Q. What are some suggestions for a room with low ceilings?

A. Vertical stripes help visually raise low ceilings. Use them for floor length drapery panels or for wallpaper. Wallpaper borders also help give the appearance of a higher ceiling.

Q. What can be done to enlarge the appearance of a small room?

A. I recommend two very different approaches:

Use one fabric or the match fabric and wallpaper. Cover everything in it. This is a very attractive and charming look. Toiles or another fabric that you love work well.

Use one very dramatic piece of furniture as a focal point and build the room around it.

A unique sofa or a special headboard and canopy for a bedroom are suggestions.

Q. I have an old sofa which can be reupholstered but I don't like the arms on it. Can they be reworked?

A. Yes, many sofa arms can be changed when you reupholster them. For instance, a bulky rounded arm can be changed to a narrow straight arm. Discuss this with your upholsterer so that the new arm will work with the body of the sofa. Make sure to check out our selection of furniture fabric.

Q. How do I pick a paint color based on a fabric?

A. Select a dominant color or an accent color from the fabric and find the exact paint color. From that, pick a few colors that are lighter or a slight variation on the original color. I used a beautiful yellow fabric for a client's living room but the perfect paint color had too much green in it. I selected a similar lighter color without the green cast.

Test the paint color: Buy small paint cans and paint two coats on a 2' square patch on a primed wall or buy oak tag and paint it. Tape it to your wall with blue painters tape. Look at the colors at different times of the day. Live with the colors for a few days before making a decision. Remember that a paint color appears darker when the room is painted.

Q. How do I get my drapery to look lush and full.

A. I always use interlining, a flannel material, that is inserted between the front and lining fabric. This gives the drapery body and helps it drape better. For living rooms and dining rooms, I recommend the medium weight and for bedrooms, the lighter weight.

Q. I know that silk is a delicate fabric. How do I protect it?

A. Silk is one of my favorite fabrics and I use it frequently for my clients. Silk needs to be protected from sunlight. Drapery must be lined. It's best to use a tinted shade during the sunniest part of the day to protect upholstery and pillows.

Q. How do I protect my upholstery fabrics from soiling.

A. Some fabrics come with a protective finish such as Teflon. For those that do not have this, we recommend using FIBERSEAL. For a small fee, we will send your fabrics to this company with whom we have worked for fifteen years, and they will add the protective coating. They will send your fabric to your shipping address for your workroom or your home.