"This season is sumptuous with a wealth of texture combined with a colour palette of Celadon blue, magenta, chocolate, emerald and black and white, " says Tricia Guild of Designers Guild.

"Silk satin, shimmering velvet and smooth brushed cotton provide an array of textures to feel passionate about and are wonderful to combine. Wallpaper continues to be an important trend with dynamic designs perfect for feature walls but also smaller scale, more subtle designs for all over room use."

The hues in the new season collections from Prestigious Textiles supplied to 400 retailers around the country by Kevin Dempsey Distributors, mirror the catwalk trends of monochromes, metallics and deep purples. Obsession, the latest range, is a taffeta fabric with printed metallic foils and damask pattern, clearly mimicking fashion trends.

Silver, gold and gold leaf in taffetas and velvets are adding sparkle to both traditional and contemporary interiors, Dempsey says. Flocks, meanwhile, continue to find favour.

In modern pads, ring- or tab-top curtains, Roman blinds or sliding panels suit. "A lot of fabrics come with a contrasting voile which perfectly suits apartments where you need screening rather than total privacy, " says Dempsey.

For those who like the lavish look of silk but don't have the shekels, Dempsey recommends going for some of the new ranges of embroidered polyesters. "They look fantastic at half the price."

Many of the new ranges of readymade curtains are not to be sniffed at either, Dempsey says. "Some can look very well; others can be terrible."

His general advice on curtain fabrics is to buy what you like and, regardless of how much you pay, to get them made up properly, with quality lining.

Inexpensive fabric can be winning when well made while costly designs can look dreadful when poorly put together.

As Elizabeth Wilhide observes in her book New Decor (Quadrille), textiles allow experimentation with pattern on a relatively affordable scale. Using a graphic pattern on a chair can work really well against a backdrop of strong wallpaper.

While many homeowners opt to purchase a new sofa rather than get an existing one reupholstered, it's worth getting those with good inner workings transformed with new fabric. Contrasts of style can be much more exciting than sticking to the same period, Wilhide notes. "Cover a traditional chair or sofa with a bold contemporary print to update the look; cover a modern chair or sofa with a vintage pattern."

If you're not confident with mixing patterns, Wilhide suggests starting small, with cushion covers, throws or similar details.

Whether it's big, small, geometric, floral, striped or spotty, you can mix a variety of patterns provided they all share some sort of basic affinity, such as colour or a theme.

Matching patterns is also back in vogue but it's not quite the three-piece suite scenario. It involves repeating the same design across many different elements from walls to window to upholstery and bedlinen for a full-on effect.

The approach, Wilhide says, creates a mood of intimacy and enclosure. However, as she points out, you've not only got to love pattern to take this option, you've got to absolutely adore the particular pattern you've selected, as you'll be seeing so much of it.

"When you're choosing designs and colourways, think about how you will use the room or area in question and what sort of atmosphere you want to create . . . restful or lively, full of movement or more sedate. Flowing designs have a gentle rhythm that is conducive to relaxation. Symmetrical or geometric designs are more formal and orderly, " says Wilhide.

Considering the amount of natural light in the space is also a must when using pattern on this scale. Ask for a sizeable sample of the fabric and move it around the room, assessing how it works both during the day and at night. A print featuring warm dark colours will make a space seem smaller while cool airy colours push back the walls.

De Gournay, which previewed its new 'Eclectic' collection at the recent 100% Design in London, offers an array of paper-backed fabrics that can be used as a few panels in an entrance hall, by a staircase, in a bathroom, treated with a glaze, or in a complete room.

Its 'Eclectic' designs, suitable for both wallpaper and fabric, are inspired by contemporary decorating trends. There is a mix of floral patterns, more quirky motifs such as palms and monkeys, alongside abstract designs with blurred blocks of colour inspired by Mark Rothko paintings.

DeGournay's 100% silk 'Damask' incorporates new colours to give a contemporary touch to traditional fabric and paperbacked wallpaper. The pineapple damask design in 28 shades spans black, jewel brights and neutrals.

The silk fabrics and wallpaper come in 44 hues.

Also available is slub silk wallcovering mounted on heavyweight paper for increased slick texture. The starting price for plain wallpapers is 66 per metre, excluding VAT, while you can expect to pay from 395 per panel, again excluding VAT, for handpainted wallpapers.

"The thing that we've been getting excited about is stretching fabric over walls, " says Dominic Evans-Freke, production director with de Gournay which deals with Irish clients which include the OPW, directly from its Chelsea showrooms.

"As well as being laminated with paper for use as wallpaper, all of our designs can be handpainted onto furnishing fabric for use in traditional upholstery and drapery or cotton laminated to be stretched over walls.

"All of our paperbacked designs can also be made on fabric with cotton backing. We're taking the mural designs that we are well-known for and painting them onto fabric to be stretched over the wall, " says Evans-Freke.

Gracing the walls of some upscale media rooms, a particular type of silk twill conceals equipment without muffling sound. It's an opulent cover up for anything from savvy storage to bad walls.

USEFUL CONTACTS
>> Kevin Dempsey Distibutors Block O, Ballymount Drive, Ballymount Road, Walkinstown, Dublin 12, 01-456 8280; www. prestigious. ie
>> Designers Guild www. designersguild. com
>> de Gournay 112 Old Church Street, London, 0044-20734 98333; www. degournay. com