It's INDEPENDENCE DAY!

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It’s the Fourth of July, a day for celebrating the great country we live in.  I have a favorite Fourth of July memory – it was one of my most patriotic memories made even more special because I was far from home. 

In July of 1991, my husband and I were stationed in Ludwigsburg, Germany and lived with other military families in an apartment complex of six buildings.  This holiday was only a few short months after our husbands and their fellow soldiers returned from the Gulf War.  Crisp American Flags were hung in flag holders on the sides of our buildings and there must have been dozens and dozens of them.  It was a beautiful summer day with a piercing blue sky and a breeze that made the flags snap and wave. 

These are not our actual quarters, but they are similar to those on Stuttgarter Strasse in Ludwigsburg Germany.  The Stuttgarter Strasse community was turned over to the German government within a year or so of when we lived there.  I am not sure who took this photograph, but thank you.

We had a wonderful group of friends while we were stationed in Germany.  Matt & Linda, Mike & Denise, Angelique and Mike...  We were spending the day the way we were supposed to, enjoying each other’s company and grilling out.  As we were hanging out, a German police car pulled up and the officer inside rolled down the window and asked, “What are all the flags for?” 

I grinned from ear to ear like a little kid and announced, “It’s America’s Birthday!  It’s Independence Day!”  The officer smiled and nodded his head, “Ah...Ya, ya.”   I am reminded of the street urchin in Dickons’ A Christmas Carol¸ who responds to Scrooges’ question,  “What day is it?”  “Today?” the lad answers back, “Why it’s Christmas Day, Sir!”   I think back to that feeling of pride in our country and our flag and the wonder of it all.  Are we perfect?  Of course we are not.  But we are special and I am humbled by the sacrifice of the service members that have fought and continue to fight to make our country great.  I think of their families and the sacrifices that they make every day to support their service members.

I hope somewhere, an American military family gathers on foreign soil, just hanging out with their friends, grilling hot dogs, laughing at the kids, and pulling cold beers from a cooler.  Thank you.  You make us proud.

Drapery Dilemma - A Problem of Proportion

I was browsing Erin's blog http://design-crisis.com today and saw a post titled "Pink Curtains, Or Why My Husband May Divorce Me" discussing the color of drapery panels.  Oh, I feel her pain.  I have gotten into the whirlpool of color A vs. color B with no end of possibilities.  I drew up a quick comparison for her, thinking that she is not alone in this Drapery Dilemma, and with her permission, I posted a possible solution here. The color selection is still hers to make, but the biggest problem, in my eyes, isn’t the color of the draperies, but the proportion...Take a look.  I owe her one for the inspiration.  Thanks, Erin!

The proposed drawing with featured flax drapery panels.

What I notice is that the panels are too tall for the French Doors.  By dropping the panels down, even if it entails alterations, this is what you would see...

The upper windows are left untreated, but the balance of the panels is pleasing to the eye.  If I were going for a budget friendly solution, I would go this way.  But wait...What if the homeowner purchased an extra pair of panels and used the fabric for a top treatment on the upper windows?  (WARNING:  Watch the weave and pattern of your fabric.  If the fabric has an obvious up and down pattern, the weave would run lengthwise down the panels and run across the cornice!)  

The upper window treatments look a little like eyebrows, don’t they?   Hmmmm,  now it is the proportion of the cornices that are wrong.   The ideal solution, as the homeowner identified in her blog, would be to treat the upper and lower windows as one.  How do I know?  Experience, of course...taught by the school of hard knocks!  In my own home, I have a two story foyer and made drapery panels for the bottom window and another pair for the top window.  I spent months regretting my decision until I finally bit the bullet, purchased the extra yards of fabric and lining  and made a new set of super long drapery panels, choosing to treat the two windows as one.   I like this solution....

I want to thank Erin for the inspiration to address the problem of proportion in window fashions.  Experience is the best teacher...especially when it is someone else’s experience.

p.s. In case you are wondering, here is what Erin's had to say:

Double height is definitely the way to go, but it's not the most budget (and time) friendly solution. So I'll save that for another day.  I will, however, take your suggested hanging height into account when I mount the brackets for the lower windows.  Thanks!"

Big Statements for Small Windows

A great decorating statement doesn’t always take yards of fabric and trims.  These flat panel designs are simple in form yet bold in graphic shapes.  Check out these designs that were created from yardage left over from larger projects. 

This window treatment used the last ½ yard of trim.The flat panel shows the beauty of the floral fabric and coordinating piping sets the outline of the design.
 

  This Keystone & Arch inspired panel is made of faux ostrich leather.You may recognize the materials from the “BOLD & BEAUTIFUL” post. Large covered buttons add just the right detail.This color pallet works great in the spring and summer months – and even into fall.

SEASONAL WINDOW TREATMENTS? Sure! During the drab winter months, this wonderful graphic pattern adds interest and life to the views outside the window. The blue, taupe,& brown color pallet accents the icy river and barren trees growing on the shore line. The heavy texture evokes coziness on cold winter days.

Changing your look is easy when the flat panels are fitted with the loop side of hook & loop tape at the top edge. The corresponding hook side is stapled to a mounting board supported by angle irons or L Brackets. Wa-la and Presto-Chango...grab a stepstool and pull one panel down and pressing on the next. When Spring blooms, change the neutral pallet with a bold spring green, peacock, and chocolate design that is as fresh as the day outside. 

The designs photographed were created and fabricated by Karen Bow of KBow Designs LLC. Please be courteous and remember to include this information when using pictures in your blog, Pintrest board, etc.

Bold & Beautiful Problem Solving

My client's new home boasts a view to die for. Take a look.

Her style is anything but shy - bold colors - wonderful shapes - an eye for the unusual. She spent her time looking for just the right piece of furniture, the perfect accessory. A fabulous table is waiting for it's place of honor between the two chairs. When she finds the right one, it will sing her name, until then, she'll keep listening. I've admired those who can wait for perfection...it's a gift. It is especially a gift when one enters into a design process that is followed by an even longer fabrication process that is the soul of custom interiors.

We spent a wintery weekend together considering her custom window treatments. We enjoyed hours pouring over fabrics, sketching out designs, tweaking them, starting over, drooling over trimmings, building one idea on top of the other. This was truly a design experience that most designers long for.

THE CHALLENGE:  The fireplace mantle juts into the patio door frame!  Mr. Builder, what WERE you thinking?

 

A pair of drapery panels won't work here...they wouldn't hang straight.   We have to take a deep breath and consider the living and dining rooms as a whole space to find symmetry.

 THE SOLUTION:  Consider the living and dining rooms as one space.  There are a pair of patio doors!

The dining area with the hip guitar pick shaped table. No panels on the window, the cornice is enough. The mantle wraps around in the dining area and is much deeper on the left than it is on the right side. The angled scarf is mirrored in the dining area. The chocolate borders and buttons are an unexpected broad brush stroke.

An overhead view from the loft on the second floor.

I wish the pictures could do this justice. The peacock blue panels are linen, bordered in chocolate brown. They waterfall over the cornice that is accented with....wait for it....pear green faux ostrich leather. The panels conceal a thermal lining that draws across the patio doors for climate control in the winter.

I am so pleased that this client was willing to step away from standard design. The results are bold and beautiful. This is a space she can be sure to call her own. It surrounds her with confident, vibrant colors and assertive, graphic design. I know she'll love coming into this room looking over the river and that killer view each and every season for years to come.

Welcome home.