décor Archives - Custom Drapery Designs

Patterns and textures draw the eyes home

What draws a person into a room? Is it the light or colors? The ambiance? Is it the furniture and decor? Often it’s a mixture of all of these and so many more intimate details. Two aspects of design that, without fail, either make or break a room are pattern and texture.

Without definitive pattern, nothing leads the eyes or directs attention. And, often, without texture, style falls flat or lacks a welcoming quality each room deserves. Pattern and texture come from obvious items, such as fabrics; but they can be found in a number of other ways as well. Layering fabrics adds a texture dimension. Such depth can be achieved through valances and sheer overlays. Bonus features like rugs, pillows and properly-placed throws do this as well; and each of these items can promote patterns that lead the eyes in and invite them stay.

Trimmings—our focus in last month’s blog—add character and charm as well as dimension and texture. The Suzanne Kasler Collection II offers the perfect example of texture in trim with designs that stand out. Suzanne’s inspiration comes from traveling around the globe; and hints of damask, suzani and other classic styles promote a worldly flair guaranteed to infuse culture into any room. Keep that in mind for next month’s blog as we focus our design attention on other cultures, climates and characteristics.

Another great trim option comes from Ellen S. Holt, Inc. We recently snapped a picture of some of her wide custom trims at her fabulous showroom in Dallas. These trimmings are statement pieces by themselves, but paired with the right fabrics? Talk about a dynamic design! Another great option to showcase both texture and pattern using a smaller medium also comes from Ms. Holt—Jute Finials. These unique finials are fashioned using four single strands of jute, a coarse thread produced from the fibers of a tropical plant. The cords are then precisely wrapped around wooden finials. Jute finials are some of those simple, elegant details that take a design aspect from useful to unique.

A splash of texture can go a long way in adding an extra realm to a completed room. One of our favorite projects at Custom Drapery Designs is this dining chair reupholstery which utilized Robert Allen fabrics as well as some added velvet softness in strategic places for the perfect couture detailed finish.

Matte fabrics serve to calm a space while more shiny materials reflect light and create a more stimulating environment. Silkier materials can also highlight certain colors and patterns. Often, fabrics such as Stroheim’s Palace Silks, bring shine and texture to the table…or windows…or furniture.

While texture lures in the hands for a feel of the beauty in design, it’s pattern that grabs the eyes’ attention in the first place. Vertical lines magically create more height in a room and horizontal lines seem to push the walls apart. But, that’s not all they do! A well-placed pillow with vertical lines—like the one in our first picture—immediately draws your eyes up and beyond the couch to the magnificent draperies behind it. Horizontal lines, chevrons or waves (as seen in the Duralee Moulin Wovens Collection swatch above) broaden a room while simultaneously bringing the entire design together. Honeycomb patterns help the eye zero in on a central feature.

Hunter Douglas window coverings make great central features for any room and often add texture and pattern. With their light-filtering shades, Hunter Douglas knows how to welcome in just the right amount of light in just the right way. As a Hunter Douglas Showcase Dealer, CDD is proud to offer their products to our clients. Hunter Douglas is committed not only to offering top-quality products, but also to rewarding customers with rebates throughout the year. Spring is a great time to update window shades or panels with the Celebration of Light Savings Event. Call CDD today to get more information!

blog - 05/04/2015

Bring on the sun and color!!

Warm beams of sun pierce the thick layers of winter cold and find uplifted arms welcoming its warmth and light. Spring peeks around the corner and teases with a splash of color here, a new hue there. As creation awakens after its winter of slumber, you may find it’s time to renew your home as well.

We have some outstanding options to add warmth with the latest colors and styles to your home. If you long for the fashion, flair and flow of LA and Palm Springs, look no further than Trina Turk’s Indoor/Outdoor Collection for Schumacher. Turk, a lauded fashion designer, has found a new following within the interior design world. Her inspirations—California’s diverse architecture and landscapes—pop with the bursts of color and exploding patterns in this collection. You will bring the colors of the ocean, sand, sun and latest designer trends to your home, no matter how far from the Pacific you may be.

With prints you’ll want to use anywhere, Trina Turk’s collection is durable enough to withstand the elements. “Sunbrella® branded solution dyed outdoor acrylic yarns” create woven fabrics that are soft to the touch and feature twill and canvas weaves. Between the vibrant colors and the subtle textures, you and your guests will not be able to keep your eyes or hands off your new décor.

Brimar’s versatile collection of trimmings offers a simple, yet stunning solution to brighten up any look. Take the sophistication and style of the indoors out and the durability and beauty of the outdoors in with their flexible indoor/outdoor trim. Embellish your design on patios, porches or verandas; around pools; in cabanas, bathrooms, conservatories, sunrooms or solariums.

Color is king with the Spring 2013 Pigment Collection from Robert Allen Design Group. This vivacious collection combines “edgy” with “classic” and launches on the 30th anniversary of the Group’s Color Library collections. It includes four tones that blend in perfect design harmony—Viridian (green), Cobalt (blue), Fuchsia (pink) and Turquoise (greenish-blue).

“Color in its purest form can be found in the pigment used for centuries in the creation of artists’ paint. We were particularly drawn to the vivid green and brilliant blue in the paintings of modern artists and designed a palette of bright colors to complement them,” the Robert Allen Design Group shares on their website.

This fashion-forward collection pays homage to classical art and promises to provide the perfect palette for any design challenge. And, with so many classic colors, this collection provides a perfect avenue to incorporate the rise of spring in your home.

blog - 03/12/2013

Clients inspire passion for couture

Happy 2013!! With the new year comes a new look for our website, a reflection on some of our inspiration and a renewed commitment to the excellence Custom Drapery Designs, LLC has always exhibited. Visit our updated site and take a moment to browse our galleries and watch a few videos highlighting many of our products. Let us know what you think; we always love to hear from our friends!

For me, design is far more than an occupation; it is a passion. I have always been fascinated with the art of fashion—constantly sketching on receipts, napkins and other scraps of paper during lunches, church services and road trips. So, it only seems natural that, as an adult, I have discovered the world of drapery design as an outlet for my passion for the art of couture fashion. In the words of legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, “In fashion we’ve reached complete freedom of expression. There is a spirit of total liberation and freedom.”

In October, I found myself surrounded by history and beauty as well as fashion and inspiration in London. I also found new ways to express my passion for couture while studying and exploring “The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957,” an exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

So, what is couture? It is a creative expression through the medium of fabric which combines the skilled construction techniques of a high level of quality and workmanship, exacting standards, a delicacy in composition, a level of technical complexity requiring skillful handling and classical antiquity brought together using fabrics from only the top manufacturers. In short, “Couture is the marriage of design and material.” Christian Dior, the great fashion designer of the 1940s and 1950s, knew what he was talking about and used his knowledge of and passion for couture to expand local fashion into a global phenomenon, spreading his name worldwide and opening the door for many more designers.

Dior and other designers—Laurent, Jean Desses, John Cavanagh and Sir Cecil Beaton—during the “golden age” of fashion history (1947-1957) defined couture with exceptional sense of color, mastery of feminine tailoring, simplicity of line, fragility of work, mastery of manipulating fabrics and fascination with cut and construction. A few examples of their ground-breaking techniques include selecting texture in fabrics such as chiffon, embroidering on delicate silks and utilizing precise and intricate pleating to create luscious volume and graceful movement.

“The true representatives of fashion are often those whose surprising originality leads them to a very private outward expression of themselves.” I love this quote from Sir Beaton! In every project, Custom Drapery Designs places great focus on our clients’ individualism through window treatment design made from quality textiles. We highlight each delicate detail with unwavering attention to a couture quality of workmanship. Our inspirations range from larger-than-life, billowing historic costumes to the runway’s current fashion of soft gathered swags which seem to envelope the model in a breath. And, I can often be found perusing couture fashion boards on Pinterest or Au fil des passions, a favorite Facebook page.

Art, design and fashion are my passions. I search through the lens of these passions to draw from all aspects of life the inspirations that wed my clients’ individuality to produce the designs I create in their homes and offices. I love interior design because, through it, I transform my clients’ homes and offices “to a very private outward expression of themselves.”

One of the intricate details that sets our projects apart and allows for further distinctiveness is variety in the poles, finials, tie backs, swag holders, tab holders, cornices, brackets and rings we choose. Three new favorites are Deco & Deco Premium Hardware; the Jackie Von Tobel for Helser Brothers, Inc. drapery hardware collection; and Fabricut Modern Surfaces drapery hardware collection.

Deco & Deco™ by Krish Deco LTD manifests elegance and class in this sleek, sophisticated collection of drapery hardware. The beauty of this hardware shines through its finishes with Murano glass hand-made in Italy, brushed nickel, bronze, solid brass and antiques; and the versatility lies in both traditional and contemporary models.

Jackie Von Tobel and Helser Brothers prove to be a great team with a hardware collection that breaks the rules and allows for even more customization. Von Tobel said, “When I first began talking with the fabulous Helser Brothers about a collaboration, it became clear to me that this was a fantastic opportunity to create a fresh new line that would address the versatility required for today’s window treatment designs. It was a chance to think out of the box and design hardware that would be able to be used in many different configurations rather than having each piece be pigeon holed for one use.”

In this collection, finials find homes as tie backs or swag holders; and tab holders fill in as rod brackets or join together as cornices. Pieces called “tassels” can be ordered and used individually within treatment designs as trim or attached to rings to enhance the design. We adore the tear drop accent piece above and look forward to incorporating that in upcoming designs! This collection can find a home among both modern and traditional décors with metallic or hand-painted finishes.

Fabricut’s Modern Surfaces Collection expands upon its Modern Fusion Collection, adding two new metal finishes as well as uniquely innovative finial designs and promising to be “the ultimate in modern décor.”

By using industry leaders such as these three companies to tie together each project with new and exciting facets, Custom Drapery Designs strives to be your choice for “exquisite couture details” in 2013 and many years to come.

blog - 01/20/2013

Manipulating fabric and focusing on details

Next time you’re browsing through fabric, look past the silk, satin and cotton and visualize something different, something uniquely YOU! One of our favorite fellow drapery designers and personal friend with The Wendel Works in Houston, Texas, inspired just that in the stunning gold drapery you see in the right-hand corner of the collage above. She cross-stitched and pleat tucked the rich fabric to create her own fabric, adding mini pearls for that little something extra. This drapery heading is an excellent example of the art of manipulating fabrics to create a brand new style. She took something beautiful in itself and turned it into an extraordinary window adornment with all the elegance of a royal wedding while maintaining the comfort of home.

Successful manipulation of fabric can be achieved by a multitude of design tricks. You could make a bold block statement by horizontally splicing together yards of color silk fabrics or create multiple layers of horizontal folds. Design or stencil a custom or Celtic band on your drapery’s hem for another unique option.

Or, take a tip from the runway: laser cutting. This technique, known well to anyone in metal work, burns away the material leaving a surprisingly high-quality finished edge and a plethora of designs. The endless expanse of your imagination is the only limit when it comes to manipulating fabric!

In design, details don’t just matter; often they make the project. For this reason Custom Drapery Designs, LLC strives to seek out the best and most current trends in design “bling!” Kravet’s new Modern Metal and Crystals hardware collection will add a little pop to the top of your drapery and includes five finial shapes and four finishes: polished nickel, satin nickel, mercury and satin gold. Diamondhead upholstery tack offers a new and exciting way to incorporate some summer sparkle to just about any surface in your home. These aren’t just any nails—they shimmer with genuine Bohemian crystals from the Czech Republic and luster art glass cabochon stones. And, they can be applied to many projects including mirror or art frames, room dividers, walls, cabinets, tables, cornice boxes and—as seen in the collage above—headboards and footboards.

We look forward to marrying that last use with our new product—bedding! We are excited to offer more options for your home within the windows as we team up with Eastern Accents. They create both traditional and contemporary bedding in addition to Italian fine linens, many styles of pillows and holiday décor. This company gives a great American dream story as they have grown since 1989 from the vision of a husband-and-wife team with one designer and two sewers to a booming 300+ employee business in the heart of Chicago. The Portia Collection, their new 2012 spring look included in our collage, is one example of the details Eastern Accents engages from bedding to pillows to throws to drapery and so much more. Wrap yourself up and snuggle down in new design all around your bedroom this season!

And last, but certainly not least, showcase watercolor art in your designs with Bluebellgray, a Scottish textile design company. As their website shows, Bluebellgray is “influenced by a love of colour and all things floral; the designs are something unique and special, each design is painted by hand in the Bluebellgray studio before being printed onto natural cottons and linens using state of the art printing technology. The printing methods used by Bluebellgray enable every brushstroke and colour to be captured enhancing the feel of the hand painted design.” To design an art lover’s oasis, check out Bluebellgray’s inspirational line.

blog - 05/31/2012

Custom Drapery Designs, LLC, serves Dallas and the surrounding metroplex with all aspects of a custom design project. From in-home consultation to project management to exquisite couture details to a perfect installation, we do it all.

972-881-5222