Dining Room Draperies provide added elegance

Our latest before and after has all the offerings of a classic dining room: a classic dark stained table and hutch, tone-on-tone upholstered dining chairs, a tone-on-tone wallpaper, great moldings, and a perfect traditional brass chandelier. The previous window treatment was a huge, white swag which had seen better days. After it's removal, the client called us to see if we could replace it with something similar. Our idea was much different than the swagged treatment (sorry, no pic). The addition of panels for a nice vertical line on each side of the window seemed to be just what the room needed. Here's the rendering we sent the client to explain what we were talking about:


The wide window and the pale walls really needed something to anchor the treatments and tie in the dark furnishings. We suggested a walnut color hardware with gold highlights. It would also blend the brass chandelier into the color scheme. This sounded good to the client, and now we were down to choosing a fabric. We suggested a pale fabric, but something with a vine type of pattern. We ordered three swatches to be sent to the client. Because of the strong sun, it was suggested to not use a silk fabric, but to use polyester (or a faux silk as they like to call them). This window does not have blinds, and looks out into a beautiful flower garden.

Here's the before picture on the day of installation:

Now you still notice the lovely furnishings and the beautiful view, but the hard edges of the dining room have been softened with the addition of the window treatment. Also, the vertical line obtained by adding panels helps balance the hutch on the adjacent wall.
The client chose the more colorful embroidered faux silk: the gold and red small floral buds and the green vines were just enough color to blend in the adjoining living room and add a little extra that can really be accented throughout the different seasons.

Here's the result:

We opted for two smaller rods and four finials for a little more punch and a little less rod! Another thing we did was to mix the wood hardware with iron hardware. We wanted the pale drapes to be the focal point, so we ordered the brackets and rings in iron. This made for smaller, skinnier rings, and lower profile brackets. This room just didn't need the heft of the wooden rings and brackets, and the panels were able to take center stage.

Here's a close-up of the hardware and pleats:

We do want to give credit to The Finial Company for the hardware, and Kasmir for the fabric and the great work from their workroom. We like to upgrade the lining to a premium quality for added fullness and structure. Note the nice rounded pleats it gives to these panels. As we tell our customers: the undergarments can really make a difference! If you need the support, you need to order the proper lining. Of course, the exceptions are for a lighter weight style of drapery---then it may be appropriate to use a less "weighty" lining. Yes, there is more to learn about window treatments than you thought!

Whether you need a bold focal point or just something to add to the elegance of your dining room, let MLI help you make your decision.