Really Beautiful Homes - #5

Some people are just born organized.  I have a lot of friends like that, whose homes look photo-ready any day of the week and any time of day.
That's the kind of person you want to buy your house from, because you know it has been so well maintained.
This is a picture of a house for sale in Leesburg.  It is really lovely inside, with a great floorplan and everything looks new, which is close to the truth, because the house is only 4 years old. You really have to see the master bedroom closet to appreciate how peaceful such organization can make you feel.
The 2-story stone fireplace in the family room was awesome, but I think the backyard is the real showstopper.  The owners hadn't seemed to touch that space but this extra-large open space is waiting for some creative person to put their mark on it.  I pictured a deck and a patio with an outdoor fireplace to sit beside to take in the gorgeous sunset views.
There is no open house planned for this home so you'll need to contact the realtor, Chrissie Goodrum, to see it.  Hurry, though, as they just lowered the price......
Here's the listing:
http://www.c21redwood.com/LO9752794/16589-levade-dr-leesburg-va-20176

The Palladian Shelf - my new bff!

My new BFF is not very photogenic.  You will have to wait for the sequel to this story to see her real loveliness.
Have you ever had a Palladian window - a half circle over a rectangle - that needed covering? And then you realized that there was no piece of wood moulding to install the shade to?  Lots of newer Palladians have a mere piece of vinyl separating the top from the bottom.  If you have a window treatment that can't be installed into the sides of the window, you are in trouble.
This has happened to me before and it always seems to be in 2-story foyers or over bathtubs where the installation is more difficult to begin with.
Enter the Palladian shelf!

This beauty comes in several colors and stains or unfinished so you can customize the color yourself.

First you install this bracket horizontally on each side of your window where you want the shelf to go.

You can see where the shelf is notched to go around the bracket.  You just slide it on!

Side view of a shelf that has been slid on to the bracket.

And that's it. The shelf is extremely sturdy.  Now you can install the window treatment to the underside of the shelf.  In my case, I will be installing to both the underside AND the top. Stay tuned!
I think there could be plenty of other creative applications for this shelf.  Let me know what you think!
Shelf is from Graber.

Window Wednesday

OK, I'm a day late again!
Although this window is over a tub, for once the intelligent choice was made to place the window higher so that you can't see into the master bath.
This design is so simple, deceptively so.  It was rather simple to hang the curtain holdbacks we used for this throw swag. (I say "rather simple" because I didn't have to do it! My installer is 6'4" so he didn't even use a ladder!) Dressing the swag is the hard part.

We will have to get a professional to photograph this soon so you can see that we lined an embroidered sheer with a satin for this treatment.

100 Windows - #100 !!!

We made it!!  For our 100th window I saved a Before and After because those are so much fun.

As you can see, I had the luxury of starting with a very nicely furnished room.  The client was already in the process of replacing the carpet with hardwood floors.

The challenges with the windows were many! First, the arched windows are sometimes tricky to treat. Second, both sets of windows were slammed into the corners! And third, one of the windows was actually a door to the deck outside.  It had a double rodpocket sheer on it (I'm betting you had one of those in your lifetime;  we ALL have!) but the client wanted to replace it with a 2" wood blind to match the other blinds.  And here was the next challenge:  those blinds were about 15 years old and a blue/grey color.  It was not to be found in any of my usual places.  But after about 2 weeks of searching I found a very similar finish, that upon installation matched better than our wildest dreams!

With the hardwoods in, we installed an area rug from Surya.

Then came the new blind and drapery panels.

We added a couple of throw pillows in blue to bring that color into the rest of the room. See the lower right hand corner.

And finally, the client restyled the mantle with some blue accessories and candle.

Drapery fabric and hardware:  RM Coco
Pillow fabric:  Kravet
Pillow trim:  Robert Allen
Pillow fabrication:  SK Fabric Interiors

100 Windows - #94

I feel fairly sure that this curtain is a ready made, but it's fun how they used the matching fabric for the cornice, which is most likely a custom project. And here's another idea of what to do with those arched windows. (In this case, ignore them!)

100 Windows - #71

Here's a combination treatment to end the year.

This combination of swags was made for a breakfast room.  The arched window over the center window presented a challenge. I created a hand draped swag over the arch.

Then I stapled this to the tops of the boards of the side swags.

The hardware on this board was purely decorative, but matched the piece at the top of the arch.

The side swags were traditional swags with asymmetric cascades, that included one regular cascade and one double cascade.

This was definitely a "sum is greater than it's parts" kind of window treatment!

Happy New Year!!

 

 

 

100 Windows - #61

I didn't realize that I had taken this picture until I looked at the details.  I thought I took it from the internet and had slipped into my "Ideas" folder.
This was actually a sample I saw at a trade show 5 years ago featuring Deb Barrett and her trunk show full of window treatment ideas.
This over-the-top design shows creative use of contrasting fabrics, flat ties, cording, curved tops and drapery rod finials!

100 Windows - #60

Soooooo... I started with a challenging set of windows:

And was directed by the homeowner to add some color, but not to cover too much glass, as privacy was not an issue, nor was light control:

Being only 5 feet tall and in a room with a cathedral ceiling, this one was interesting for me to try to photograph!

The fabric was from Robert Allen.  The striped contrast fabric on the valance was from Maxwell.

100 Windows - #59

Sorry about the dim lighting, but I get so many questions on treating an arched window.  Here is a beautiful solution.  Hang the drapes from a rod that goes straight across the top of the window, ignoring the curve.  I think the black and white graphic print makes it.

100 Windows - #54

Did you know that some window treatments can be mounted directly to the window frame?

These valances are made in three pieces; two swags and a center banner valance, all stapled to the outside edge of the window frame. This was in another model home, so that is probably why they chose to mount it that way - less holes in the wall, less hardware - but it is hard to make the sides look finished if you are doing it yourself.
The three holdbacks at the top of each arch are purely decorative.
Love the contrast banding! Love the tassel!

100 Windows - #51

I love this bathroom I saw in a model home.
The window treatment is just perfect in it's simplicity.
I also think having a TV in the bathroom is a great idea, though some may disagree.

100 Windows - #47

Today I give you 2 versions of the Pullup Valance. Both are shown on a rectangular window, but I have done a similar version over an arched window.

The first version shows the valance with a cute contrast band along all the outside edges.

The second shows a tassel fringe on the edges.
This is a really versatile style.  The level of formality would change depending on your fabric and trim.  I can see it in a formal living room over draperies as easily as a whimsical valance in a baby's nursery.
I wish I could give credit to the designer, but I think these photos look like catalog shots. So if you know where these came from please speak up! We like to give credit where credit is due!

100 Windows - #44

I realize this picture is difficult to see but it is so worth a look.
The 3 windows were surrounding a large tub in a master bathroom. This is one long piece of embroidered sheer fabric, hemmed at each end.  The hardware was just holdbacks mounted on the upper corners of each window and also at the top of the curve of the center window.  That was the easy part.
Working over a tub is never simple, and in fact, at times it feels downright death-defying. The ledge at the back of the tub is never quite as wide as my foot so moving back and forth to get everything even is less like walking a balance beam and more like performing on the tightrope!
Still, the design turned out light and airy and nicely finished the windows with their café shutters.

100 Windows - #42

Repetition can be a beautiful thing.

In this living room we didn't do anything crazy to compete with the traditional furnishings. We even ignored the fact that these were arched windows, and opted for straight drapery panels in a silk check.

We even repeated the panels in the adjacent dining room. Notice that this room had rectangular transoms instead of the arched, so the repetition of the style and fabric unified the rooms rather than called out their differences.

100 Windows - #40

I'm mad for plaid this week, I guess.
This picture has been in my "Ideas" folder for almost 10 years! I love the whole over-the-top quality of this window treatment, especially the valance with the curved top! The window underneath may not be arched but you can see how you can create interest by adding a gentle curve to the top of your treatment.
This is not my work and I don't know whose it is.  If you know where this picture is from, let us all know. I like to give credit where credit is due!