Is Ikat fabric still in style? Too trendy?

12 years ago

I have been looking for fabrics for throw pillows, a foot stool and roman shades for my living room. The fabrics that I am drawn to are Ikats, suzanis and other medallion/ tribal style fabrics. Are Ikats still in syle or a passing trend? Would love to hear your opinions.

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acdesignsky

12 years ago

I know they've been around forever, but they are incredibly popular right now, so Ikats and suzanis are a trend, which means they will fall out of favor soon enough. I think once you can buy a trend at JC Penney or Kohls, it's on it's way out.
That being said, who cares?!? Do you love them just because they're popular or do they make you happy? You're only talking about accents that can be easily changed down the road if you get tired of them. I bought a pair of Ikat chairs because I LOVE them. There will seemed dated in a few years, then horribly passe for another 10, then hot and in vogue soon after that. In the meantime, I'll love them regardless.
IMO, buy what you love and you'll never go wrong!

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Comments (10)

steph2000
12 years ago
It's trendy, for sure. Very hot recently and I hope that makes it easier to find up here where I live.

I really love it, though, and don't see myself getting sick of it any time soon. Though if I did, I'd probably get sick of it long after I might get sick of a heckuva lot of other patterns out there.

I view it like any other pattern, though, really - good for pillows, accent pieces and MAYBE draperies. Or rugs. I don't see it as that different than orientals in that they provide a patterned background - but orientals often have more colors in them and are recognized as a classic, which make them more veratile.

I'd love to find a pair of accent chairs in an Ikat.

Ack, just used the "L" word twice. That's a probably a sign I should sign off! LOL

I say go for it, if you find the right one. If in doubt, avoid it on the romans.
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Spitfire, pretty much my entire family is like that, very frugal Yankees. Furniture, rugs, lamps, etc. were/are only replaced when they get too ratty and worn-out to keep using, or broke and couldn't be repaired. Grandparents grew up in the Great Depression - both sets of grandparents married when the men came back from WWII, saved up and built modest houses around 1950. Pretty much everyone in the family just didn't have the money to be redecorating just because something was no longer considered "stylish". So a bedroom might still have 50-year-old wallpaper on the walls because it wasn't scraped or gouged or badly faded, so there wasn't any point in buying new paper. Although I do remember both grandmothers having very up-to-the-minute-for-1950 bathrooms, one had the robin's-egg blue fixtures complete with the metal-legged console sink and matching tile and the other had goldenrod yellow fixtures, but neither one would have dreamed of remodeling just to change the colors even though the style mavens considered them outright horrible thirty years later. I think a lot of it rubbed off on me, because I see little point (for me) in my decor having to constantly be "fresh" and "updated", it simply doesn't matter to me - I would just like to get things finished and be able to go on to other things to spend my money on. ;-) Practicality also trumps style in a big way in our house. We recently purchased a sectional (wow, brand new furniture, woowoo, but I'd been watching CL for quite a while to no avail) for the most effective use of space in our small, awkwardly-designed living room and I chuckled at the saleslady's comment that although of course you could still BUY them, sectionals were very "out", and we really should be getting a sofa-and-loveseat... even though that's what we were getting RID of because it wasted precious space! (DH and I bicker lovingly over the corner spot. Wonderful place to nest with lots of pillows and a warm blanket.) ljwrar, I would do any number of horrible things :-) for the kind of original features in your house, since my ca. 1900 house was almost completely stripped. Treasure them! If you replace the original light fixtures, wrap them well in acid-free paper, box them up carefully, and store them for a future owner to put back if they wish.
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mtnrdredux_gw
12 years ago
I can't help it either. Two years ago when I told my decorator I wanted Suzani, she didnt know what it was!

Now ikat and suzani is everywhere. But I cannot help it, I love it. I just bought a ton of pillows with it. My absolute fave is a what i call "bling ikat", where the ikat is rendered in silver beads.

{{!gwi}}

The way you are discussing using it, it is easy enough to change. Ikat wallpaper, less so. Go for it! It can be fun to be trendy.
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Lori A. Sawaya
12 years ago
What I've noticed about Ikat is that it is still very relevant AND I'm seeing the pattern reinterpreted. Reinterpreted in larger scale and beyond the traditionally recognized colors of Ikat. Most common (arguably) is Javanese navy/brown/white.

Ikat has grown (literally) beyond its normal scale and color palette.
mjsee
12 years ago
How can a weave that has been around for centuries be a "mere" trend? Makes me crazy. Just like chintz and paisley--yes, something may be very hot right now...and it may be considered "dated" in ten months...but it will never be truly GONE. I'm expecting flowery chintzes (what is the plural of chintz?)to make a comeback any day now. Seems like the right reaction to all the "ethnic" prints we've been seeing.

I guess I just don't get it. I never worry about whether something will look dated or not. If I love it I buy it. Wish I'd had the money to buy all the MCM stuff I saw 20 years ago...now that I've got some discretionary income the prices are headed up. Ah well!
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Lori A. Sawaya
12 years ago
Chintz is the plural of chint. Chint is actually the original spelling of the fabric with chints as the plural. No idea where the hell the z came from but here we are. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Chint
htnspz
12 years ago
It may be trendy with design aficionados but your friends, family and 80% of the general public probably don't even know what it is. I think that makes it safe to use.
mjsee
12 years ago
THANK you, funcolors! So the appropriate phrasing would have been "I'm expecting flowery chintz
fabrics to make a comeback any day now."
pps7
12 years ago
I love ikat and am considering it for pillows and a fabric ottoman. There are several kravet ikats that I'm loving right now! I love tribal/suzani prints too.
ellenm08
12 years ago
Go for it! Love the look and am now inspired to do it in my own place after all this talk :) I would do it on one of the items you were talking about - maybe not the footstool, shades AND pillows.

Here it is on a footstool ;)

[modern living room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2105)

I found this link with some fun ideas:

Here is a link that might be useful: Ikat Patterns

Is Ikat fabric still in style? Too trendy?

acdesignsky

Comments (10)

steph2000

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