All about Looks

Kristen Shepard

All About Looks

           

Recently, my Interior Materials class visited this cute store located in the depot district of Lubbock, TX. It is called “All About Looks” and is run by a mother-daughter team. Nancy and her two daughters, Lindsey and Paige, have managed to set up Lubbock’s only upscale, full service, interior fabric retail store. Although none of these ladies are certified designers, they each have unique skills and tons of creativity to get the job done. The two daughters grew up in fabric stores with their mother, who would decorate the houses that her husband built. Nancy has always had a knack for design and decided to use the help of her daughters to set up shop.

            All About Looks is stocked full of one of a kind fabrics, wallpapers, furniture, trim, rugs and hardware. They offer full workroom services and provide on-site upholstery. They have a specialist who does all of their custom upholstery. Custom bedding, drapes, and slipcovers are offered as well. The showroom is full unique fabrics we got to pass around as the women told us about current trends in design. They explained some of the most popular fabrics are linen, polyester, mohair, cork and even burlap. They have this awesome pillow completely upholstered in a cork fabric! A very popular trend today is reusing materials, such as old tarps, to create usable fabric. We learned about buying natural animal hides and that you cannot buy it by the yard. You have to purchase the entire hide and discard what is not usable.

            One of the most interesting parts of the trip was going to the back of the store where the custom upholsterer, Bobby, works. Nancy ranted and raved of his amazing skills and that the art of upholstering is a dying art. He can make anything unusable into a beautiful long lasting piece of furniture. He talked about making small changes to completely transform anything. We learned that newer furniture that is mass produced isn’t as good of quality as older furniture. Old furniture is normally heavier and sturdier. However, he also told us of some of the old methods of stuffing furniture. He said he has found random things in cushions and chairs such as: dead leaves, newspaper and even hair. He advised us to never throw away our grandmother’s “ugly” furniture because it can always be transformed into something completely new.

            The trip to All About Looks was fun and interesting. The people who work at the shop are so friendly and very talented. I would recommend going to take a look at the showroom to friends and designers seeking a valuable experience.