Panels frame your view, not take it away

Before

 Here's a great example of why panels are so popular.  In the before photo, the room is almost finished:  furniture is in place, blinds are hung, and the little extras are placed around to make this living room feel cozy.  However, this tall wall with the vaulted ceiling looks stark and lonesome.  The white blinds look nice with the trim, but your eye just goes straight to the chairs.  Seems like a waste to have an tall ceiling and not take advantage of the space.

Proposal

 We used the photo for a rendering of our proposed window treatment:  tall panels fabricated in an ivory "linen-like" fabric, (thank you RM CoCo for your wonderful fabric, Allegro!), but with a slight sheen.  It would add a bit more of a dressed-up look but still could be stark without some detail.  The flat gimp/trim (from Trend) would be almost an architectural element, drawing the eye upward even more.  The design on the chocolate trim also has a slight sheen, and the colors really would compliment the furniture.  The hardware (from Orion) needs to be just weighty enough to not look wimpy, and the color was chosen to match the ceiling fan in the center of the room. 

Do you notice that we are actually just covering some of the drywall and outside trim?  Don't get paranoid that the trim will all be hidden!  There is plenty to be seen at the top and bottom of the large windows.  Now see the finished results:

After

The view from the entry is directly into the living room.  The focus isn't on the chairs anymore, but rather the entire space.  One quick look and you feel a sense of a larger space because the ivory drapery is already drawing your eye upward but not away.  There's nothing fussy about these panels.  The tailored pleats and dark trim give them an edge, and you immediately know it was all part of a plan!  Thanks to our clients for allowing us the chance to help make their new home such a personalized space. 

See us for your windows.  We will make sure they reflect your personality and style.

Updating a Dining Room

It was time to peel the wallpaper and take down the swags. This homeowner has been doing a total update of her home, room-by-room. If you read the posts last year on "How to dress a window", you got to see the new window treatment in the kitchen. Around the same time, we traded out teal roman shades for some woven wood shades in the living room. Now, it was the dining room's turn!

Here's the before: As was typical, the curtains were hung almost even with the top of the window frame. Not that it looked bad, but it certainly left the dining room feeling smaller and the ceiling a little shorter. Also hiding under the swags was a pleated shade which was needed for the strong sunlight the room receives in the afternoons.



Here's the after: We mounted the drapes as close to the ceiling as we could to help add height to the room. We won't need the pleated shade since the drapes are lined with a blackout lining and can easily be open and closed with the special rod/ring combo we used behind the first pleat of each panel. We are currently on the lookout for a new light fixture, and some new wall decor.


You really need to see the closeup to see the fabric. It is a new one from Trend Fabrics. You can see the pale blue stripe next to the dark gold dots. There is also a dark gold stripe between the lighter gold one you see peaking out between the pleats. Did you notice the header of the drapery is pleated to the pattern of the fabric? We have the custom workroom at RM CoCo to thank for that. Thanks to Cindy and Shannon, we got exactly what we requested! Also note that the pleats are double and not the typical triple finger pleats. This was done to ensure the panels would stack back very neatly and not become bulky. With the total width and the blackout lining, we wanted to make sure they would stack completely off the windows when opened and keep a neat, tailored appearance.


Here's a picture of the ring/rod combo we used:
The pin on the first pleat is placed in the eyelet below the ring and the wand is just behind the leading edge of the drapery panel. This combo is part of the Helser Brothers Drapery Hardware collection. We do rely on this company for many of our iron hardware selections. They are truly a custom company and are always bringing some of the newest ideas to the window treatment industry.

Next time you are in the store, notice all the displays with the iron rods: they are from Helser Brothers.