Dramatic Drapes – What is Your Reasoning for Your Needed Space Accessories?

I think most people see windows and natural day lighting as a big plus to a space. But if you do not take the time to dress that investment you are missing out of what the space can stand for. In addition, adding a great window treatment provides many positive attributes including (but not limited to):

Beauty and Depth

• No matter how drama or simplicity you want your treatments to bring into your space, it is important to think about their aesthetic impact on the space. A simple straight sheer treatment has a very different impact than a heavy sweeping velvet curtain – but each serves a fitting aesthetic purpose and send a visual message about the space. I like to think of window treatments as the frosting on the cake – you need the frosting, but what do you want to say about the cake through this outer layer? It’s a question of form vs. function – but why not both?

Controlled Light Pollution

• The amount of “light trespass” your home and/or office releases has a direct impact of night sky visibility – this is a growing concern in the eco-driven design community. Lack of night sky visibility, especially in urban settings, can cause a disconnect from humans to the capacity of the Earth at large – not to mention it is just a waste of energy!

Controlled Natural Daylight

• Opposite of the above bullet point – this can be achieved through blinds, drapes, sheers, layered curtains. By controlling the amount of light coming into the space, you can compete with glare – other than that, I am not sure why you would want to block it out!

Privacy

• We all have seen into a house or apartment when it’s dark outside and light inside – it can be like living in a fishbowl! By adding privacy, you do not have to think of this as blocking your view. Think about “half window treatments,” where half of the window vertically remains uncovered so just the lower half is private from view. You can also purchase reverse opening blinds so they can open from the top or the bottom! This can be compared to the purposes of tapestries in castles – they can balance heat and conserve overall heat production, plus look great at the same time.

So what is your window treatment reasoning? What purpose do they serve for you in your space?

Relax…It’s Just a Window

If you are after a casual approach and really think that window treatments are all too fussy….try this alternative!

Consider it fun, fuss free, and mostly affordable. Unlike a formal window treatment, fabric isn’t essential in the design that defines the casual look.

Make sure that your fabrics are durable. Often times when I hear that people are designing a “casual” room it generally means that there may be a stampede of children nearby ready to destruct..so why have anything nice? Right? On the contrary; if you make sure that your furnishings and fabric selections are durable, stain resistant. Sunbrella is my favorite – great for indoor and outdoor use. This line has branched out and offers quite the array of colors and pattern options!

For your window treatments, if selecting a simple gauzy sheer cotton, make sure it has scotch guard woven in the fabric, or that you have it treated by a seamstress, a good dry cleaner, or a re-upholstery shop to name a few places. I love the idea of a sailcloth-weight fabric that is almost raw-canvas-like in color. This drapes beautifully, and really caters to a casual feel.

Another great solution for a casual room is simply selecting a shutter, shade or blind. Even though they come in different styles, sizes and materials, they all fit the same practical role. They give your windows a “smart” look and you can easily control light, privacy and use them as a base to add an unreachable valance for a simple embellishment. You can also give the window some shape and balance by introducing a fun fabric and having it constructed into a roman shade; relaxed, pleated, balloon…you name it! Roman shade looks are endless!

In a casual setting it is important to improvise anywhere possible to give the room personality. Even though your style may be casual, remember that you can still welcome color, pattern, and fun hardware that you may have found at a neat little antique shop. Use some vintage door knobs of different sizes and shapes. Balance a rod across them and drape in between with fabric. Something that people will remember – it is against all rules, and it is lovely! Take chances! What is the worst thing that could happen?

What are some alternative ways you have taken to sprucing up your windows?

You Want the Cornice How Big??

Hate the look of curtain rods? My solution has been to put a cornice over them. The cornice can be more architectural or a fabric covered box. When you use a panel of fabric that hangs over the rods, it is called a valance. I prefer a padded cornice that has simple lines with plain fabric. As our home is an eclectic blend of antiques, comfy (which defies description) and modern, my first foray into cornices was going to be simple.

We have 22’ window on the south side of our home. I did not want drapes. I just wanted a detail element on that wall that hid my honeycomb shades. Ever talk to someone about building a 22’ long cornice? They sort of snicker at you, if not outright laugh. I priced a custom-made cornice, hold on…$3.00 to $7.50 per inch. Yep, per inch (22 x 12 = 264 inches x $5.00 = $1,350.00).

So, how hard could it be? Once again my husband and I set about to figure out how to build a cornice. We drew out the length and then determined how far it needed to project from the wall and how we wanted the face to look.

We made our cornice out of pine planks to give it the stability we needed. Once the pieces were cut, we screwed the returns to the face and for added measure added metal L brackets on the inside. We also used these to connect the recessed top to the face and sides.

The fabric we chose matched our wall cover and we laid it face-side down on the floor. We then put our padding on top and set the face of our cornice on that. We now had a sandwich!

I don’t like to cut the fabric until everything is stapled on, so I set the top near the edge of the fabric, leaving about 2-3”. I began in the center top and stapled. I then pulled the fabric towards the edges and stapled every 2”. I only moved 6” in one direction and then moved from the center in the other direction. This keeps the fabric taunt on the cornice for a smooth finish.

If your fabric has a pattern, you will want to roll the cornice up and check to make sure the pattern does not become skewed. Once the top was completed, I repeated the process for the lower edge, making sure that it stayed tight.

Once the top and bottom are done, I then pulled the sides and staple them. It’s just like wrapping a present – you want the paper to be tight against the sides of your gift, so you should have a nice snug fit. I then used a box cutter with a sharp blade and cut the fabric, leaving about 2” beyond the staples.

We placed metal L brackets across the recessed top and sides and then we invited a couple of friends over so we could get this bad boy placed on the wall. We drew a line where the horizontal board would go with a level and up it went. A few screws later and it was attached to the wall.

Have you ever built a cornice? What type did you build, fabric or wood? Do you prefer cornices, curtain rods or something else?