Busy Times

We have had the busiest year and a half ever! Consequently I have not been able to post anything for awhile. Hopefully I will get back to this consistently. Stay tuned for the master bedroom story.

More Arched Windows

I have been working with wonderful clients over the last few months. This couple had just put a new addition on to the back of their home and needed to dress the windows. The first step was to add shades for light control and insulation. Their large arched window was very wide and options were somewhat limited. However, the Duette Architella Honeycomb shades from Hunter Douglas were the perfect solution for these windows. These shades are the best insulating shades on the market, and they are available in wider widths. We found the right color, ordered the shades, and we were on our way.

The next step was dressing the windows. My client came into the showroom and spent many hours searching for just the right fabric for the room. She took home books, and we ordered lots of swatches. While this process was happening, we also had to come up with a design. Some very important criteria had to be met:

1. We could not block too much of the windows. Here in Western NY, we can be very light starved in the winter months. It is a very common request to block the windows as little as possible. Also, there is a great view into the back yard.

2. The window treatments had to have a "wow" factor........ something that had an impact, but was not totally over the top.

While she was looking at fabrics, I sat down and started doing a quick design on my computer. I had not yet seen her windows and the only information I had was a rough sketch and some rough dimensions. With a great design program called "Studio" from Minutes Matter, I was able to to quickly set up the window configuration and drag in some components for a window treatment design. I added some furniture and wall color and in about five minutes had the rough design that is pictured here. The client loved it!

We had a design, now we had to find the "perfect" fabric. In the end, we found this beautiful double woven semi-sheer from Kasmir Fabrics. The color was perfect and it has a damask type pattern woven into it. Of course, a fringe was also needed and that was found from Conso.

Our next step was to go to the home and do some final measurements. Because we did not want to block too much of the window, and I was not quite sure exactly where each swag was going to fall, we had to get creative. Initially, we had chosen 3" diameter metal holdbacks. I cut some 3" circles and brought a spool of fluorescent pink twine and blue painters tape. We climbed the ladder and began placing the 3" circles, one for each holdback, on the wall. I then draped the pink twine between the circles and adjusted lengths until both the client and I were happy with the placement of everything. These pieces were used as my patterns for the construction of the swags. In the process of doing this, it became evident that 3" holdbacks were going to be too small that high up, so it was decided to switch to 4" diameter holdbacks. These were found from a company in California, called Orion Iron Art. Each piece is made to order and custom finished by hand. We also decided to add small jabots in between each of the swags to add interest and cover some of the wall that was showing.

This window treatment consists of several parts. The swags are all attached together for easy installation. The jabots and side panels are all separate and were added at the end. If you look closely, you will also see that the swags and jabots have a scalloped bottom. This was done to add more interest and uniqueness to the overall look of the windows. There is a contrast fabric lining each of the jabots and a khaki drapery lining was used for the swags and side panels. The side panels are hung on plain rods and puddle on the floor for added elegance. It is also important to note that there is a double window on the other wall to the right of the picture shown here and the overall treatment was repeated there. These pictures show the finished treatments. The clients are thrilled with the results and so are we. Thank you, Deb and Sam for allowing us to help you with this beautiful project!

What to do with an arched window

Do you have an arched window over your front door? Are you concerned about the strong sun that comes in that window? What about privacy? Many homes have the main bath directly across from that window. At night, when the lights are on in your home, people on the street can see right in! I have also seen the heat from the sun pouring into a window like this melt candles!

I get many questions from clients regarding this situation. There are a few solutions to this problem and one of them is pictured here. These shutters have a 2 1/2" louver and were custom made to fit the arched window. The louvers can be tilted either up or down to give the degree of privacy and light control required by the client. To complete the look, we also added the shutters to the sidelights on either side of the door. The individual panels are also hinged, enabling the client to open them to wash the windows. As you can see, the results are stunning!

Glass Shutters?

It is amazing what can be made from glass. The glass shutters pictured here are in the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY. Elias Hungerford received the patent for his glass window blinds in 1866. They were not a commercial success and according to the museum, only a few sets survive today. You have to see these in person, though to appreciate the work and the details. I can only imagine how heavy they were. I would have loved to see them hung in a window with the sunlight shining through!

Idea for French Doors

When you have French doors, valances can be a challenge. If the valance is too long, it gets caught when the door is opened and closed. If the valance is mounted above the the door, you now see all of the moldings and trim that we try to hide with a valance. Also the proportion can be too short, giving the appearance of a skimpy valance. We have a great solution for this problem. It is a hardware system that attaches to the door and swings the valance out when the door is opened! The treatment pictured to the right has been fitted with that hardware for both doors. Now, the client can use her door, and not have the valance getting caught!

Doorway Idea

Do you have a wide doorway? Why not add a two sided drapery to dress it up. Each side of this doorway looks equally beautiful. The living room side has a copper colored moire and the dining room side had a gold tone on tone silk stripe. Top it off with a gold wood pole and gorgeous tiebacks and you have a very elegant look. These panels are puddled on the floor, but yours can just touch or be slightly above the floor. The choice is yours!

The Importance of Customer Service

I made a trip to the "home decorating" section of a major department store the other day. I needed to pick up a couple of small, plain curtain rods for a client and I did not have any in my showroom and did not want to place an order for only two small rods. Hence, my trip to the store. I walked in the downstairs doors and was greeted by a clerk, who welcomed me to the store. so far, so good. I went upstairs to the drapery section and found my two small rods very quickly. I then looked around for someone, so I could check out. There was not one person in sight. I then proceeded to the check out counter that is right in front of that department. A clerk came down the aisle, dragging a box for a customer and told me that I would have to take those two small rods to the counter inside the drapery department, or else, have to wait until she was finished cashing out the current customer. Now, I did not mind waiting a couple of minutes for her to finish up with the customer she was helping, but she really didn't seem interested in helping me, so I went in search of the counter in the drapery department. It took awhile to find it, it was buried in amongst the over crowded aisles, and sure enough, there was no on there! Again, I had to go in search of someone to help me out. Finally, I found the person in charge of that counter and paid my $9.47 for two small curtain rods. As I was leaving the area, I passed the first register. The clerk had finished her customer and was again nowhere in sight.

My point here is not to complain about poor customer service, but rather point out that we all need to be vigilant about the shopping experience that we are giving to our own customers. I was very frustrated trying to find the hidden counter and then a missing clerk. My problem was more with the hidden counter than the clerk, since I realize that they will not always be right at there where you would expect them to be. They do have other jobs and duties within their department. But there were no signs directing you to the counter, and the department was so overpacked, that it was difficult to find anything quickly. While this made my shopping experience very frustrating, I also had to think, "This is very good for me and my business!" After all, I am a competitor of this store and if the consumer is as frustrated as I was, maybe the frustrated customer would be more likely to call me for more personalized service. My job now is to make sure that they get the personalized service and not the service given by the department store.

What are you doing to give your clients more personalized service? Are you doing your very best to make their decorating project a pleasant experience? We should all take stock of how we are doing things and strive to do the very best for our customers that we can!