I Really Like Window Seats

I Really like window seats, there is almost nothing better on a chilly day than to curl up with a good book, and sit in the morning light. This is why in a lot of my Children's Rooms you will see me putting these in. I think it's a great habit to get the kids in and its also a great tool to use to expand into a desk/bookcase/ storage unit without overwhelming the room.

A few tips:

• Include storage under the seat, it will make it a bit higher to sit on than normal, bit its the perfect spot for a blanket or two.
• Be generous with the pillows, that will give you maximum flexibility. Also if possible go with 100% down pillows as they will be a lot softer and easier to mold to the shape you need.
• Make sure you have good lighting. Remember you are in the corner of the room, a ceiling fixture in the middle of the ceiling, may not get you the light you need. I added downlights over the top of this one to give great task lighting.
• Try to incorporate a small bookcase as part of the experience, it will be the ideal spot for those favorite books.

Resource Day: Kismet

I always like to look at things that I come across, and think about other ways that I can use them, other than the way they were intended. Todays resource is one of those things. I used to go regularly to the Santa Monica Antiques Market, and there was a woman there, Anne Driver who had this spectacular stand that sold Antique sari's from India. She sold them whole and also items that were made from them, such as small bags etc. But it was the whole cloth that interested me, the attention to detail and the workmanship was inspiring, not to mention the intense colors, so it was only a matter of time till I changed from a fan to a loyal client.

Anne's company is called Kismet, and she has grown it almost single-handedly into a socially responsible company that now provides work and income for women in India, that helps to support their independence as well as honors their skills.

But back to ways that you can use this incredible resource. In the images above, you can see that I love to use them as window treatments, whether it's as drapery or shades. Anne has literally every shade of the rainbow, so is capable of doing pretty much anything. Also, if she doesn't have the shade you need, she is a master of Dying, so might be able to create the shade that you need. I have also used these for lining lampshades, pillows, and even table runners. Some of the saris are woven with precious metals, while others have beading, but they all have a breathtaking quality of workmanship, so let your mind go wild.

I hope that you find something here to capture your imagination.

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.

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.