On Wednesday, September 21^st our class took a field trip to an upscale interior fabric retail store called All About Looks. The owner and her two daughters gave us a tour of the store and educated us on everything from fabrics to draperies, to upholstery and pillows. Their store carries an abundance of different fabrics from different companies and designers as well as drapery hardware, trim, buttons, tassels, and bedding.

            It all started when owner’s daughters started making burp cloths and other baby related items when they became pregnant. That “hobby” soon exploded into the business they have today. While none of them have a background in interior design, their business seems to be booming and successful. They have learned through trial and error over time, and now have ample knowledge on each service they offer and are always willing to try something new.

            The store can make just about anything that concerns fabric: pillows, custom bedding, window treatments, and much more. They even offer upholstery of furniture. The owner talked us through each aspect of the process they go through with each customer. Each job requires thought and creativity to solve problems and meet the high standards of the client. These are some of the skills that we as interior designers will need to have when working in the real world.

I took photographs of some of my favorite parts of the store….

This is a very unique product that they had on the upper windows in the main area of the store. These blinds block out the blistering sun throughout the day. Each blind is on a roller that is controlled by a remote control. With the touch of a button the blinds can be put up or down, even halfway. It wasn’t obvious how much sun they really blocked out until the owner demonstrated what the blinds did and the sun proceeded to blind us. This was the most practical choice for the store, for many different reasons. First, the old walls wouldn’t support heavy rods and draperies. Second, it provides flexibility and convenience when adjusting the amount of sun streaming in. Last, the blinds lower cooling costs by blocking the extreme heat of the sun.

This pillow that was on display in the store is made of cork. It was really surprising to find out that pillows could be made out of a material that is not stereotypically used in an application such as pillows.

This is a photograph of some of the drapery hardware the store offered.

This is the store’s specialty: fabric. There is an abundance of all sorts of fabrics for many different applications.

This is wallpaper. According to the store owner it is slowly coming back into style. I found this particular paper interesting because you can paint right over it so it can be any color you want.

I thoroughly enjoyed this field trip. All About Looks was an interior designer’s “dream.” It is encouraging to know that there are so many new and different options for interiors, and they are constantly evolving.  I look forward to this part of our job as interior designers, and am grateful for the helpful knowledge the store owner and workers shared with all of us.