Runners & Throws

Runners and throws are a perennial favorite because they help to underpin the grid structure within designs.

Runners and throws are an easy way of introducing a linear dimension to a room, particularly when used in home furnishing such as bedcovers and pillows.

Runners and throws can also contribute to textural or color contrasts within the design.

Runners are an excellent way of reflecting seasonal changes- a warm felt runner, for example, has a different character entirely to a summery one made from voile

Runners can be designed and sewn in an integral part of an item, such as a headboard or bedspread. Or they can be a length of portable material that you arrange over an item of furniture to achieve a certain effect, perhaps on a table or over the back of a chair. It depends whether you want the runner as a permanent feature, or one that can be changed according to mood, season and function.

Get the proportion right- both length and width. You can only do this by eye, but the secret is to achieve an effect whereby the runner is not so big that it dominates or so slim that it is barely noticeable.

Think about whether the runners should all follow the same direction, or whether you want to accentuate the grid by having horizontal and vertical ones in place.

If runners denote structure, throws do the opposite. They are free-flowing and organic; it is no coincidence that they have the name they do. Throws are great for shaking up spaces that are almost too perfect, too symmetrical. They gently smudge sharp lines and rigid geometry. You can use them draped, folded, flat or hung. As with everything else in the room, have an awareness of the textural shiver they create-such as Indian paisley draped over a masculine, leather chair, or a fur blanket brushing against a limestone floor.

Throws also create a natural bridge between interiors and fashion, because items such as vintage shawls make perfect additions to an interiors scheme, particularly if they are made of luxurious materials such as silk, taffeta or cashmere. Ninety-five percent of fabrics in a room should connect in some way to each other, but it is exciting to have something in the design that is unique.