Are your windows going soft?

When shopping for window treatments, its great to know the basics...

 

Window treatments are classified as hard treatments or soft treatments.

 What is a hard treatment?

 

Hard treatments are factory-made window treatments: blinds, shades and shutters. Hard treatments are not always hard (roller shades or fabric-slat verticals, for example). New styles of hard treatments are coming out all the time. Some of these window coverings are used simply for privacy. Many are installed to control sunlight. Often, homeowners choose a treatment because of aesthetics but most of the time, however, we choose a window covering for a combination of reasons - funtional and aesthetic.

 

Hard treatments are available as stock items found in home-improvement stores, or custom made to order. Stock merchandise comes in standard sizes. Custom-made treatments can be made in any size. Colors and options are limitless with custom-made hard treatments.

What is a soft treatment?

Any window covering sewn from fabric is considered a soft treatment. Soft treatments are generally used as decoration on top of hard treatments, but can also be used alone.

Soft treatments can be custom manufactured to fit any window. Your decorated window will be completely unique - one of a kind. Any fabric and trim can be selected, and practically any style can be created. Professional installation using custom hardware also adds to your distinctive look.

Custom soft treatments include

•  Swags and cascades
• Shaped valances
• Drapery panels
• Balloon valances
• Scarf treatments

The uniquesness of your soft treatment depends on your fabric selection, style, size and all of your chosen details, including trims, tassels, and hardware.

 If you'd like some hand holding through the process of decorating your windows, give me a call!

Creative Resources for Holiday Decorating (and gift giving)

It's getting closer to the holidays and we are all thinking about decorating our homes to welcome loved ones and nuture ourselves but if you're like most of us, the budget hardly supports seasonal gifts much less holiday decorating. Here are 4 creative resources for decorating (and gift shopping) in this economy to inspire you...

1. Swap Meets:
Have you ever eyed an item your neighbor had and wished you could have it? Well, maybe now you can!! Perhaps you can swap an item that you don't want with an item your neighbor or friend has that they don't want. Your Christmas decorations may bore you but may bring cheer to a home with none and the table lamp they no longer need might provide the perfect light by your reading chair.

2. $0.99 stores:
The dollar stores never cease to amaze me with the variety of unexpected items that they carry - candles that ae at least $5 less than in departement stores, mesh baskets for fruits and organizing, pictures frames that you can paint any color without fear of ruining because of the cost. Visit a dollar store this week to see the many items that will surprise and inspire you.

3. Thrift stores:
Thrift stores are making a comback in style! Now days it's considered chic to shop in a thrift store full of economical items that have a history to them. Another great reason to shop a thrift shop is that most are associated with a charity so while you are helping yourself decorate in style, you are also helping a good cause.

4. Move and reuse:
Do you want to shop for items without spending money or even driving around town looking for them? You can - by shopping within your own home! Look around and see what furniture pieces or accessories you can use to decorate your home to feel and look better by placing them in different rooms or spaces.

Find Your Style

One of my client’s biggest challenges is finding their decorating style. What they don’t know is that while their home may need a facelift, it speaks volumes about their style. Taking a close look not only at your home but at your life preferences will give you clues to your style:

1. Where do you like to shop? Were you first in line when Ikea opened in Tampa or does a flea market make your heart beat fast? Do you collect West Elm catalogs or Pottery Barn? Maybe you don’t shop for furnishings at all but collect family heirlooms. It sounds too easy but where your furniture comes from represents your style.

2. Where do you like to travel? Where you choose to spend your vacations and what you bring back with you are good indicators of your style. If you love family vacations at the beach and collect seaglass and shells then coastal is your style. If a week in NYC relaxes you then urban might be your style.

3. What’s your favorite vacation accommodation? A cozy country B& B? A San Francisco boutique hotel? A Paris apartment? Hotels and lodgings have clear design styles so use that information to your advantage.

4. What was your most recent purchase? What you buy is an accurate indicator of your style, especially if it is different from other style elements in your home. Your current décor might be lace, pillows and dried flowers but if your last purchase was a glass and chrome desk for your home office then perhaps you are outgrowing your previous romantic style and leaning into a simpler more modern one. 

Still can’t find your style? Check out one of my favorite online design assessments at Lifetraits.

Make a Room Feel Larger

Everyone wants their home to feel warm and inviting but we also want the room to appear larger. As a rule, we recommend mounting window treatments several inches above the window. For example, say you have an 8' ceiling height and you mount your window treatment under your crown molding or just below the ceiling, not only will the room appear larger but the ceiling height will appear taller as well.Another mistake a homeowner might make would be to add a cornice with a straight bottom and then mount that cornice at the top of the window. Below I have created a rendering with our "Minutes Matter Studio" graphic design software to illustrate the different look achieved when the cornice is mounted near the crown molding or ceiling opposed to mounting at the top of the window. See how much taller the ceiling height appears and how much larger the room looks.


Here is another design tip when trying to make a ceiling look higher. Add a shape to the bottom of the cornice. By adding movement to the bottom of the cornice it can trick the eye into moving up and down so the eye does not stop at the longest point of the cornice.


You could also accomplish extra height with drapery panels and a decorative rod. Notice the difference when you mount the drapery rod at the top of the window or when you mount the rod under the crown molding or near the ceiling.


We recommend giving every room that extra lift! Would you like to see how new window treatments could change your room? As part of our service we create renderings to help our clients visualize how new window treatments will look on their windows.

Top 3 Window Problems - SOLVED!

The Top 3 Window Problems - SOLVED!

problem: too much light
Sunlight flooding a room can be delightful but not on Saturday morning when your trying to catch up on your sleep or later that afternoon when you're trying to watch a movie

solution: blackout shades
Simple spring tension roller shades made from an opaque material can turn day into night but for a more refined look nothing beats Hunter Douglas Duette Architella shades for leaving you in the dark and with Power Rise with Platinum Technology and the battery operated remote you won't ever have to leave your bed or sofa again.

problem: no privacy
You're looking for some quality tub time without having to bathe in the dark. How can you let the sunlight flow without attracting peeping toms?

solution: shutters with tilting slats
Adjustable shutters allow you to customize the view (yours and the one offered to passersby). Hunter Douglas Palm Beach Polysatin shutters are 100% PVC so you never have to worry about water or moisture from the bath and with the midrail option you can have complete privacy on the bottom with sun and view from the top.

problem: a room with a bad (or good) view
The window that sheds light on your favorite reading nook just happens to overlook your neighbor's trash cans or you paid $$$ for that view of the beach but not the roof of the clubhouse.

solution: top down bottom up shades
These Hunter Douglas Vignette shades may look as if they were installed upside down, but that's no mistake. It uses two sets of lift cords, allowing you to choose which way (and by how much) the shades open and close: from the bottom up or from the top down.