It's a wrap: Trimmings personalize design style

Colorful trimmings are a beautiful accent in any room and personalize a home. Photo: Brunschwig & Fils.

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• August 2, 2014

They are pretty and colorful. Beads, tassels, glass, feathers, shells, wood, metallic threads, metal chain, leather, ribbon, jute and almost anything that you would want. Trimmings...they are the bling of design. The finishing details for a decorating project. The embellishments that personalize and make your interior design unique.

And as a Fort Myers interior decorator, I can tell you that trims are a hot home accessory right now. A gorgeous accent for any room, they are like adding a beautiful piece of jewelry to an article of clothing.

Beaded tiebacks add a designer touch to draperies. Photo: Kravet.

When shopping for fabric for my clients, it never fails. I always end up going through the trimmings. They are inspiring and give me great ideas for new projects. And some uses may surprise you. They are easy to do and can add just the perfect, custom-made touch for minimum effort.

Amy Jimenez, manager of the Kravet showroom at Miromar Design Center in Estero, says that embellishing through the use of passementerie, the French word for trimmings, can be a fabulous way to turn your project from ordinary to extraordinary and adds the finishing touch to a skillfully designed interior.

"Trimming comes in a variety of sizes and styles including cording, gimp, brushed fringe, beaded trim, flat tape, tassel fringe, and bullion, just to name a few, and can be used for both decorative and functional purposes. Modern day passementeries are being made with a diverse selection of materials besides fabric and Kravet's trade-only showroom has an extensive collection of the latest, in-vogue trim collections for designers to source for their clients."

Change the look of a sofa and the entire room with multiple applications of fabric.  Photo: Kravet

And that's just the beginning of the many ways to use these beautiful trims. Check out a few of these ideas and the next time you are shopping for fabric, spend some time going through the trimmings for decorating inspiration!

• Trim the edges of store-bought drapery panels with a beaded trim or flat, wide tape to give them a custom look.

• Use flat tape and other trims to accent a cornice.

• Decorative accent for lampshades.

• Select feathers, woods, shells or beads to enhance a throw pillow.

Beaded tapes, cords and fringes and tapes accent pillows and furnishings. Photo: Kravet.

• Use a trim tape to trim a table runner, placemats and napkins.

• One of my favorites for a small powder room: an exotic trim tape for a border.

• Customize bedding with flat trim on the edges of skirts, sheets and pillow cases.

• Add fringe to a comforter or duvet cover.

Lindi fringed duvet cover from Anthropologie. Photo: Anthropologie.com.

• Pom pom trims are so popular right now that we see them on everything from pillows to shower curtains to throws. And for something fun and trendy without spending a fortune...pom pom a scarf!

Tory Burch pom pom trimmed scarf. Photo: Tory Burch.com.

• Select a pretty trim in an accent color and use it around the edge of dining room chairs.

• Use trims to enhance mirrors and photo frames.

• Jazz up a plain shade with an accent border around the edges and for the top valance.

• Embellish a table cloth with trim by wrapping it around the edge of the table.

• Cover a plain bulletin board with your favorite fabric and trim it in something beautiful and it comes a perfect inspiration board for your favorite decorating ideas, photos and fabric/paint swatches.

• Wrap small presents in trims for a memorable gift!

• As an accent in any room, pickup a few of your favorite, colorful trims on sale and fill a large, clear jar or vase.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator. Home Inspirations appears the first Saturday of each month. Visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 949-1808 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog