blend and is printed.
i haven't ordered a sample of the first fabric so i cant really compare weight. if i were simply going to make pillows then the heavier fabric would work.
but if i am simply going to accentuate the backs of chairs would the weight really matter?
there are obvious differences between the $10 fabric and the $550. which do you think is better by mere appearance?
32 comments:
Color wise they are very similar...there is more interest in the more expensive fabric--the zebras are moving and the arrows are there too. Having said that I think the less expensive fabric is perfect. You can also back the $10 fabric with a iron on stabilizer. I have done that for more of a professional upholstery weight. Good luck!
No contest, I would go for the $10 fabric, the effect is quite close to the $550, providing it is weighty enough.
Love your blog!
No denying the $10 Zebras look less sophisticated -- but, short of turning to a life of crime, there's no way I could justify the Scalamandre.
Plus, I just can't appreciate the 'hunt' theme, with the flying arrows. Yikes!
I say, go with the fun, more affordable choice, and enjoy the heck out of it! :-)
I wouldn't go with the $10 fabric, it feels like it should be in a child's room, where the Scalamandre is much more sophisticated. You know you can get the Scalamandre fabric at designer pricing with your tax ID number at Karen Saks?
I think it’s a good looking. If you wanted to, you could possibly add the little arrows with a Sharpie pen.
@ Towards the Horizon...a sharpie pen. I know its creative, but I had to chuckle a bit, cuz it sounds like something I would do. LOL.
@Brynn...hmmm...that is an option. I will check into that.
I like the cheap one! Same effect for a much smaller expense. Save the expensive fabric for when you're working with a rich client ;)
i do agree that the inexpensive fabric does look a little less sophisticated. BUT! the red looks to be a much truer red -- and wasn't that one of your complaints about the designer fabric?
The less expensive one is beautiful and the price is perfect! You are very talented I a know when you are done with your project it will look like a "Million" dollars!
If it's accent pillows, I would make the $10 fabric stronger by using a iron on stabilizer. I would spend the extra money on extras with the pillows, such as a beautiful trim or beaded fringe as well as a different fabric for the back.
If you are worried about the weight of the cheaper fabric, put some interfacing in it.
Personally, although the expensive fabric is more unique, I like the tighter pattern of the cheaper fabric for upholstery!
I think the more expensive would be better for accent pillows or window treatments. I did not like the way the pattern was broken up on the chair, it created an odd negative space look in some places.
Can you tell a difference in quality looking at them side by side? Sure. Get the $10 fabric on its own in the room and you'll never think twice about the decision. The difference in fabric doesn't account for the crazy price differential. Easy choice: $10 Zebra wins!
Since it's only going to be used for an accent(You're not covering a sofa or a wall) I say go for the cheap stuff. A. The color IS better. B. If the owner grows tired of it, he/she won't feel horrible guilt when changing it out.
Honestly I would go with the $10 fabric; todays economy tje highend option is just ridiculous. But I would get creative and actually embroider arrows with black thread or ribbon around the zebras.
Go with the $10 option. In todays economy the high end option is just ridiculous! I would get creative with black thread or ribbon and embroider arrows around the zebras.
I actually would choose the cheaper fabric-the red is much more vibrant and the zebras LOOK like zebras. My guess is the feel of it is much different, but the cost difference is huge. I guess if you could get the other fabric cheaper and needed less then a yard and you could get the money for the project-why not, but I'm not sure I'd put that kind of money into them without knowing the client would pay what I would have to charge to make a decent
profit.
Truth be told, the Scalamandre fabric is significantly more stunning and most certainly a classic. But you may be wasting its visual interest on the backs of chairs. I think you are certainly right about the scale.
If you're dead set (which I know the feeling) on the Scalamandre is there another application where it can show its grandeur? If the sample is large enough, can you use it as an inset on an oversized bolster pillow on your couch or runner for your buffet?
Or, could you fool the eye by adding arrows to the other fabric? A few hours, no bleed fabric pen and a ruler and you could end up looking very similar to the scale of the Scalamandre pattern found on their umbrellas.
What I've always found inspiring is that you find ways to make thrifting finds and and low-ticket items look like they belong in million dollar rooms! Best of luck, can't wait to see what you choose!
I am going to be a naysayer. The cheaper fabric doesn't have the same movement that the less expensive one does. The repetition of the zebras at the intervals they have makes me think child's room more than dining room. And the prices you are quoting are retail, not trade pricing. If you have your tax ID you should be able to get trade pricing which would be cheaper....
The Scalamandre $550 per yard fabric is gorgeous, and the arrows do set it apart from the less expensive fabric. With that being said, it really depends on the piece, the amount of fabric needed and the wear exposure. Mistakes or stains are easier to live with at $10 per yard.
Embellishments can bring more to the designer look table, and a hot glue gun & a Sharpie is your best friend-ha! I am interested to see the finished look!
Seems to be NO contest! In a room where the expensive one isn't present, no one would even think about it! Back the material if it's too thin and add arrows if you like (like without personally)...it shows your personality and everytime I looked at it, I would be SO happy with the savings...anxious to see the results!
Is the chair valued at the same amount as that fabric? I definitely wouldn't be able to justify paying $550/yd for fabric for 1 chair. Although the zebras look more sophisticated on the expensive sample I actually like the deeper red color in the $10 fabric. I would probably use black fabric paint, a paint pen or sharpie to color in the eyes of the zebras on the $10 fabric so it could have a somewhat more sophisticated look like the expensive fabric. I know you will do something amazing with it.
Pick something else and get off the ZEBRA!! LOL! Believe you will tire of it sooner than you think!!
Peace!
I don't know if you noticed it or not but there are Scalamandre Zebra pillows being offered on ebay. $149.99 or best offer....
I will more than likely use it on the back, but my thought on the more expensive piece would be to attempt to center the zebra in the middle.
If I were to do that with the project I am considering, it may surely take more than a yard.
Aye ya ya.
LOL.
The $10. It's awesome! I don't get the arrows in the other one. They look stupid.
If the $10 fabric is not "weighty" enough you can always quilt it to a heavier backing and it will last longer, and still be cheaper than $550
Unfortunately based on appearance the $550 per yard fabric looks better. I can see the cotton weave... something that shows its quality just by sight. However, I wouldn't hesitate to swap it for the $10 per yard fabric if I felt the lesser expensive one wouldn't could handle the wear and tear of a chair.
This is one of those where it sucks to have been exposed to the nicer fabric, you'll never forget the comparison. To me, the Zebras on the $10 fabric look dazed/drugged, the $550 Zebras look on point, goal oriented, etc. I guess with money being all relative, it's a budgetary thing. You get what you pay for, I'm sure it took more craftsmanship and cost to make the more expensive fabric, in addition to probably being a more limited unique run. My personal budget being what it is, I will enjoy vicariously through the blogosphere :-)
I like Lawrence's idea of buying $150 pillows in the scalamandre fabric. Upholster the chairs in something more neutral and affordable and add the pillows in the fancy fabric. Then you can always use them elsewhere (or sell them for just as much as you paid for them if heaven forbid you get tired of it). My 2 cents:)
Obviously, the movement of the zebras in the Scalamandre fabric makes it more appealing. But for accenting just the backs of chairs, the $10 price point sells itself. To spend that much on fabric (550/yd) kind of detracts from the bargain you got in the chairs, no?
I agree that you could always add in accents, but I would use a fabric paint pen.
You're creative...maybe the remnant bin would turn up another option?
If you are set on the more expensive fabric you could possibly get a designer at Spoonflower to design you something more in line with it and it would be a lot cheaper (and hopefully better fabric than the $10) version. I don't know if their are fabric designers there that would do that, but I would think so.
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