10 Designer Favorite Fabrics and Wallpapers
Lets take a look at some of the tried and true prints beloved by our favorite interior designers
There is no shortage of beautiful fabrics on the market, and many of the best are repeatedly used by top designers. In this post, I’m highlighting ten fabrics and wallpapers I see used time and time again. These are prints that are always showing up on my Instagram and Pinterest feeds, and ones that clients are always inquiring about for themselves. These ten aren’t even scratching the surface, so I’ll definitely do a follow-up post in the future with more beautiful designs I’d be remiss not to share about. Many of the designs I’m including are available as both fabrics and wallpapers in coordinating colorways, perfect for using individually or combining in a room for the beloved pattern drenched look. I’ve also used many of the prints on this list myself in our home, so I’m in the pool of people who love these designs, which makes it easy for me to gush about them.
1. Colefax & Fowler Bowood
I’m not alone in stating that Bowood is one of my favorite prints. It is a timeless classic used by many interior designers for a reason. Bowood comes in four colorways, each printed on two fabric options. You can find it in the classic grey and green colorway on a tea-stained ground, silver and leaf on a white ground, pink and grey on a white ground, and blue and grey on a white ground. The two fabric options are a 100% classic cotton chintz and a cotton and linen blend called Union. As well as the fabric options, each colorway also has a coordinating wallpaper. I’ve seen Bowood used in every type of space, so there is no limit to what type of space it works well in, and what you can do with it.
2. Colefax & Fowler Fuchsia
Another classic from everyone’s favorite British fabric designer, Fuchsia, is another beautiful print beloved by designers. It looks wonderful where it is used and in whichever colorway is chosen. Fuchsia is available on 100% cotton chintz in red on a tea-stained ground, pink and green on a white ground, blue on a tea-stained ground, and ultramarine on a white ground. It is also available on 100% linen in silver and leaf, and red and forest. Fuchsia is also available as a wallpaper in six beautiful colorways, some of which coordinate with the fabric colorways and some completely unique colorways, which are new additions to the fuchsia lineup.
3. Colefax & Fowler Caldbeck
Another Colefax & Fowler fabric I’ve seen getting a lot of love by designers lately is Caldbeck, a beautiful blue and cream floral printed on 100% linen. It looks wonderful used in a multitude of ways, some of my personal favorites being drapery, headboards, and accent chairs. Caldbeck is different from some other Colefax & Fowler fabrics on this list because it is only available in one colorway, blue, and it has no coordinating wallpaper. If you dream of Caldbeck wallpaper, don’t worry, because there is always the option to paper back fabric and have it hung as wallpaper. The mix of mid blue, light blue, and cream pairs well with so many other fabrics, making it very easy to incorporate into designs.
4. Colefax & Fowler Snow Tree
Snow tree is a beautiful large trailing floral design that, as well as being loved by many interior designers, is also a personal favorite of mine. I’ve used Snow Tree three times now, twice to make drapes and once as wallpaper for a bathroom, and I still would choose to use the design again. It looks wonderful in any room, from bedrooms to dining rooms to bathrooms to sitting rooms. Snow tree is available as a fabric and wallpaper in a wide range of beautiful colorways. The fabric is printed on 100% linen and comes in eight colorways, while the wallpaper is available in seven colorways. The fabric is available in cream, gold, beige, aqua, old pink, yellow, silver, and blu,e and the wallpaper is available in cream, aqua, black, silver, pale aqua, ivory, and old pink.
5. Lee Jofa Althea
I think Althea makes its way onto not only many designers’ list of favorite prints but also design enthusiasts. It is a favorite of mine and was one of the first fabrics I fell for when I got into sewing with designer fabrics years ago. It sometimes gets mistaken for Hollyhock, or vice versa, but even though they’re similar, they are different. Althea is available in eight colorways, two of which, delft and stone, have a coordinating wallpaper. The color options for Althea are citron, poppy, blush, celadon, ivory, river b, delft, and stone. Citron and poppy are available on both a 100% cotton chintz and a 100% linen ground.
6. Lee Jofa Hollyhock
Hollyhock is another favorite amongst top designers. It comes in eighteen colorways and is available on a variety of fabrics ranging from cotton to linen. The two newest color additions, blue and leaf and apricot and moss both have a coordinating wallpaper. Although Hollyhock uses the same design as Althea, which I just shared above, they differ in multiple ways. Firstly, Hollyhock is hand block printed using multiple wood blocks, while Althea is digitally printed. Secondly, the hand block technique leads to a softer design with an almost watercolor appearance. It is also a labor-intensive process, which is why Hollyhock sits at a higher price point. Finally, Hollyhock is a larger-scale design with a pattern repeat of 40”, while Althea has a pattern repeat of 32”.
7. Lee Jofa Sameera
Sameera is a lovely large scale floral with a 62” pattern repeat. Designed by Oscar De La Renta, Sameera comes in four beautiful colorways, each with a coordinating wallpaper. The available colorways are sapphire and gold, spice and berry, red and blue, and blue and indigo. Sameera is printed on 100% cotton and is perfect for window treatments and upholstery, and has a decorative border on both sides of the design, which is lovely when used to accent the leading edge on drapery as well as a tape trim on upholstery and cushions. The wallpaper looks wonderful in larger spaces like a bedroom, as well as smaller spaces like a powder bathroom or laundry room.
8. Jasper Malmaison
I know Jasper is on many designers’ short list of fabric brands that produce their favorite designs. One of Jasper’s most beloved prints is Malmaison. It comes in two gorgeous colors, Fontaine, which is a mix of greens with light blue and butter yellow, and Jardine, which is a mix of green, blue, red, mustard, and pink. It is printed on a lovely linen cotton blend, which lends itself to so many applications. It makes beautiful window treatments and is perfect for a variety of upholstery projects. It is not available as a wallpaper, but with any fabric, you can have it paper-backed and professionally hung as wallpaper.
9. Jasper Grace
Another favorite design from Jasper, Grace, is also very commonly used and can be found on the Instagram feeds of many top interior designers. As a fabric, it is available in five beautiful colorways, three of which have a coordinating wallpaper. The original colorway is a blend of blues, red, pink, and mustard and has a coordinating wallpaper. The willow colorway mixes multiple tones of green and brown and is another colorway with a coordinating wallpaper. The cyan colorway mixes a variety of light blues and teals and is the final colorway with a coordinating wallpaper. The bluebell colorway is a blend of blues and natural tones, while the Swiss blue colorway is created with a variety of true blue hues.
10. Sister Parish Dolly
One of Sister Parish’s most popular designs, Dolly, is a timeless print featuring flower sprigs, leaf squiggles, and vine stripes. Dolly is available in both fabric and wallpaper, with some colorways coordinating with one another. The fabric is available in seven colorways ranging from blues and greens to pink and purple. There are three fabric options for Dolly, a 100% cotton, a 100% linen, and a linen and cotton blend. The wallpaper is available in six colorways, all so beautiful it would be impossible to pick a favorite. Dolly looks wonderful in every type of room, from kitchens to bedrooms to nurseries, and everything in between.
Did you fall in love with one of these designer fabrics?
Remember, you can order fabric, wallpaper, and samples directly through me! Samples can be ordered on my website here and to order fabric and wallpaper, or inquire about pricing, please send me an email at hello@maxinemakes.com. Also, leave a comment letting me know which design is your favorite and which design I didn’t include that you’d like to see on a future list.
