Home Fashion Forecast Summer 2011

Hunter Douglas Palm Beach Shutter

I recently ran across the "Home Fashion Forecast" summer edition.  This magazine is published for the design professional and is full of advertisements to show the newest home furnishings, accessories, lighting, area rugs, etc.   The magazine can be looked at on line which is interesting.  Their "Season's picks:  Well tailored sofas, royal accents, eco-friendly wallpapers, "wood" table lamps, mirrored accents and an ode to the circle."  It's been awhile but the antiqued mirrored accents of the 1970's are back. YUCK!  They're calling  the style "traditional refreshed".  Bold blue is back too along with florals that remind me of the early 1960's...never expected to see the old daisy pattern again, yet here it is.  (Spent the better part of the morning today looking at one well-known fabric supplier's website trying to research a project I've been working on and there they were...the daisies that is...once again.)  Traditional furniture is now painted unexpected colors to liven the mix of modern and traditional furnishings.  There are also a lot of bold pinks and orange colors that go nicely with the blues.

They say if you live long enough you'll see the same things again and again.  To me this "traditional refreshed" is more of the same old thing - but with a new coat of paint.  Happy decorating!

Roman Shades - Popular Window Covering Trend

Roman Shades Come in Many Styles:

As the popularity of using draperies and fabrics at the window has risen, the popularity of Roman Shades has also increased.  These shades operate as a complete window treatment and can be manufactured from many different materials, including many styles of fabrics and natural products like woven woods and woven reeds as shown in the picture from Hunter Douglas.

Roman Shades add style, softness and texture to the window.  This cannot be achieved by the use of blinds alone.  They can also be used in any room in the house.  Roman Shades use a minimum amount of fabric, can be designed to be used as a black-out shade or a light filtering shade; can be trimmed with contrasting hems, trim and other forms of design to make them truly unique.  Also, the use of natural hand woven materials provides texture while providing filtered sun control.  Flexibility of materials that can be used and style elements are the keys to their resurgence and popularity.

Roman Shades also offer softness at the window.  When pulled to the up- position they can look very much like a valance, yet when lowered give privacy and light control.  This way you get the contemporary, sophisticated look of Roman Shades but the added softness at the top of the window.  These shades are extremely versatile, they can stand alone or be coupled with draperies, cornices or other fabric treatments.  I love installing a window dressing using a Roman Shade for privacy, adding a decorative iron rod over the window then drapery side panels on each side of the window.  This look becomes a soft design that helps coordinate with the room's decor adding color and texture to the room.

Using Draperies to Insulate Your Home

Draperies Can Be An Insulator

Draperies do an excellent job in trapping air between the drape and the window glass, which serves as a natural insulator.  The quality of the lining though really makes the difference in the amount of insulation the drapery offers your home.  As an example, a drapery lined with interlining and a black-out lining can add over 300% better insulation than an unlined drapery.

Coupled with a Hunter Douglas Luminette Sheer Shade, as shown in the photo, means a warm room in winter and a cooler room in the summer.  Window glass, even though it may be double paned, naturally heats up in the summer or cools down in the winter and the energy is radiated into the room making the room colder in winter and warmer in summer.  Having the proper insulating shades and draperies over the window can mean your energy dollars will be saved - paying for the decorative products at the window over time.  Seems a good way to spend your money when you remodel.

HGTV Video - Kitchen Window Treatments 101

Recently ran across this great HGTV video entitled Kitchen Window Treatments 101 on YouTube  It is a great film which shows many good products  and great options  to solve various problems when decorating your windows in the kitchen.  The film also will give you ideas that can be used in other rooms in your home.

Window treatments are the finishing touch to a room, something like icing on a cake.  Unfortunately  we see many clients that have let their window coverings be their last decision when finishing a room.  However, we recommend window coverings be in the first planning stages when construction or remodeling of the home is underway.  Too many times we must tell clients that  a specific window treatment they had their heart set on will not work because they have not included the depth needed to hang the product properly in the window when the building work was underway.

In my opinion fabrics added to the window in the form of a valance, side drapery panels or working draperies are the most beautiful window treatments especially when coupled with the many wonderful shades available today.  Energy savings can also be one of  the most important benefits of using the proper window treatments.