A Bit About Window Coverings

There have been a couple requests for me to write about the window covering designs. I was pretty sure I'd done so, but I guess I never did so in any detail (my previous post was kind of more of a teaser). I'll write more about this as things get installed and designs progress, but for now, let's go room by room.

Double Parlours

My concept for the Front Parlour and Library was matching aqua silk curtains over a scalloped roller shade. The roller shade will be light filtering, and the curtains will be light blocking. At the top will be a valance that hides the hardware (enabling us to use less expensive hardware that is more functional).

Here's my sketch over the interior elevation:

And some inspiration photos:

I don't want the curtains to puddle at the floor because of feline entanglements, but otherwise this is a great look and works really well with the wall colour.

My current task is finding appropriately over the top but not TOO over the top tassel tiebacks that are all pretty but not too tempting to cats.

Dining Room

In the Dining Room we only have one "window" which is the Nanawall. I want a curtain that closes to block light, and pulls all the way to the side so we can open things up and let the wall be open. There will be a protective cornice at the top to keep the top of the curtain from getting all dusty.

My sketch:

Note the protective strip at the bottom. We are going for black velvet, so I designed in a strip of fur-resistance silk or satin for where the cats will be messing with the bottom of the curtain.

And here's my inspiration picture. (That's a painting, not a photograph.)

I'm still working on the exact details of my cornice.

Kitchen and Back Hallway

For the kitchen and back hallway I wanted something simple and functional. I chose a sleazy grayish lineny look with an off-white lining, to be made into Roman shades.

I'm going for this kind of look: filtered light coming through (I can't think of a reason why we would ever want complete light blocking in the kitchen), not too structured.

Bedroom 1

(Front Bedroom)

Upstairs in the front bedroom I went for a lower-cost premade curtain panel thing that will be Just Fine for a room that is basically our guest room (we have a friend, Michelle, living with us right now and she'll be moving in there when we move, but not permanently). In this room we have the layered light approach again: scalloped roller shades that filter light, with light-blocking curtains over them.

My sketch:

And my inspiration photo:

Bedroom 2

(formerly Back Bedroom, now... Middle Bedroom?)

It turns out the room we will continue sleeping in is the smallest bedroom in the house now. Which works fine for me because I don't need a big bedroom since I have an entire house to spread out into.

My sketch for this room is pretty simple:

I've got a colour blocked curtain over a scalloped roller shade, with the colour blocking matching the height of the wainscoating.

I chose the fabrics for this already, and don't have photos to show them, but I can show you the style of tieback we are using:

They're imported from England and stupid expensive but at least we only need two of them. I let this window be a bit more extra than others because there's only one of it.

Bedroom 3

(Bay Window Bedroom, and yes I know the Front Bedroom has a bay window)

This room is a little more in flux because Noel chose the colour for it and the colour doesn't work well with the original idea for the curtains.

This was my inspiration for the curtains:

I'll just leave it here that we are working on finding the right fabric to work with the room and not be too oppressively dark or weirdly clashy with the walls. Scalloped roller blinds for light filtering, and the curtains, when we get them made, will be light blocking.

Bedroom 4

(Back Bedroom)

In this room I'm doing a very structured Roman blind, with a gray linen fabric.

I did this sketch:

And basically had no inspiration photo other than some catalog shots from Pottery Barn and so on. Nothing too exciting.

Bathroom 1

(Accordion Room)

In the Accordion Room, the tub is now in front of the front window, which is a power move. I'm going to have the window frosted, but we're designing a fancy curtain for the shower. I'm currently researching eyelet fabrics to make something that looks like Victorian underclothes.

My sketch for this room is embarrassingly dull so I will skip it and just post photos as we make progress.

The first window coverings will start going in mid-August, mostly held up by delays in the #%^&*%#^ floor refinishing process. Which hopefully will actually get started next week.

posted by ayse on 07/26/19