May Newsletter

curtain making design advice furnishing fabrics wallpaper upholstery fitting

Your home is where our heart is

Sue Foster Curtains | Fabrics | Upholstery

May 2012

I can’t believe we’re into May already. I managed to get all the decorating done over Easter - although du e to some radical sp ring cleaning on my wife’ s part It also involved retiling the shower!

Thank you to everyon e who gave me such positive feedback on “Window Valet” servic our new e for broken tracks, poles and blinds whi mentioned in our las ch I t newsletter. I hope this new service will those of you who are be of use to fed up with tracks no t working properly o away from the wall. r poles coming As a husband I know the pressures involve up tracks or poles to d with putting my wife’s exacting st andards. Hopefully free fitting for all tra our offer of ck, pole and blind orde rs during the month bring whoops of joy of May will from long-sufferring husbands!

I hope you also enjoy our new feature ove rleaf introducing our perfectly formed tea small but m here at Sue Foste rs. We will feature each newsletter and a team member will hopefully help to put a face to a name next visit our showro when you om.

Chris

Linwood’s patriotic “London Calling” printed cotton from their “Checks and dogs and Rock ‘n Roll” collection

PT’s new Capital, First Class and Jack collections

Britannia blind by Sunflex

For the past couple of years we've seen a resurgence of patriotic British nostalgia influencing interior design. With a list of high profile cultural events like last year’s Royal Wedding, and the forthcoming Queen's Diamond Jubilee and London Olympics, there is set to be an even greater interest in all things British. We've already seen this reflected in high street retail, and designers are also reflecting this in their latest fabric collections as they begin to embrace the patriotic mood. Linwood have recently released a wonderful range of patriotically inspired fabrics using iconic British symbols as its inspiration. Prestigious Textiles have also released a range of fabrics with stylised British flags, stamps and London landmarks to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. And Sunflex have designed a “Britannia” roller blind fabric which would be guaranteed to make even the most hardened soul feel patriotic!

The British nostalgia trend can also be seen in fabric collections which reflect a vintage English chintz style. Edinburgh Weavers have a wonderful range of florals in subtle pastel colours which would make beautiful bunting, tablecloths or cushions for an English summer tea party. We also love the red, white and blue picnic theme which is gaining increasing popularity for weddings and summer celebrations.

As proud supporters of British products and local British craftspeople, we love this resurgence in celebrating the Best of British - long may it live!

Sue Foster Interiors Ltd 14 Queen Street | Emsworth | PO10 7YA | 01243 378831

Andrew Martin’s new “Inventor” collection

Meet the team Name: Emma Painter Title: Interior Design Consultant When did you first develop a passion for interiors? Ever since the cradle really! My Grandad was an architect and my parents used to drag me around National Trust properties as a child. An interest in properties and everything related to them has always been important to my family and I guess I’ve just grown up with it.

“Isfahan” and “Newlyn”on the chair and cushion with “Traveller” wallpaper behind

“Cove” and “Pride” fabrics on the chair and cushion with “Newton” wallpaper behind

ed was organis “Everything fuss - really m with minimu home and it e nice to com An easy and e. on d ll a was pping pleasant sho Daniels rs M ” experience.

How would you describe your interior style? It sounds really cliched but I suppose you could best describe it as an eclectic mix. I love different textures within a scheme, and I believe interiors should evoke emotion and engage with all the senses. I am fascinated by what makes a house a home and truly believe that the most successful interiors evolve around a much loved painting or object. I also love creating beautiful areas within a room that work as stand alone scenes.

Which is your favourite collection? It’s so hard to choose because I like to cherry pick from a variety of collections depending on their use. Linwood are fantastic for upholstery, Colefax are superb quality and incredibly versatile, Manuel Canovas are fantastic for textures and colour - the list goes on! But if I had to choose one collection I am currently in love with the inventor collection by Andrew Martin. We will have the collection in the showroom shortly and I can’t wait!

Emma joined the Sue Foster team almost a year ago after moving to the area from Shropshire. She has a passion for interior design and pursued it as a hobby for many years whilst following a career as a professional soprano.

Ask the expert....

My husband fitted a curtain pole in our sitting room a few months ago, but it keeps falling down. Other than replastering the wall and starting again, is there anything you can suggest to stop it from happening again?

Without seeing your pole it is hard to identify the problem exactly, but generally poles or tracks which keep falling down are caused by one or more of the following issues: Windows nearly always have a lintel above the recess as support. This could be concrete or even metal which is very hard to drill. Domestic drills simply can’t cope with lintels, so people often give up and only drill a few centimetres into the plaster which has virtually no strength. The problem is compounded because pole fixings often come with short screws designed really for fixing into a wooden frame or batten of some sort.

Another problem could be if your walls are dry-lined with plasterboard which has no real strength and you need to drill extra deep into the actual bricks or blocks behind and use special plaster board fixings.

Another common reason is that the pole or track is not really suitable for the weight of the curtains being hung from them. The more inexpensive poles and tracks found in DIY stores are generally only for lightweight curtains and the fixings are of inadequate design and strength. It is best to consult an expert beforehand to ensure the brackets and fixings are going to be adequate for the weight of the curtains - after all, anyone who has ever hung curtains will know how heavy they can be!

We are happy to offer advice for any of your track or pole requirements, and can supply a range of tracks and poles for even the heaviest of interlined curtains. We can also offer an expert fitting service from as little as £50. Call us on 01243 378831 or e-mail us at showroom@suefoster.co.uk for further details.

P.S. Don’t forget that we are offering free fitting for all tracks, poles and blinds ordered from us during May with this newsletter.

/suefosterinteriors

Visit our showroom to see our wide range of tracks and poles

Sue Foster Interiors Ltd 14 Queen Street | Emsworth | PO10 7YA 01243 378831 | showroom@suefoster.co.uk www.suefoster.co.uk

@SueFosterUK