Sheer Drapery - Softness At The Window That's New Again

Those of us who are "a little older" remember our Grandmother's homes with a great deal of pleasure. Warm bread, resulting in a warm kitchen, mixed with aromas of baking cookies & a loving person to share the experience with you - you remember this well. Overstuffed sofas, large dining room tables and draperies at the windows were her style. Grandma usually had sheer draperies too, either voile see-though sheers or lace curtains, hanging in the living room or bedrooms of their home.

Would you believe that sheer draperies have come back and are beginning to capture the drapery market once again? There are many wonderful sophisticated fabrics that can be used that offer this stylish sheer feeling at the window; loosely woven fabrics, sheers that gleam and shimmer, laser cut-out patterns, colored sheers, retro patterns that remind us of earlier times, deep colors that offer mystery, traditional materials that have been on the market for years and even sheers with Swarovski Crystals on them. (see photo and visit www.ado-usa.com to see some examples.) Mix one of these fabrics with a decorative drapery rod and you have a truly wonderful soft statement at the window that lets in a lot of light, yet offers daytime privacy and adds softness to your rooms. You can also add a shade under the sheer to add nighttime privacy or hang them under draperies for that custom look.

The secret to a beautiful sheer drapery is how they are made. Sheers are lightweight fabrics that should be made at least 3 to 1 fullness in order to not look skimpy. For an example, a 100" wide window should have at least a sheer drapery that is 300" wide at the bottom. Most sheer fabric is made 118" wide so this will allow them to be made seamless. To have the right look don't buy narrow strips of ready-made sheers that are not sewn together, it actually doesn't cost much more to have them made properly all in one piece. They can be gathered onto a rod if you do not plan to open them or they can be pleated and opened as any other drapery style would do.

Try an "old" style sheer that is suddenly "new" again and very sophisticated!

Roosters - A Popular Home Decor Motif

Roosters are a popular home decor motif. Look at any catalog or home furnishings store and you will find roosters on lamps, pillows, rugs and table top accessories according to a "Styles & Trends" report from a recent "Home Decor" magazine article. This trend has been going on for several years and is not showing any signs of letting up.

They are cheerful and add a nice touch of color to your kitchen giving it a French Country feeling. I would say that I talk to at least two clients per week that like them as part of their decor, especially in the kitchen and family room areas of their homes.

This ceramic rooster (already sold, of course) stands about 30" high and has a companion hen. It was made by Intrada (www.intradainc.com), a fine importer of Italian hand painted pottery. I have a large sized pair of black and white chickens in my own kitchen. Ceramic chickens remind me of my grandfather, who raised them on his ranch when I was a child, which brings back wonderful memories of visiting Grandpa and Grandma. I used to love going out to the chicken coop to feed the chickens and gather the eggs.

If you would like to purchase one of these special birds or any other of Intrada's beautiful products, please contact us and we can help you.

Wallcoverings - A Little Research

While surfing the web I've run across some really interesting websites that allow you to look at their wallpaper selections in the comfort of your own home. Some of these sites even offer free sample offers to see firsthand how patterns and colors will complement your home's decor, plus some sites also offer helpful advice about measuring, hanging and repairing wallcoverings. A carefully chosen wallpaper can be the final touch to a great room.

For the 60s and 70s op art designs and the 50s space age selections: www.melinamade.com
For reproductions of 19th century & early 20th century: www.carterandco.com
For reproductions from the Victorian, Arts & Crafts and modernism eras: www.bradbury.com
For vinyl and specialty collections in abstract designs: www.knolltextiles.com
For classic collections: www.thibautdesign.com
For tips on how to measure & install: www.pdra.org

The photo came from the opening page of the Thibaut website. Photos of wallpapered rooms on their site will provide a lot of inspiration. Enjoy!

Roman Shades - A Popular Window Covering Trend

As the desirability 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 fabric and natural products like woven woods and woven reeds.

Roman shades add style 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. They take a minimum amount of fabric, and can be designed to be used as a black-out shade or as a light filtering shade. They can be trimmed with contrasting hems, trim and other forms of design to make them truly unique. The use of natural hand woven materials can provide texture and light filtering sun control. 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 they give privacy and light control.

These shades are extremely versatile - they can stand alone or be coupled with draperies, cornices or other fabgric treatments. I expecially love installing window treatments for one of my clients using a Roman shade for privacy and then adding a decorative rod over the window and drapery side panels at each side. This allows us to tie in color, texture and different fabrics to give their home a truely "up scale" look.

April - National Garden Month

"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything." - William Shakespeare

April is the time we all look to the outside of your homes. In Northern California our roses are just about to begin blooming, all the spring perennials have put on their new coat of growth and are just about to begin blooming too. The hills are a beautiful shade of green which will, it seems, turn a golden yellowish color the minute the rain ceases in about a month. This is the time of year that the "wine country" renews itself

Recently discovered a great gardening site when I was looking up information about container gardening on the web. As this is National Garden Month they have some very interesting articles that can help you in your spring gardening adventures.
Visit http://ww.nationalgardenmonth.org.

My new spring garden project is about to get underway - a water trough container garden. Have purchased the trough, a galvanized trough 6' long, 2' wide and 2' deep. Will drill drain holes in the bottom next, then will fill container with soil. Plans are to make a kitchen herb garden that will contain rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, parsley, etc. and a few seasonal items. The first year I'll have to experiment a little.

These water troughs are very "useable". Have another one set up as an outdoor aquarium. It was been set up for about 2 years and the fish have lived over the winter very well. The only problem I've had is that we've been visited by a Giant Blue Heron on several occasions and he has taken some of the fish for his dinner. Now have a wire cover over the top!

Budget - How Much Should I Budget for Window Coverings?

"How much should I budget for window coverings?" is the most common question that we get from prospective clients. It is important to prioritize your window covering purchases prior to actually placing your order to set a realistic budget.

The first priorities for most homeowners is taking care of privacy issues, room darkening needs and energy efficiency. This means that the windows should be covered first with alternative window coverings (blinds, shades, shutters, etc.) that will satisfy these needs before adding the more decorative elements that will make your room's design pop. I recommend that you add the fabrics later as they are the most expensive part of the window covering budget. They should take a bit of time to plan for and to find the just right fabric and design.

In our society we are taught not to "talk about our money" with strangers and this actually hinders us from being able to let professionals in any field offer us their advice and service. We place a barrier between them and us. There is nothing shameful about stating what you hope to accomplish and for how much you hope to pay to do this with someone who has the product knowledge that you lack. These professionals will tell you quickly if you will be able to do what you want to do spending the amount that you stated. And, you must be realistic - I see clients all the time that are simply out-of-the-loop on what costs are today. They seem to be stuck in the past. Do a little research before you actually hit the stores so that you will be armed with some knowledge, it will make your shopping experience much more enjoyable.

Today there is such a hugh selection of products available to us that it is confusing. Try to find a window covering design specialist that you are comfortable working with and remember the most important piece of advice - when you set your budget always remember "you get what you pay for!". If the cost is cheap the product usually isn't the best quality and won't last as long as a better quality product that sometimes costs just a little bit more.