Last week when I unveiled my new bookshelves, I mentioned I’m going to do a cushion for the built-in bench. Here’s a reminder of the built-in with a bench:
I find choosing fabric completely overwhelming…kind of like when I have to choose dessert at a restaurant. Everything looks so good, I can’t make a decision and I over think everything and end up not choosing anything, or ordering five things and feeling guilty. Anyway, because I just want to get this project done, I’ve decided to limit my search to one source for fabric: Tonic Living.
While I’d love to go to the beautiful textiles of John Robshaw or Quadrille, with two little kids and a dog who loves to sit on the bench and look out the window, it just isn’t practical to be spending a lot on fabric for the cover that will inevitably get destroyed within six months. Tonic Living is one of my favorite online sources for stylish, affordable fabrics (also custom pillows, roman shades, etc.) When I decorated my daughter’s nursery, I ordered fabric samples and then had them make and ship a roman shade. And for our Canadian readers will love this–it’s out of Toronto!
Roman shade in my daughter’s room–love the bold print that balances the chair and adds whimsy (it’s also lined with black out fabric!):
So, back to the bench. As you can see, my duvet is blue, brown and white. As I mentioned in my built-ins reveal post, it’s from John Robshaw’s HSN collection a few years ago so it’s no longer available, but he has very similar things on his site. LOVE LOVE LOVE his stuff.
Here’s the duvet and shams on my bed:
For the bench, (I think) I’ve decided to go with a graphic print in a navy. So, here are a few of my favorites from Tonic Living that I’m considering.
I’m a sucker for ikat (as I’ve probably mentioned!) and I love the mix of ikat and chevron in this fabric. Reminds me of Quadrille’s Tashkent. It would pick up the grey of the walls:
- Zia Chevron Tonic Living
Another ikat from Dwell Studio’s line–love how this one would tie in the blues and browns of the room:
This one reminds me of Quadrille’s Saya Gata. So fun and no much movement (too much maybe?):
I like this one because it brings both the soft edges and muted color of an ikat pattern with the graphic nature of the pattern above:
Or, I could go for a very simple, bold chevron pattern–this one is in cotton canvas and at under $11 a yard, it would be a great way to bring in the chevron trend and when I get tired of it, I can just switch out the pillow cover. This also comes in orange which could add a nice contrast to the bedding and a great pop of color.
So, next step is to order samples of the fabrics I like so I can make sure I actually like the color and the feel of the fabric (VERY important to do this before you do any custom orders.) They’re all under $30 a yard so I won’t be worried constantly about wear and tear. I’ll let you know which one I choose! And, yes, by all means, tell me what you think!
Thanks for stopping by my blog! This is all so beautiful! I love the duvet and built-ins. Thanks for the tip for John Robshaw Textiles. I didn’t know about this and I’m so glad I do now!
T, your blog is my new go to for design inspiration now that we’ve moved into our own place. I just ordered several fabric swatches from Tonic Living for the breakfast nook in our kitchen (roman shades and custom cushion for bench). Keep the fab content coming!
zia is my favorite. links is nice too. is tonic’s custom shade pricing comparable to what you’d find at places like pottery barn?
So, do you want to know which ones we like best or, would you rather we keep quiet? :-)))
Thrilled to hear this company is out of Toronto. We are adding an addition to our house and will definitely needs some window coverings, bedding etc. Thanks for the great heads up!! There is not much of a selection in the Kingsburg area and really hard to shop from Sao Paulo!! Loving your site Tessa!! Such fun to read and see what you are up too!
Yes, tell me what you think! Although us Canadians are known for our polite reserve, I didn’t think we’re known for our lack of opinion. 😉
I copied and pasted so I could look at the bedding together with the samples – my vote is links first and zia second………
I like either Zia or links! They both have a softness to them which connects well with the kind of soft, feminine print on the duvet. I also like that the blue is dark but not too dark, and a little bit muted. Can’t wait to see the finished product!
So great you share the actual source for these materials.