Behind the Design: Sheer Fabrics
When you want to dress windows in a fresh, breezy way, our modern sheers are a natural choice. The lightweight fabric softly filters and tints the light in a special, ethereal way.
“There’s something about the finished look that makes me think of clouds—fluffy in the air or weighted closer to the ground on foggy mornings,” says Rebecca. “I love to see how a pattern changes when it’s printed on a sheer. It can make a pattern feel softer, like a memory or a dream.”
We offer two different types of sheer fabric, printed and embroidered:
Our printed sheers, on pure linen, come to life when light animates the patterns. Leafy Vines, for example, is inspired by the trees outside Rebecca’s living room window in Charleston. She designed it to recreate the magical-looking, shifting shadows they cast on the walls inside.
Our embroidered sheers, on a cotton-linen blend, feature thread that contrasts with the colored grounds. In creamy white, the embroidered lines recall wisps of clouds or the skyline; in deep blue-black or taupe, they resemble climbing vines at night or the outlines of sand dunes.
The way color behaves on sheer fabric is one of the reasons Rebecca loves it. “They allow you to paint a room in softly colored light,” she says. In green, they convince you that lush foliage is right outside. Golden yellow feels as radiant and warming as the summer sun. Moody navy sets a dusky, romantic atmosphere. The effect changes and shifts throughout the day, connecting your home’s interior to what’s happening outside and creating a natural sense of harmony.
Sheers are great in warm climates and for calming bedrooms, but they’re more versatile than you might think. A sheer fabric can make billowy drapes or have a bit of structure as a Roman shade. Doubled up with a second sheer layer, you can get a slightly more opaque but still filtered effect, a weightier drape, and more volume. Sheers also make wonderful lampshades, and that’s just the beginning of what they can do.
In her own home, Rebecca has used two of our sheers in three ways so far, lining all of them with a second sheer layer “to give them bounciness and volume,” she says. She used Leafy Vines for café curtains that “feel easy and light.” She chose Roman shades and curtains in Notched Vines for her own bedroom because it “has personality versus being too simple,” she says. “One side is a big wall of windows, and curtains made more sense. They give really beautiful height,” she adds. “It felt more practical to have Roman shades on the sides of the bed. I liked that it was a little cleaner and wouldn’t conflict with the furniture.”
We’re excited to expand our selection of printed and embroidered sheers. Please let us know what you think about our current patterns and colors and new ones you’d like to see by emailing sales@rebeccaatwood.com. Are there motifs or color stories you’re looking for? We love to hear from you.
-Written by Elyse Moody
