The straight panels have a contrast band on the cuff so you could use Christmas red and green with a combination tassel or an ivory cuff with banding in the red or the green.  You even could make these reversible with the ivory base and russet colors for Thanksgiving as the banding. 

 The picture with the tie back panels is just an example of the cuff with no banding.  The tassel really helps put the finishing touch on the point of the cuff.  Summertime?  Take the cuff off entirely for a summer, light look. 

Related posts:

1. Window Treatment of the Month – October
2. Window Treatment of the Month – July
3. Window Fashion of the Month – April

 I have always said one can move their furniture into a house with no window treatments and move out the next year with no emotional attachment to their house.  But if you move in and add your own window treatments, it makes all the difference.  The house becomes your home.   The windows are the eyes to our home and the window fashions frame your view to the outside world.

Window fashions can complete your room.  It is like a woman getting dressed to go to a fancy dinner.  The dress, the hair, the shoes and the evening bag are complimented by the earrings and the necklace.  The room and the window are naked until all elements are in place.

These pictures are a great example of what a difference window fashions can make.  This client has a blind at the window which gives her privacy but no piazz.  The difference comes when she adds the panels.   Now the window treatment belongs to her and coordinates with her bedspread (which is out of the picture.) 

So don’t go naked to the dinner party.  Let us help you dress your naked windows so you can enjoy every minute you have in your home.  We spend a lot of time in our homes so your home and window fashions should make you smile every day.

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1. We Dress Naked Windows
2. Window Treatment of the Month – November
3. Window Fashion of the Month – February

 There are many reasons to line and interline a custom window treatment.

• Helps protect your fabric from fading
• Blocks out harmful sun rays from fading floors, walls, art work, upholstery, and draperies
• Helps create a sound defusing barrier from outside traffic or neighbor’s parties
• Controls light on your TV or computer screen or on that outside yard light
• Provides comfort – warm inside in the winter and cool inside in the summer
• Makes window treatments look beautiful and adds body to a thin fabric like silk
• Consistent color appearance from the outside of your home

The lining color can be ivory or white or it can be taupe or beige to compliment the outside of your home.  Remember your lining will be seen from the outside of your home so that is a consideration when selecting the color.  Adding interlining between your fabric and the lining gives you another layer of insulation, as well as adding softness and bulk to your fabric.  Dead air space that is created with layers of lining and fabric adds comfort to your home. 

Many fabrics like silk or silk-like polyester fabrics are very thin fabrics.  They are beautiful fabrics and can become more luxurious when interlined. 

As you can see, energy efficiency is not the only reason to add lining to your custom window treatments but at this time of the year, it is an important one.

Related posts:

1. Window Treatment of the Month – November
2. We Dress Naked Windows
3. Drapery Panels

At the Las Vegas Window Fashion show we attended in April,  I was surprised at the many  different ways pleats were handled.  Over the years we have made a variety of pleat styles, mostly changed by the number of folds used and where they are tacked.  But we saw many ways to add trim and beads within the fold of the pleats.

Beaded trim can be attached at the top of the pleat then draped down the length of the pleat on the front.  And pleats are not just 4″ long anymore. Making the pleats proportional to the size of the room and height of the ceiling is important, so 6″ pleats, 8″ pleats and even 10″ pleats are being shown.

Single beads attached within the pleat holding the pleat open changes the look of the heading as well. Even tacking rope cording at the top and bottom of the pleat in the crease adds extra emphasis on the heading. It is a very distinct look.

Gathering the pleats at the bottom of the pleat and attaching trim or a flat braid across the flat of the panel and cinching the gathered part of the pleat with a flat braid again adds emphasis at the top of the panel.  The trim can also be repeated at the bottom by the hem.   A simple gimp trim can be sewn flat on the fabric before pleating to add an accent. Notice how one picture has a tradtional looking pleat and the other picture has a tucked pleat that gives a smocked effect. 

Constructing flat pleats, goblet pleats and folded down pleats are other simple ways to highlight a simple fabric and make it look classy.   It is all in the details.

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1. Window Fashions 2011
2. Valance details 2011
3. Pattern Details 2011

I recently had a customer who wanted to paint her walls dark purple and chose an almost brownish-purple.� I think that would make a stunning bedroom but there are some rules that must be followed when the walls are so dark.

Don�t paint the walls really dark unless the trim around the room and windows is painted� ivory or white.� The ceiling should be white as well.

The flooring also must be light.� If carpet is on the floor it must be light or a washed color.� If the floors are hardwood, use a lighter tone with colorful rugs on the floor.� If you install�wood blinds or plantation shutters, they must be the window trim color. But after setting the foundation of light and dark, you can now break out with more color.

The fabric window treatments can have a pattern with contrasting colors on the draperies or valances. This would really set off the dark walls.� Coordinate �the dust ruffle on the bed using the same fabric that is at the windows, but add a duvet cover in a tone-on-tone color. You can accent with shams and throw pillows that are bright and colorful.� The throw pillows could be dark like the walls, but would contrast nicely with the bedding colors.� The background of the fabrics could be dark or light, but the lighter color should be predominating.

We used to think that dark walls made the room smaller and in some ways it still can, but with the higher ceilings in many old and new homes, I think cozy and striking are better descriptions.� �The dark walls contrasting with the other surfaces in the room lighter in color can really add to the ambience of the room. ��And remember is it only paint, not a life commitment, and it can easily be changed when you are ready to move on.

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Dust and dirt can be the enemy of fabrics.� Of course my bedroom draperies weren’t really dirty – no catsup or greasy fingers in my bedroom – but they were dusty.� And a good way to get the dust out is to put them in the drier on air for 20-30 minutes.� This fluffs them, tumbles them, and generally gets the dust out of spots that are hard to vacuum.� I always use a drier sheet as I fluff them to take the static out of the fabric so the dust will end up on the lint filter rather than redistributed on the draperies.

Be sure to ALWAYS take the hooks out first since they will tear the draperies as they are tumbling.��� I usually put one half of the drapery in the drier at a time.� Then when that panel is done, I put the other half in the drier. Immediately I put the hooks back in and hang up the first panel.� This keeps the wrinkles to a minimum and I never need to press them when I do my fluffing in this order.� Then I put the valance in and fluff it too.�

Sometimes the treatments are mounted on a boards so obviouly that won’t go in your drier.� These will need to be�vacuumed.� Vacuum in as many creases as you can.���Since these are supported on the board it will be easier to pull and prod the fabric as you vacuum.�

One more way to spend your Saturday!

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This is an insulated backing that can be added to any fabric.� It has thermal lining, batting and a Mylar film that really keeps the cold from moving into your room. I put it up two days ago and last night I noticed my family room was 3* warmer without any extra heat in the room and it was colder outside.� �

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Insulation does matter.� We often use insulated lining to add warm in the winter to fabric treatments but we can also add inner lining.� We first started adding this felt-like inner lining to silk to give it more body but then it occurred to us to add it to other fabrics as well for insulation � either for keeping out the cold as we want to do today or to keep the heat out in the summer.

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This is certainly a way to be �green� and add comfort to your life.��� Now I can still eat ice cream for my bedtime snack and not be cold.

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Related posts:

1. Baby, It’s Still Cold Out There
2. To Line or Not To Line
3. We Dress Naked Windows

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Today the �draperies� are often only stationary side panels. They hang beautifully at the sides of the windows, often not even tied back.� The fabrics are rich in color, texture, or pattern.� If the fabric is a solid color, we often add trim to the leading edge, hem or both to give accent and definition to the panels. The texture is not the coarse, rough weaves of the past, but the wonderful textures of chenille, cut velvet, suede, linen, silk or silk�like fabrics.� We use very little shiny material, but often use fabrics with sheen.� I think the distinction is important.

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And to distinguish these stationary side panels even more, we often hang the panels on decorative rods.� Not the kind you can draw with a cord since the panels don�t cover the whole window, but on a metal or wooden rod, where if necessary, one can move the panels wider or narrower by hand.� The metal rods in 1 1/4� diameter come in antique bronze, blackened pewter, rusted, antique white and of course black. These rods often coordinate wonderfully with the rusted and burnished light fixtures and ceiling fans that are now available.

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If you prefer wood poles, the colors are just as yummy � bronze with gold highlights, bronze with gold/grey highlights, silver patina, weathered white, oxblood gold, or red oak.� And these rods come in 2 �� diameter or larger with fluted rods, twisted rods, or smooth rods.� This is a wonderful way to individualize your panels and create a lasting impression for your window.

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