The Wonderful World of Trimmings — Lisa G Interior Design

Borders and Gimps and Fringes… Oh, my!

Trimmings are such a versatile design element, and something that gets all of us in our office excited to get designing! Everyone knows the saying, “It’s all in the details.” Well, we also subscribe to designer Charles Eames’ notion, “The details are not the details – they make the design.” Trimming has come a long way since his heyday, with traditional trims being cut and made out of larger pieces of basic fabric and offering only solid color contrast. Now, trim enhancements can include borders, braids, tassels, fringes, gimp, and more. In today’s wonderful world of trimmings, we have access to exquisite trims made from silk, wool, wood, grasses, beads and beyond. We are always looking for ways to add layers of interest, color and texture to a space, and more often than not, trim fits the bill.

Here are some ways trim can be used:

Window Treatments
Pillows
Upholstery and Cushions
Tablecloths
Bed Skirts
Lamp Shades

Window Treatments

On drapery, we often use trim on the lead edge, or the inside vertical edges of two separate drapery panels that touch one another when closed. This changes the look of the window treatment from top to bottom. We tend to pair patterned or textured trim with solid colored drapes, while drapes made of patterned fabric can be enhanced with solid color trims.

Below is a contemporary Lisa Gielincki Interior Design project where we wanted to use a solid fabric to work with the client’s existing dining chairs, while enhancing the drapery and also coordinate with the gold in the art, light fixtures and table legs.

For roman shades, trim is often placed only along the bottom or can be used to frame the outside, as shown in the living room below, where the trim also works to tie in with other elements of the room such as the pillow in a coordinating fabric.

Pillows

Decorative pillows with thoughtfully placed trim can transform a room and can be one of the most effective ways to appropriately complete a space. Below, we added bold trim to a solid fabric to join together two other fabrics being used in a living room project.

Designer: Lisa Gielincki Interior Design • Photographer: Jessie Preza

In this living room, trim was added to daybed pillows to marry the accent color with the main neutral used throughout.

Here, multiple elegant trims were combined to not only coordinate with the upholstery trim, but to create a completely custom designed pillow with layers of interest.

Samuel and Sons • Sloane Collection • Velvet Borders

Upholstery and Cushions

Adding trim directly onto upholstery completely changes the look of an otherwise basic bench or sofa. It also provides an opportunity to repeat the element in other areas of the room.

Travers • Passementerie Collection • Emily Embroidered Tape

Tablecloths

While we don’t recommend placing trim on a table surface that is used for dining, adding interest along the edges or along the pleats of a table cloth is a beautiful way to enhance a special spot in a foyer, for example.

Travers • Passementerie Collection • Lilly Lattice Tape

Bed Skirts

Often, our clients opt for all white bedding that gives that sense of hotel luxury while allowing for easy laundering with bleach. Even with all white bedding, the addition of pillows and a delicately detailed bed skirt can make the room feel custom.

Samuel and Sons • Shangri-La Collection • China Cloud Embroidered Border

Lamp Shades

An easy way to dress up an otherwise straightforward bedside accessory.

Samuel and Sons • Le Soir Collection • Ikat Border

Trim as the Ultimate Design Assistant

We also use trim to solve design hurdles and make items work together that otherwise would not.

Often, we are tasked with using clients’ existing pieces. Heirloom oriental rugs, for example, with dark coloring and often busy patterns, can be kept while otherwise updating a space with mostly solids, where trims act to marry the elements.

Or say the client recently got a new sofa, an investment that they are not ready to part with, but then decided the room needed more work. Large items such as a sofa, even in a color that may have previously committed you to a certain design scheme, can be reimagined with the help of trimmed pillows.

In this kitchen, trim was used to join two solid fabrics, while bridging the gold in the tile with the silver of the fixtures and appliances, and filling a space that would otherwise be too plain against the backsplash.

Designer: Taylor Brislawn • Photographer: MicMar Photography

We have also encountered projects where the clients have requested specific colors – maybe a child’s room, a sports team themed den, or a corporate office where we are using the company logo as design inspiration. In these cases, finding fabrics that include both or all of the requested colors can sometimes be a challenge, but trim can help.

Finally, trim can be a money saver. Though labor costs are higher when trim is involved, and trim itself varies largely in price, we can make budget conscious fabrics go a long way with the addition of trim, saving on overall fabric costs while still successfully customizing a space.

Fit for a variety of applications, trim opens up a world of endless possibilities in interior design. Few other things will provide the impact that a fabulous trim will.

With a little creativity and access to a talented workroom, the wonderful world of trimmings can be yours.

Visit our portfolio for further inspiration, or contact us today to help with your window treatment or interior design project.