Answer Day: Drapes and Cats

Today's question, came from another designer, who is working with a client at the moment who is a cat person. The problem she is facing is how to deal with window treatments that will withstand the affection of her feline friends. I really appreciate this kind of question, because good design is all about solving peoples individual design problems in an elegant, sophisticated way. Here are some thoughts that hopefully will lead to beautiful windows and a happy cat.

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  Obviously, declawing the cat is not an option, it would seem then that you will need to find a fabric that can hold up to Kitty's affection. I would suggest that you use an ultra suede. It is a synthetic fabric, made to look like suede. Because it is not a woven fabric, it doesn't really give the cat a way of getting hold of it. Also for the same reason, you don't even need to hem it, because there are no threads to come undone. This fabric will give a clean, modern feel, as it it too thick to pleat at the top, so you will need to use grommets instead.




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  Another idea is to use roman shades on the windows. If you use a loose Roman, you can still get almost the same softness as a drape, but it will be safely out of reach (if it is a window, not a french door).




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  A wooden Venetian blind is also a possibility, but becomes a little "drier" than you might be hoping for. You could always add a valance or cabot, but that would work mostly with a more traditional style.




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  If you want to block the view but still need light, there are a variety of companies that provide adhesive sheets that stick onto windows and provide privacy, but still allow light through, and give some tidy pattern too. http://www.surfacematerialdesign.co.uk/
  

I hope that these ideas help, and good luck with your design.

Warm Modernism

Some people who read this blog are probably surprised to find out that I am a huge fan of modernism. I feel very strongly though that just because a room is modern, there is absolutely no reason for it to be cold and uninviting. I give the above room as an example, it is one of the favorite rooms that I have ever done, it was for a young family and they wanted something that felt modern, yet at the same time, somewhere where they could relax and hang out with their kids.

When approaching a modern room, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Keep the color palette neutral, let the architecture be the star
• I like to have only one or two patterned fabrics in the room. In this case I put a very subtle damask on the sofa, it gives a sense of tradition, but the silhouette of the sofa, keeps it feeling very modern.
• Make it all about the texture, I like to use all sorts of textures, from a luxurious wool rug, to silk pillows to venetian plaster on the wall, they all create a sense of the hand of man, that I think is crucial to making a space feel inviting.
• Modern doesn't have to be new. One of the hallmarks of modernism was that form was defined by function, this is not a new idea, I included a Japanese table and a pair of African stools, both of which the form was driven by it's function.
• Please don't ignore the windows, they often look, clearer, taller and more expansive when there is drapes, and boy does it make it more inviting.

Well I hope that you are now willing to attack the new modern house!

Answer Day: Lighting

I received a question during the week, asking me to share some thoughts about how best to light a room, and what kind of fixtures were best to use. I like this question because I have very definite feelings on the subject, and I hope you will find this illuminating (sorry I couldn't resist).

Fundamentally, there are two types of light, one that falls on vertical surfaces (walls, artwork etc) that provides depth to a room, and light that falls on horizontal surfaces (floors, tables etc) that provides drama to a room. You can use different types of fixtures to provide the different types of light. For instance, a recessed ceiling light will provide almost exclusively light on horizontals, while a wall sconce almost all the light falls on vertical surfaces (remember that when people are in the room, you are usually vertical, so this kind of lighting is good for rooms where you entertain, and is considered flattering).

So the short answer to the question, is that you want to create a mix of different light sources, so that the room has a good dynamic feel.

Here are some tips you might find helpful:

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  Start with the light on horizontal surfaces, use it to create a visual path through the room, it will stop the space from feeling too chaotic.


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  Fixtures that provide this kind of light include recessed lights, ceiling lights that are very close to the ceiling, not hanging low, and table or standing lamps with opaque shades.


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  Remember that the ceiling is usually part of the horizontal surfaces in the room, make sure you place some lamps in a way that will get lighting up there too, it will make a huge difference.


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  When adding lighting onto vertical surfaces, pay attention to where people are going to be sitting and standing, you don't want light falling directly in your eyes.


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  Try and create one or two focal points on the walls around the room, that can be lit a little brighter, this will make the space feel larger and provide some depth.


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  When there are other spaces leading off your room, be sure to pay attention to their light, you don't want black holes!


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  Lastly experiment with bulbs of different wattage and color, it can make a big difference too and enable you to create warmer and cooler spots more easily.

I hope this brightens your day :)

Outdoor Rooms

With Summer right around the corner it is time to start preparing for outdoor entertaining and living. I am not sure if it is a Southern California thing, or an Australian heritage thing, but come summer, I barely see the inside of my house. I read outside, cook outside, eat outside, and generally live in the outdoors. A lot of that is because of great outdoor rooms, that cater to that kind of lifestyle. That is what I wanted to talk about today; how to go about transforming an ordinary outdoor space into a real room that you will use and cherish, here are some ideas:

• First of all identify how you live, do you spend time at a table, playing cards or games, or are you more of a lounger, it is crucial that you honestly look at what your needs are before you tackle any seating plan.




• Now that you know what your needs are, zone out the space that you have, create areas so that each member of the family has there particular needs met, for me this means a shady spot and a big floor cushion for my two dogs.




• Now, how to furnish this? If this was a regular room would you ever buy a whole suite where the chairs, sofa, and tables were all from the same series? Probably not. So don't do the same thing with outdoor furniture, mix it up a little, you will be amazed how much warmer and cozier it feels when you use different styles and patterns, just like a regular room




• Now don't forget the floor, there are a lot of exterior rugs on the market from vinyl to teak, that can really warm up a space, all of the major furniture companies sell them from Crate and Barrel to Ikea.




• Another idea is outdoor drapery, it will transform your porch into a full fledged room, in a matter of minutes. There are a lot of company's now that sell well priced exterior fabrics that you can easily have made into drapes.




• Also you may want to try some color. In the South often times you will see blue used on the ceilings of porches, apparently to keep away wasps, but it also adds a nice warmth to the space, colored ceilings are a personal favorite, and it will help this outdoor room feel more special and inviting.

Anyway, Good Luck with your adventures

Monday is Answer Day

I have received a few questions this week, asking suggestions for window treatments in bedrooms. The questions have varied from, how do I create blackout conditions and still have a beautiful window, to, what can I do as an interim solution, till I can afford what i really want.

Well the first question is a little easier to address: I am a huge fan of layering window treatments, by combining drapery with shades of some sort. This technique creates a detailed, finished feel and gives you the benefit of flexibility. You can use the drapes to create blackout conditions, and the shade to filter light at times when you want some privacy, but not darkness. In the first image above you can see that i did drapery that provided blackout, then layered that with a bamboo shade that provides filtering of light when needed. There is the added benefit of using the shade to help improve the scale of the door too. Also you can see in this image that i used wooden shutters on either side of the bed, as another way to control the light. I like to use different techniques, depending on the situation. The second picture shows a similar idea but using a fabric shade.

The second question is a bit more challenging, what to do if what you want is not within reach now. Well there are several companies that provide "drapes in a box" Silk trading is one of them, as well as a few other large catalog companies, these are usually good resources that can be affordable. One thing to keep in mind, since these are temporary, maybe you try out some ideas that stretch your design concept more. For Instance if you go for an inexpensive venetian blind, try it in bright orange or another strong color, that you wouldn't be willing to try on your permanent stuff. Sometimes the best design happens in those unexpected places.

Good Luck! let me know how it works out. Remember Monday is always answer day, so if you have any questions or design dilemma, post it here and I will try and help with suggestions.

Unusual Fabrics for Window Treatments

I have posted two images of a room that I did recently where I used an unusual fabric to create interest in a small TV room. The fabric that I used was a series of antique sari's from India. Each window used a different sari (you can see in the detail shot that the pattern is slightly different in each one). I had them all dyed so that the color would unify them, so that they look like a set. The point that I am trying to make is when doing treatments like this, you are not limited to using fabric off a bolt, available by the yard.

Here are some ideas you might want to consider:

• In a kitchen, find a cool old table cloth that you could make a shade from.
• Often you can find large Ethnic style fabrics especially from Turkey or Batik from Asia, they are usually printed on large pieces of fabric and would make a stunning drape.
• For a beach house, what about terry cloth?
• Ultra suede, available at most fabric stores, is a terrific fabric for a modern style window treatment that is very clean and tailored.... and it doesn't have to be seamed so its a nice no-sew option.
• I have even seen drapes in a kids room made from old jeans sewn together...now that's an idea.

Window treatments are a great way to inject personality into a room, have fun with them. I would love to see some ideas that you come up with,,, if you send them in I will happily post them.