Every design project we tackle comes full of challenges. Brenda Baxter, owner and principal designer of Custom Drapery Designs, shares a few common ones as well as how she approaches each one.

Exquisite couture details blend fashion with function.

CDD gives careful attention to detail on every project. Each step in our behind-the-scenes construction considers both aesthetic value and functional durability for our clients. This focus continues through the installation.

Ease of movement and lack of space shouldn’t hinder beauty of design.

We listen to our clients because they know both their style and lifestyle needs. Sometimes these necessities lead to extra custom drapery challenges in the design’s installation. That just gives us the opportunity to take the puzzle we’ve been given and move pieces around until we achieve a spectacular finish.

Behind-the-scenes features elevate custom drapery designs.

Brenda and her team commit to going the extra mile in their custom drapery work. In this video, she highlights small details that elevate a grand design. This installation in one of the Texas A&M­–Commerce libraries combines working with the right blend of fabrics, lining with proper layers, adding a micro welt with the fabric splices, mounting to the ceiling and allowing draperies to cascade to the floor. Now it’s your turn! Contact us today so we can transform your custom drapery challenges into exquisite solutions.

When you consider draperies or think about upholstered furniture, your bathroom likely doesn’t come to mind first. Or second. Or maybe even third! At Custom Drapery Designs, we couldn’t think of a more interesting room in which to create customized pieces that transform a space from a functional necessity into a luxurious getaway.

Bring the Spa Home

If you want to make your bathroom an oasis, a touch of fabric may be just what you need to take your design to a whole other level.

We didn’t want to leave this lovely room once our task was completed! Two pieces of furniture upholstered with just the right fabric and fabulous trim perfectly completes this design.

This vanity chair makes a statement with its Scalamandré velvet damask fabric. Don’t you just want to sink down onto that plush cushion? We couldn’t have been more pleased with the way the pewter nail head trim and decorative tassel perfectly completed this piece.

To add one more luxurious touch, we upholstered this tufted ottoman with a durable gray fabric. We used indoor/outdoor fabric to stand up to any splashing from the nearby garden tub. Its color pairs well with the cabinetry, and we added Scalamandré Zardozi velvet tape in mineral and pewter to complete the look. A little beaded trim goes a long way in enhancing any design.

Maintain Symmetry in Multiple Spaces

When our clients trust us with their entire dwelling, we couldn’t be more pleased. It is our pleasure to partner with a family and transform their house into a home through a design makeover. One of the challenges with this is to maintain a sense of balance and symmetry throughout the rooms while giving each space its own voice.

This client chose us to create a custom Roman shade for above the tub in her master bathroom. She was so pleased with the result that she invited us back for a guest bathroom makeover.

For the master, we used Kravet fabric with Scalamandré Greek key velvet tape along the edges. In keeping with the same influence, we chose a similar trim from Schumacher—marine Greek key. While these fabrics aren’t the same—or even come from the same company—the subtle similarities allow for a lovely sense of unity between the rooms.

We took the design in the guest bath up a couple more notches with a custom cornice above the bath. And, in keeping with our love for highlighting details, we incorporated a diamond pattern in the stitching of the cornice to mimic the diamond pattern within the room’s cabinetry.

These are the little aspects we’re most passionate about in the designs we create.

Embrace Multiple or Odd-shaped Windows

Some rooms house delightfully unique designs, often including the windows. Many homeowners find the task of covering windows with odd sizes or shapes a bit daunting. However, as we showed you last month, we love the challenge!

In this bathroom, the owner found these three narrow windows above their lovely soaker tub perplexing. We first covered them with custom Silhouette shades from Hunter Douglas. These shades not only look beautiful, they are incredibly functional. They are motorized for full control of light and privacy with the click of a remote control or use of a mobile app.

We didn’t want to cover up such beautiful shadings entirely, so we topped it with a custom design using elegant aqua damask fabric from Fabricut. Then, to add those custom details we’re known for, we added a glass beaded trim from Samuel & Sons. Their sparkle perfectly completed this delightful design.

Bring on More Custom Designs …

Last month we looked at how we highlight and accentuate oddly-shaped or uniquely-sized windows. That kicked off our series of home design challenges that CDD addresses on a regular basis. Check back next month to learn more about our passion for custom upholstery and re-upholstery. Finally, we’ll bring together photos from a house that hit all three of these challenges and add a few extra room views. We can’t wait to share that with you!

In the meantime, give us a shout today to set up your in-home consultation.

Custom drapery design extends far beyond typical rectangular windows. In our vast experience, we’ve addressed oddly shaped or sized windows, rooms that present unique challenges for designers and the additional task of pairing new designs with existing furniture and décor.

Over the next few months, we’ll share some of our favorite completed designs that overcame each of these issues, beginning here with interesting shapes and sizes. Recently, an entire house redesign presented us opportunities to handle each of these difficulties under one roof. We’ll share photos from that project in every post; and then, in one final blog, we’ll revisit that home and show you how the entire project came together.

Quite often we encounter clients with windows in unique shapes or unusual sizes or extraordinary locations. Custom Drapery Designs delights in accepting the challenge of dressing these special openings with all the flair they deserve.

Trapezoids take the custom design cake.

A little while back, we had a client who called us with a window concern. He had—of all things—a trapezoid-shaped window! We appreciate unique architecture and style, so we eagerly anticipated seeing what we had to work with and to finding a way to cover the space in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

We took measurements and considered the unique hinge needs since shutters would only be able to open a certain way. This took careful thought and planning.

Not only did we manage to cover the special shape with custom shutters, but we also gave it a clean and modern look by excluding the tilt rod typical of traditional coverings. We call that a win!

Arches find artwork to match their shape.

Some of our favorite windows include arches. The shape itself boasts something rather grand. We never want to cover these or detract from their lovely shape. For this dining room, we headed straight to Tableaux® for a custom design piece that doubles as artwork itself.

The Decorative Grilles from Tableaux offer a variety of materials, colors and designs to team up for a custom design. We chose a lighter color to pair perfectly with the existing wall color.

To continue with the light and airy feel of the color palette, we custom-made soft and sheer drapery to complete the design.

Design oddities disappear when you accentuate the positive.

Every now and then, we find a design that just doesn’t make sense. One of our clients contacted us about their formal dining room. It called out to us to make it shine, so that’s just what we did!

The high ceilings got our wheels turning. That window, though, stopped us in our tracks for a moment. Off-center and sporting obvious differences in arch scale from the ceiling above, the window needed some additional tender loving care.

We partnered with an Italian plaster artist to customize the vaulted ceiling. The results? Stunning. The drapery had to be equally as impressive to match. Plus, it needed to make the window’s challenges less noticeable. We worked up some sketches for the client and then set out to bring them to life.

The richly flowing drapery—GP & J. Baker bronze silk—cascades to the floor. We used a tassel braid decorative trim from Brimar along the lead edge. Matching medallion holdbacks and tassel tiebacks pull the luscious coverings back on either side.

The waterfall of overlapping swags demanded an exquisite top. We did not disappoint with a custom arch cornice board covered in solid Dupioni silk in a Moon Glow color. Atop the silky arch, we added a custom wrought iron floral accent from Gaby’s Shoppe, an artisan iron company in Dallas.

The end result took our client’s breath away, and we continued transforming each room of their home into a livable show home.

Custom drapery designs bend to fit any wall.

How do you cover a wall full of long, slender windows when the wall itself bows out on the edges and curves a few more times in the middle? By customizing a traversing rod!

We went out for an in-home consultation with the client and took precise measurements in this breakfast nook. While the rod was being built, we spent some time in the factory where we watched the process and approved the custom colors.

Once it was complete, we headed back for the install. The rod perfectly followed the shape of the ceiling with all its crazy curves, allowing the sheer draperies to frame the windows just so.

Custom Drapery Designs would love to address any challenging windows you may have. We’re always up for a challenge! Call us today for all your window needs—strangely-shaped, unusually-sized or oddly-placed. We’ve got you covered!