A Touch of Elegance

Today I was reading The Peak of Chic's blog that centered around bullion fringe. She showed beautiful examples of its use and then suggested that improperly used it could be horrid. I commented that bullion fringe can really soften the lines not only of the piece but the entire room when used with great taste. For example, this Cloverleaf Ottoman (from Hickory Chair of course) has been dressed with optional bullion fringe. The bullion fringe adds softness to the curvilinear lines of the skirted form.

When this Cloverleaf Ottoman with the fringe is used in a room it takes that additional step to soften the entire room. In this room (featured in the Hickory Chair Showroom in High Point, NC), the curvilinear form balances the linear shapes of the doors, mirror, sofa and pull up chairs. The bullion fringe softens the use of the very dark finishes used on the wood pieces and exposed wood upholstery. The designer has created a very modern feel with the selection of pieces of furniture, their arrangement and the variety of finishes, fabrics, leather and trim.

In this example, also from the Hickory Chair Showroom, the room is soft and elegant with the use of the Weathered French Grey paint on the Left Bank Bed upholstered in linen and the Normandy chest finished in Rustic French Grey paint with the Oxford finished top. In this case, the Cloverleaf Ottoman is a continuation of the softness of the color palette.

The point is that it is the details that make the difference. The designer, Ron Fiore, created both rooms with very different thoughts in mind when he began the process. If you notice, he actually used the same bergere and ottoman in the two rooms. The way they were used was very different. Recently Ron spoke to a group at a recent HCC University and suggested that "When you pick pieces with 'great bones' they always work. Think about a navy blue blazer - you can dress it up or dress it down. You can do almost anything to pieces with great bones with finish, fabric, leather, trim or hardware. You can use them over and over and they always look great."