Window Treatments Frame Your Room
They feature lovely window treatments in magazines and on television makeovers, but rarely do they tell you where to get such window treatments. I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on camping out in the garage for the weekend with a sewing machine while some amped up TV designer tells me how easy it is to sew! The real story is that window treatments are indeed an investment, one I don’t think most rooms can do without. Window treatments get a lot of attention because it is one of the first things most people notice when they walk into a room. Now this does not mean they have to be super expensive or complicated. In fact, I am a minimalist when it comes to window treatments. I will take a simple pair of curtains over swag any day. The draperies I have made for my clients are pricey because they are hand made with custom fabric and we add a lot of intricate details. But there is a company that makes some fantastic draperies at affordable prices that will finish your room off beautifully.
The Silk Trading Company has a fantastic selection. Their Drapery Out-of-a-Box program is for those of you that want or need an immediate solution. They have many choices of draperies in different styles, colors and lengths and they also sell the window hardware to go with it.
For those of you who have more time and desire more customization their Drapery By Design program allows you to choose your header, fabric, length and you can use more than one fabric. They also have video tutorials on the site to walk you through the process.
A few tips when you are deciding on window treatments:
- You can choose stationery panels that stay put or functional draperies that you open and close. Wood poles are a better choice if you are going to operate your draperies.
- If you are tentative, select a fabric and style that you feel will serve you for years to come. You can easily change your wall color and accessories but furniture and draperies are usually the substantial investments.
- Draperies do not have to be mounted directly over a window. If you want the ceiling to seem higher, mount the draperies higher on the wall.
- Draperies can serve a number of purposes: beauty, privacy and light control are usually the three most important. Remember that blinds and shades can be used along with the draperies to cover all your bases.
- Don’t scrimp – Figure the width of the area you want to cover and then choose panels that are 2-3x as wide. You want them to look luxurious and full, not pulled taught.
- Always choose a lined drapery (unless you are doing sheers). The lining protects the drapery from being damaged from heat and sunlight. The drapery will also hold its shape better over time.
Tags: decorating tips, window treatments
September 6th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Great advice!!
June 30th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
my problem is that i only have one large patio slider in my whole living/dining/kitchen. i have a an east facing condo on the bay. so i do get early morning light and a lovely view, but it doesn’t seem very bright during the rest of the day. when i first moved in 17 years ago i was much better off financialy and just called JC pennys to come out and had a nice set of pale green drapes installed with the old fasioned type of rod with the strings that open and close them. well, a year ago i decided to change eveything and just took the drapes off and threw them away!!!!!!!!! un aware of how EXPENSIVE fabric and custom sized drapes are!!!! so now i’ve been on a quest to get my greedy little hands on about 10 yards of my favorite designer’s fabric; Designers Guild. i really think i would love ANY single design from her. i could just close my eyes a pick! then design my entire place around that fabric!! right now they are have a sale for two weeks but i think it it’s only at the shops in london and their on their britsh website. i’m seriously thinking of calling london and begging them to let me buy stuff from them and have it shipped. please Ms. Lorrie Browne, if you read this tell me if i’m crazy or you have any suggestions on getting discount real designer fabric?! and if anyone else wants to discuss the love of fabric, please, lets talk! thanks, shannon
miamidecor@yahoo.com
June 30th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Hi Shannon,
I can appreciate your dilemma. Fabric and window treatments are a substantial investment. There are two vendors on our site that you might want to try:
Discount Decorator
http://db.mydesignsecrets.com/vendor/view/180
Mood Fabric
http://db.mydesignsecrets.com/vendor/view/171
They carry a lot of designer fabric. If you don’t see anything from Designer’s Guild on their site, then give them a call. You might also want to try eBay.
Good luck!
Lorrie
June 30th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Wow, thank you so much for your response! I never expected to actually hear from you personally! you must be a really good person. I’m so happy to have found your website.
your loyal website visitor, Shannon
June 30th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
You are quite welcome. Best of luck and please tell everyone you know about My Design Secrets!
Your loyal designer,
Lorrie
October 10th, 2008 at 10:13 am
[...] some drapery panels at the end of the windows. Simple, stationery panels frame your windows at a reasonable price. The produce section holds many [...]