Curtain Call for Color
April 3, 2004 | 12:00am
When it comes to fabrics for the home, it’s back to natural fibers and colorful hues. So take out your orange curtains and green throw pillows, your sisal carpet and grass wall covering, your colorful Warhol prints and luscious silks.
According to Marcel Vinnenberg, export manager of the German fabric company Jab Anstoetz, the trend towards more color and natural fiber has been growing for the past years in Europe first and then the rest of the world. It’s almost as if there’s a clamor to get out of stark minimalism and to start having fun again with color. And while Zen is now being blended with different styles, its philosophy of designing as close to nature as possible has left its indelible mark in contemporary design.
"In Europe, for many years the trend was for synthetic materials, but lately natural fibers are becoming very important again, especially when it comes to durability and maintenance."
Vinnenberg was in Manila last month to promote the new fabric lines for 2004. Like fashion, Jab’s new collections come out twice a year for spring/summer, and fall/winter.
"People have identified their homes as a very important part of their lives. In Europe, they are spending more time at home, especially with all the global travel crises we’ve had in the past three years. Since they’re staying home, people want to make their houses cozier, a place to relax from the stresses of their day-to-day environment. This kind of atmosphere is better created by natural fibers."
Cotton, linen, silk and blends of all three have overtaken polyester and acetate as the top preferences of consumers. This trend has also just recently produced unique wall coverings such as grass on paper and cork on paper, with the latter mostly used as a border or an accent. Grass on paper, which looks like tatami matting, would look great in a Japanese style house, but Vinnenberg says you’ll be surprised at how well it can be adapted to any style.
Though natural materials may connote a down-to-earth approach, luxury is still very much in high demand. Jab Anstoetz is a brand that caters to the most luxurious palaces and period houses, as well as modern homes around the world. "You know the Burj al Arab Hotel in Dubai, the only seven-star hotel in the world? They got their fabrics from us," says Vinnenberg. Yup, when you’re talking about luxury, this hotel takes the cake as rooms cost from $1,000 to $7,000 a night!
"Most of the royal families in Europe and sheiks in the Middle East use our fabrics. We also work with the best designers from all over and we do business in the design centers of London, NY, Paris, Milan."
In fact, Vinnenberg says it’s easier to list the countries in Asia where they don’t have a presence since they’re all over. Jab established its footing in Japan first and the rest of Asia followed suit. Jab has done jobs for the most distinguished commercial and residential projects in this part of the world and even on ships and yachts.
Naturally, the prices are royal, too. Even so, Skreja, a textile trading company, which took over the distribution of Jab three years ago, has found a market for such a luxurious brand.
Skreja vice president Sherwin Ang says Jab fabrics cost between US$50 to $200 (around P2,800 to P11,300) per yard (not meter!). Skreja categorizes its product lines into three: Decortex Basics is the more affordable line from Europe, the US and Asia (from P500 to P800 per yard); Decortex Couture carries the extensive collections of Jab Anstoetz, which is the number one furnishing fabric supplier in the world, and its American subsidiary Stroheim and Romann for American themes, and Chivasso for sophisticated upholstery; Decortex Furnishing focuses on individual needs such as drapery and upholstery sewing.
"Yes, there’s a market for this high-end product," says Sherwin. "We are selling quite well locally. Rich people spend their money on luxurious things so we do quite a lot of residential projects in Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village, as well as hotels."
Parts of the thick swatch book of Jab are fabrics that include velvet, jacquard and chenille for curtains and upholstery. The pictures of taffeta particularly caught our eye. Called the "diva among fabrics," taffeta is used for ball gowns as well as curtains. You can’t get more luxurious than taffeta for your windows – wasn’t Hilary Swank wearing a taffeta gown by Randolph Duke when she received her Oscar?
A particular swatch prompted us to ask: Do people still use velvet upholstery?
Yes, says Vinnenberg, period houses, manors and palaces have their sofas and chairs upholstered in this most expensive fabric, including a casino in Angeles City. What we were surprised to see is that this fabric works just as well in contemporary homes. Vinnenberg points to another swatch – a combination of velvet and jacquard weave.
"It’s an elegant kind of material, very rich and sophisticated, and also very flexible." This one shows the velvet pile only as a design, instantly removing the heaviness associated with the fabric.
The choices are so diverse that for its spring collection alone, Jab came out with 150 new designs in over 1,500 colors.
"There is no ‘European taste, as there is no Asian taste. The climate of each country is different, the culture is different. So what we sell very well in Japan may not necessarily do well in the Philippines or Thailand. The same with Europe, and that’s the reason why we have such a mix of collections and why we’re so successful in the global market – we’re able to cater to such diverse tastes that other companies can’t do," says Vinnenberg.
Their fabrics are manufactured worldwide, from Germany to Belgium, the US, and particularly for silk, Thailand and India.
So, in this dusty tropical country (yes, dust seeps in even in those air-conditioned rooms), what’s the best type of fabric? Well, first, have slipcovers made for easy cleaning.
"We have many designs and materials that are washable," he says. "We offer these at a standard finish or you can apply Scotch Guard yourself. Our in-house designers must identify the requirements with regard to the client’s taste and the technical issues like cleaning and usage."
Vinnenberg points to icons displayed at the top of the fabric swatches – whether this fabric is for heavy, everyday use or for light use – and also the material blend, which tells you whether it’s washable or not. "Silk we normally recommend for light use because it wears out easily. You can use it in throw pillows and to accessorize furniture."
"Pag mayaman, they don’t care about upholstery getting dirty, after three years, palit lang sila ng fabric," says Sherwin.
Well, you know what they say about the rich being different from you and me. They do have their own world – and it’s probably swathed in luscious $200-a-yard fabric.
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