What Can I Do With Left Over Fabric?

Do you have odd yards of fabric left over from miscellaneous projects such as reupholstering, window treatments, bedding or even clothing? Well, those odd pieces of fabrics might not be as hard to make use out of as you think! We all deserve to get our money’s worth out of our purchases. If you already bought the fabric, chances are that you most likely love it. Let’s find creative uses for it in your home.

Throw Pillows

A very simple project for your leftover fabric is to make throw pillows. You do not need a lot of fabric to make the pillows look great; even two different corresponding fabrics on each side can work.

Just head over to your local fabric store and buy filling or pillow forms and you will soon have a cost effective new throw pillow. In my personal opinion you can never have too many throw pillows. Sofas can hold a lot and they don’t all have to match!

Make sure the colors, patterns and sizes go well together. Nothing says relaxation more than fluffy pillows! If you are an experienced sewer, try adding a decorative trim around the edges for an added touch of elegance.

Upholstered Seats

Do you have upholstered seats on your dining room chairs? Small pieces of fabric can be utilized here as well. The seats do not have to match. The patterns just have to coordinate with the room. For example, do you have six dining room chairs? Why not try upholstering the two end chairs in one fabric pattern and the other four in another?

Reupholstering dining rooms can be an easy do-it yourself project if the chair has a square or rectangle seat. Here are some simple instructions:

1. Start by unscrewing the seat from the frame.
2. Wrap the fabric on top of the existing seat.
3. Staple gun it on the bottom
4. Screw the seat back on the frame.

Yes, it is that simple. You are sure to impress your next dinner guests!

Window Valance

How about utilizing the odd fabric pieces for a window valance? Small, simple windows in bedrooms, hallways or laundry rooms sometimes need just a touch of color. This doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Here are another set of simple instructions:

1. Measure down from the top of the frame so that approximately the top third of the window is covered by the valance.
2. Tuck the sides of the fabric over.
3. Attach a white muslin fabric on the back
4. Sew on a rod pocket.

The valance rod that the fabric slips over is typically inexpensive and easy to install. For an added touch of elegance, try a decorative rod to accent the window.

What do you do with your leftover fabric? Any other suggestions?

Key Elements of Green Space Planning

Space planning is the act of deciphering solutions for a space based on client criteria and needs. During space planning, a designer will determine needed spaces, arrange the spaces as necessary to address flow of the space and also verify building codes – all at the same time!

Space planning is one of the most important rolls a designer can play – it is the basic step and most time intensive (can be at least) in order to finish selection and furniture planning of the space. When a designer is addressing space planning, they sometimes get to start from scratch. Other times they have to begin from an existing space that has obstacles like existing walls. But what are the challenges and added criteria when trying to plan green??

1. Use your walls – One of the greatest elements of green design is to use what you have. So if there are dividing walls in a space then why not use them to their greatest potential. When thinking green, you want to avoid using new materials when not needed. By using rooms and walls that are in existance you are not using any more virgin materials. And that is the key – what you are NOT using from scratch to make new.
2. Think about daylighting – Natural daylight needs to travel throughout a positive green interior. The use of daylighting does not only reduce the dependence on artificial light, and therefore reduce energy consumption, but it also saves money, increases employee productivity and allows space inhabitants to have a connection with the outdoor environment. All this from something that is free. You just have to plan for it.
3. Plan the height – 42” is a general standard of measure that is used in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and at this measurement, the inhabitants of a space can have clear view (meaning a view to the outdoors). If you can plan for this height you can once again increase productivity and make the office a more friendly work environment. Keep in mind that for LEED purposes you can have a clear line of site, including through levels of glazing or interior glass partitions.
4. Plan away from the windows – Be sure to save the aisle for next to the exterior – if you can place the offices and conference rooms toward the interior and the individual work stations on the exterior, all the planning for the above elements will be easier!

So these are just a few ways to plan smart and plan green! How is your office set up? Does it fit in with green design?

Impacting Rooms With Window Treatments

Whatever your design style is, window treatments and wall coverings can form the decorative framing for the rest of your scheme or palette. You may prefer to have white walls, or maybe you are afraid of color that “drowns” the room that way. Could it be that you are trying to create a clean, uncluttered, contemporary space and you just don’t know what to do with your windows? Here is a brief summary of how I help my clients decide on the style of window treatment to choose from:

Think Practical: Window treatments can monitor light filtration, save energy, and operate as a privacy feature. For example, cold rooms that may have old windows could be quickly fixed by adding a honeycomb shade or a heavy weight curtain. I often have a client who really appreciates the classic and timeless style of a shutter treatment too! If you can tolerate the sun and maybe a small draft, I recommend a cafe style shutter which sort of acts like a top down bottom up roller shade, allowing privacy on the lower portion of the windows but allowing light in from above. If you have a view that you don’t want to block entirely, this may also serve you well. For bedrooms, this also acts a s a great privacy, but it may require full treatment rather than cafe to maximize your privacy.

Think of the Ambiance: Decide on how you want the room to make you feel. Then decide on whether or not your windows are where you would like to draw attention too. Is it an older home and are your windows not the most desirable thing to look at? Are they uneven? Perhaps you can dress your windows with panels mounted to correct the misshapen window, acting as a camouflage. Decking out your windows in a gorgeous floor to ceiling silk, fine tapestry, or sheer that flows and puddles to the floor will add instant elegance, character and flair to your room design. There are so many beautiful embroidered sheers, some traditional and others that, believe it or not, really cater to modern design. Think of Robert Allen, JAB and Stroheim and Roman to name a few. Their sheer books are phenominal! Full of texture and elegance…sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Think Architecture: Extend the window treatments beyond the bounds of small windows to make them look taller or wider. Raise the illusion of a low ceiling by mounting the window treatments just below your crown molding. Treat a non-descript portion of a wall by widening your fabric widths and “blanket” the wall, giving the illusion of a longer, extended window behind it.

Think Creatively, think of possibilities, and know that a window treatment could be your room’s greatest asset!

Coastal Design

Coastal design can bring the feeling of summer home all year – even when you’re miles from a beach. The light and airy look creates a peaceful environment, perfect for both relaxation or comfortable productivity. Coastal design has been around for many years. While the trend evolves and changes slightly over time, for the most part it stays along the same idea. One color scheme many of us are familiar with is the typical blues and whites. But lately there has been many other color schemes coming into fashion!

One of these color schemes might be light greens and yellows. A great way to start with this is to use floral artwork prints. For an ocean feeling interior, you may want to bring in the colors on your upholstery and add pops of color to the throw pillows, such as palm leaves.

Painting your walls a light green or yellow can be a very relaxing and pleasant feeling. Might I suggest Sherwin Williams SW 6415, Hearts of Palms? For those who are going for a cottage theme because they live on the lake, may I suggest light green painted wood? Pair that with a beige linen sofa, colored throw pillows, some lakeside prints and you are on the right track!

Coral is another great option. Coral is well-paired with white, light blue or light green. A beautiful white or beige linen sofa will pop any coral used on the throw pillows nicely. Finding some actual artwork prints with coral on them would be a great way to incorporate the color throughout the room.

Complete the look with accessories. Taking a glass bowl or ceramic charger and filling it with sea shells you find on the beach is one inexpensive way to personalize the theme! For the all of the northerner’s out there, the same could be used with stones.

Remember to keep the windows light and airy; we do not want to distract from that beautiful view you are paying for! Plantation shutters, white painted wood blinds, or light linen shades might be the perfect solution for your windows.

Finally add the sail boat accessories, rope accessory balls, and a light summer floral for all the perfect finishing touches on your new coastal room!

How do you feel about coastal design – love or hate? Send in photos of your own designs!

Easy Window Treatment Tips That Don’t Break the Bank

You don’t have to spend bookoos of dollars on window treatment design to get the point across. I give points for creativity! Expect that having a window treatment designed, installed along with the fabric selection, can run anywhere from $700-$1500 or more per average size window. Sometimes that kind of spending doesn’t exist when you just completed a full room makeover. I know that the thought of “improvising” for a window after you just invested so much time, effort and expense on the rest of the room may seem disheartening, but if you think creatively I am sure that you can come up with something that will suffice until the bank account is replenished.

Here are some instant tips to quickly improve the look of your windows:

Toss it on! Take an old vintage bedspread or a tablecloth and drape it over a store bought drapery rod for a draped one-sided panel effect. Then pin it back about half way down from the sash line. Maybe embellish a “window waistline” with a ribbon or tie and bravo! You just created a window treatment!

Think Linen! Grab a handful of your grandmothers tea napkins that you will never think to pull out, iron and use. And GIVE THEM A PURPOSE other than sitting in a drawer in the buffet. If you are hesitant to stitch them together, just use tiny little safety pins. Turn them on their side and fold down the center point to make a triangle, tack a row of them together and you have created an instant kitchen valance! (OR if you really get going and have several patterns and colors, it would make a great bed skirt on a little girl’s bed!)

Customize Store Bought…just for you! Window treatments don’t have to look store bought. Take a plain panel that you picked up at a department store and dress it up! Stop into a fabric store and find a tassel trim (often I find that onion tassel looks the best for any decor). Grab a sewing machine or hand stitch a full row on the leading edge of the panel facing the inside area of the window. An inexpensive embellishment that really makes your window looks custom!

Key tips that I always follow – why bother if it doesn’t add either drama, elegance, purpose, or beauty? Make sure that it is worth your time; use lots of beefy fabric, gather, gather, gather! Don’t forget the steamer! There is nothing worse than a large wrinkled- unfinished window treatment. You may as well have done nothing at all!

What are some of the do-it-yourself projects you’ve done to add a personal touch to your home?

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?

EMBELLISH AND BE BOLD…With Your Window Treatments!

As time goes on, I am noticing that there are less and less places to find good furnishings for your home. It seems like each home I walk into, I can recognize a newly purchased piece of furniture because…guess what? Their neighbor or friend has the exact same thing! We are entering a world where “big box” stores are defining our homes. So when I bring up the topic of “Formal Window Treatments,” I am thinking that I have to really add a custom splash in a room to define it. Otherwise it may look just like everyone elses.

Let your window treatments be the first thing to deliver a sense of uniqueness by making sure that they declare “DRAMA” in your room. Remember that if you are putting forth this much effort in designing something spectacular, I highly recommend that there is balance and creativity found elsewhere in the room. If it is found in a great piece of art, that adds richness or a pop of color in your paint selection…something strong needs to happen to balance the play that the windows will have on the room.

Even the most casual and inexpensive fabric can be draped and shaped into a formal drapery. It is a matter of tailoring the windows, giving them structure and attitude. Fabrics with a sheen like silk or a taffeta or something that is made to look like silk can clearly portray a formal look without much help, sort of like the pretty girl in the magazine who magically wakes up beautiful!

Generally speaking, if you are after a formal look, there is something to say for symmetry. Adding swags, jabots, valances, fringe, or tassels should all be done in rhythm, balance and in pairs or triples. (I usually try to add a third of something somewhere always, just to play on the rule of thirds).

Pay attention to the details – big bold fringe, rope detail, beaded trims all dress up and accessorize, just like the perfect necklace and shoes to throw off an otherwise boring black dress. I am not saying that all of these embellishments need to be traditional; this can be a very modern thing to do too. Try a grommet punched leading edge – something that was once used for hardware now becomes your decorative accessory! Be daring, be bold! And EMBELLISH!

How do you add drama into your home (and not the kind between people)?

Plantation Shutters: The Hard Window Treatment

Plantation shutters have been admired in homes for several hundreds of years. This is actually one of the first window treatment design solutions ever. Original to the south and breezy homes of the Caribbean, plantation shutters now complement even today’s more contemporary upscale homes, when selecting larger louvers…

Louvers you say? Here is a simple diagram to give you a 101 course in the components of a shutter. As early as the 1700’s plantation shutters were appreciated for their ability to block the direct heat of the sun while still allowing in the cooling breezes. In my client’s homes now, we sometimes struggle with creating a clean, uniform look without the fuss of a soft window treatment. Sometimes it is strictly a result of wanting to maintain temperature inside the home. They often act as a great insulator to drafty windows. With the high standards set long ago, the plantation shutter has been able to transcend its original setting and lend beauty and ambiance and style to many homes today.

Taking a look deeper into the construction of shutters, here are some thoughts that may sell you on the solution for your own home:

• With each louver forming a perfect line, one after the other, the all-wood, custom plantation shutter provides a room with a unique combination of form and function, a beautiful design either completely open or closed. But when slighted tilted, the true beauty of the plantation shutter lies in its ability to blend the elements of the inside of your home with the outdoors without neglecting their task as privacy filtrates.

• Each louver reflects light at different angles in the room and offers a nice warm glow throughout your room. In today’s fast-paced, pressure-filled world, everyone appreciates an escape from the tension of everyday life. As more of today’s homes are designed to benefit from and embracing natural light with large windows that you are sometimes left puzzled with how to make them function in your home and lifestyle.

• Plantation shutters are now more appealing than ever to the old home suffering from heat loss in the winter and cool air in the summer- to contemporary homes that need to find a clean sleek definition for the windows. Plantation shutters are a great money saver over time. They save energy in winter and in summers. They slow the loss of heat through the glass in winter. Keep shutter window coverings open on sunny days to let the sun’s warmth in and close them at night to insulate against cold, outside temperatures. In summer, energy savings result in keeping hot air out, reducing air conditioning bills.

Losing heat through windows and doors represents a significant chunk of most heating bills. Some sources estimate that loss through windows alone could account for up to 35 percent of heating bills. The upfront cost of a shutter may seem high – look to spend somewhere between $300-$600 per average size window. You can also consider man made shutters (painted in many stocked shades of white), which is much more cost effective than natural wood and they have a tendency to be warp resistant. When you start to think about what it can do for you over time, they pay for themselves!

Here are a few things to do around your home that can help you decide if you are a candidate for shutters.

Energy Efficiency Tips

■ Check around windows and doors with a candle or a light piece of thread on a windy day to determine where drafts are. This will reveal problem areas in need of immediate attention.

■ Remove and replace damaged caulk and weather-stripping. Self-stick foam and rolled rubber weather-stripping are easy to install and can contribute greatly to your home’s efficiency.

■ An inexpensive method of weatherizing windows involves attaching thin, clear plastic film to the window trim inside of the house using two-sided tape. The film is then stretched taut using heat from a blow dryer to remove wrinkles and creases.

■ Decorate your windows with efficiency – closed shutters, window shades, blinds, curtains and lined draperies. All contribute to energy savings by helping to insulate windows.

■ For a long-range solution, consider installing efficient replacement windows, or storm windows and doors…OR TRY SHUTTERS!

How have you made your house into an energy-efficient home?

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?

Have you Considered How Daylight Can Help You?

Are you looking for a new home or office? Have you taken into consideration how daylight can help you in your space? It may be more important than you realize. First of all, it provides a connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces for the occupants. Secondly, it has been proven to increase occupant productivity and comfort which can lead to increased production and better retention. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building rating system believes that daylighting is so important that up to two credits can be earned for proper achievement.

So are you convinced you want to look for a space with daylighting yet? Remember to take the building orientation, size of openings, floorplan, courtyards, atriums, clerestory windows and/or skylights into consideration. Also, the buildings and trees next to yours can help or hurt your ability to achieve proper daylighting.

If daylighting has been implemented correctly, it has been estimated to help reduce the need for interior electric lighting energy by 50% – 80%! Talk about saving money! But be careful because if it is not designed properly, there can actually be heat gain or loss and that may end up costing more in the long run. Hiring a professional architect or engineer can help make sure you are getting the best design for your space.

One other way to control the interior electrical lighting energy would be through daylighting controls installed in your space. This automatically turns the lights on and off depending on the lighting levels needed for you space. These are great if you live in an area where the weather is unpredictable!

Other problems that could occur if not designed correctly would be glare and visual quality. Ways to reduce unwanted glare would be through interior light shelves, louvers, blinds, fins and shades. Each window needs to be looked at to determine the best glare control. Exterior controls can also help reduce glare, including exterior shading devices and etched or fritted patterns on the glass. This will help prevent the occasional bird flying into your large window also.

And let’s face it, nothing makes you jump more than an unexpected boom behind your head coming from the window!

Finally, remember to look at the interior elements in your space that may enhance the occupant’s thermal and visual comfort. This includes furniture arrangement, wall partitions, surface colors and textures. An interior designer would be a great person to help guide on this.

Enjoy the sunshine in your space!

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