details Archives - Custom Drapery Designs

think HANDMADE

Good design in a room opens up conversation and sets the stage for memories, inspiration and so much more. When that design includes handmade elements, the room becomes a story teller.

At Custom Drapery Designs, we love to tell stories; which is why each design we complete is unique to each home owner and completed with the best quality materials. Any handmade materials used are simply the icing on the cake; but every completed project CDD does is a hands-on process from concept to installation.

Brenda Baxter, owner and principal designer, says: “Custom couture or handmade art alludes delicate details with breathtaking quality and professional craftsmanship. I believe couture quality is the broad scope understanding of both the nature of fabric and confidence in creativity. The value of couture or ‘handmade’ is understood when realizing the value of delicate personalized detail created by an artist. We consider our drapery design as art with individualism and the understanding of the nature of textiles and decorative elements. CDD teams with workrooms who are proven professional craftsmen with outstanding care given to the tiniest of detail. Together, building ‘wow’ factor.”

During Brenda’s September visit to Paris and the MAISON&OBJET Observatoire de la Maison, she spent time examining the materials of two companies that share her passion for these details—STRIGO and Maison Fey. These two companies are different because of their age—one still a young company; the other, more of a historical institution—but both commit themselves to quality in the details.

STRIGO’s origin comes from two sisters’ journey across the legendary Silk Road and their visits with ancient trade towns along the way. Cathrin and Tina Ott took a trip they will never forget and discovered embroideries that planted the seeds of their very own company. Four short (but full) years ago, these sisters committed to bringing “the richness of the ancient textile technique to a modern and professional level” through STRIGO. One year after its founding, the Munich-based company enjoyed a very successful debut at MAISON&OBJET in 2012. So, early on, the company’s dedication to the details earned them international applause.

Each material with the STRIGO stamp of approval comes from family-based artisanal workshops in Germany and Uzbekistan. Brenda loved meeting the sisters and found herself surrounded by inspiration while browsing their bedspreads, custom embroidery throws and lovely cushions, which are paired with individually-chosen linings such as alpaca fur, cashmere, goat suede, handwoven silk and linen.

From the beginning of the process, the customer chooses each detail of his or her finished product, including the color and linings. According to STRIGO’s website, “The embroideries for a throw alone take a well-versed artisan three months to make.”

Brenda knows her clients agree that handmade items and custom-designed pieces are well worth the wait. It’s all about the story and the journey of taking quality materials and turning them into a unique masterpiece.

Maison Fey, at more than 105 years old, knows something about that journey. The leather craftsmen at this Paris company complete a five- to seven-year internal training in order to produce leather products that are simply works of art on fine Cordoba leather.

“What caught my eye was the art the craftsmen created with stamped leather,” Brenda said. “They apply a stamped design to a thick cardboard before actually applying to the leather of choice. I was so impressed with the precision and attention to detail even with the cardboard sample that I bought their remnant for myself. I began to think of how this technique could be applied to window treatments. A stamped leather cutting would look outstanding featured as a cornice board with beautiful silk or textured fabrics draping from underneath. Creating a conversation piece!”

The embossed cardboard piece shown is used by the craftsmen to practice before the actual leather is stamped. Then, this leather can be used as textured wallpaper that can be painted to any chosen color. As we examined in last month’s blog, bringing texture to the walls takes design to another dimension.

Each detail of a design works together to create a completed masterpiece that fits a home and its owner; and, when those details come from such intricate processes, it makes the story one worth sharing from generation to generation.

blog - 12/15/2015

Custom Drapery Designs delights in the importance and prominence of texture in design. This lovely detail transforms a flat design to a multi-dimensional experience; and, many times, accessories offer the best examples of texture.

During Brenda Baxter’s trip to Paris in September, she collected new and exciting products with which to add extra dimensions to future designs. (See last month’s blog sharing some of the inspiration she brought back across the ocean.) Her hotel even got her creative juices flowing and inspired her to snap this photo while resting from her walking tours of the city. Hotel d’Aubusson may very well inspire some upcoming designs! The lobby boasts magnificent elegant draperies which perfectly complement the rustic beams. And, ideally placed accessories bring it all together to make a perfectly-designed package.

Art provides a great starting point for adding depth to a design. Like we saw last time, many fabrics are art pieces in themselves and create an extra dimension or make a fantastic statement to set a room apart. This lovely example of Graffiti Art fabric from Jean Paul Gaultier adds a pop of modern flair to an older furniture style. This chair coupled with a solid drapery background brings both elegance and fashion to any room.

Brenda browsed several showrooms in Paris, including Èlitis. She was particularly drawn to their Artémis and Algaé collections with larger-than-life prints on cotton-linen mix sheers. These flowy fabrics provide the perfect canvas for
watercolor-inspired designs. Artémis brings a pop of color through its detailed flowers. Algaé mimics the colors and shapes of elements in nature from lily pads on a pond to moss encircling a great tree to the variations in color shades in the waters in a lake. These collections bring the outdoors in and add the illusion of stepping into a magical spot somewhere in the great expanse of nature. Close your eyes and you can almost hear the mystical notes of fairies and dryads.

Pillows, throws and rugs join art as great starting points for a design. Custom pillows can mimic the colors and textures of a room’s draperies and add depth and warmth to any space. These lovely pillows on display in the Lelievre Paris showroom show the range of possible options with this accessory—dark colors, light colors, patterned, simple, decorated with tassels and trims…the possibilities are as varied as people and their styles! Lelievre embraces the history of fabrics and carries those ideals into modern times with rich, luxurious fabrics and sensuous silks paired brilliantly with timeless solids.

Pairing more busy patterns with solids offers great design potential. And, don’t shy away from lighter colors…even white or off-white—be prepared to hear much more on that in 2016! Also, check out these simply elegant stonewashed linen pillows from the Èlitis Veda collection. We love the contrast of the deep violet with the white and the detailed decorative stitching along the seams—simply making a statement! A careful mixture of textiles adds dimension to a room as well. A great design can mix and match silks, linens and velvets through the use of properly-placed accessories. The depth and added dimension multiple fabric types bring to design opens the door to a new horizon for interior styles. Pairing rugs and throws that play off one another in texture and style pumps up a design.

During a recent installation, Custom Drapery Designs chose some new trimmings from Stroheim to add some custom pizzazz to a room. Brenda chose this Nuage in Moss trimming by Charles Faudree. An interior designer and philanthropist, Faudree passed away in 2013; but not before making a great impact on the design community. Within his collection on Stroheim’s website he is quoted as saying, “You can have a lot invested in throw pillows with trims and fringes. But, it’s the frosting on the cake; the detail that really makes a room…it’s important.”

While touring the Èlitis showroom in Paris, Brenda swooned over their decorative pillows. She looks forward to using a number of them in upcoming designs. These “art pieces,” as she refers to them, come in a variety of sizes, highlighting the company’s signature large patterns and solids with tiny lip cord accents that add a signature finishing touch. It’s these exquisite couture details that Custom Drapery Designs seeks out for our clients and their designs. It’s in life’s little details that the greatest beauty often lies.

One final way to achieve great depth in design is through textured walls. That’s right—texture comes across in way more than fabrics! Stamped wallcoverings, like this one from Èlitis, simply tie a room all together and add depth in a surprisingly refreshing way. These wallcoverings feature “natural plant materials in wood, bamboo and paper mâché” and create “a world of walls made up of simplicity and sophistication.”

While modern technologies allow many new textiles and colors and patterns, handmade items retain their unique values. Clients do not mind waiting for fabrics that are hand-painted or hand-sewn. Handmade rugs, like we saw in a previous post, are in high demand. The stories behind these pieces and the obvious attention to detail in the work make for timeless additions to any room’s design. Join us next time for a closer look at the beauty of handmade textiles and get ready to chat with some industry leaders whose commitment to handmade captured CDD’s attention.

blog - 12/08/2015

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

Embellishments enhance design

Recently, InStyle Magazine posted this question: “What’s your favorite take on the texture trend?” Embellishments took the top spot with 63% of responding readers making that their choice.

Custom Drapery Designs LOVES embellishments. In each project we take on, we look for the little things—the details—to make each design unique and an embodiment of our clients’ personal styles. These exquisite couture details take our drapery, bedding and upholstery to a higher level. These “little things” are what set us apart and make our clients more than simply satisfied.

We look for the colors, the inspirations and the passions in our clients’ homes and offices and incorporate these aspects into more than just our fabric choices. From multi-colored tassels on a valance that plays off the colors in a nearby abstract expressionist painting to Swarovski crystals added to tie in with an existing master bedroom chandelier, Custom Drapery Designs seeks to major on the minors and make the details shine in every design—both indoors and outdoors.

Here are a few samples of some of our favorite embellishments:

This valance personifies understated elegance with its sheer overlay, tiered hem and decorative braid gimp trim detail.

We spiced up this relaxed Roman shade by featuring a classic silk onion tassel fringe paired with Brazilian Glow crystal nailheads on the fabric splice.

blog - 06/05/2014

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

Global inspiration brings the world to your home

Salām from Dubai!!

We recently returned to Texas from an incredible and inspirational visit to Dubai. The culture, the people and the sites warmed us; and the local textiles and spices fueled our passion for creativity and innovations in our designs. The Dubai integration of muted and bold colors within a varied collection of patterns stirred us and remained at the forefront of our design plans for the future as we returned home to similar fine details mimicked in this season’s fabrics.

By framing your windows with these fabrics, you, too, will experience the warm breeze and breathe in the warm and spicy fragrances of the Dubai spice souk…cinnamon, coriander, saffron, cloves and frankincense.

Southern Belle turned Big Apple Sensation Charlotte Moss has been known to bend a few rules and incorporate many cultures into designs that epitomize American style. Her new collections with Fabricut include materials boasting subtle patterns, bold patterns, bright colors and muted colors as diverse and impressive as the inspirational female explorers and travelers for whom they are named. And, her collection of trim adds a pop of culture with the look and the names of big cities from Moss’ travels around the globe.

Life and all its experiences inspire Moss. She was quoted in a recent Elle Decor article:

“We designers act as filters, sopping up what we see, where we go and who we meet. Everything funnels through and ends up somewhere, sometime, in what we do and create.”

While her philosophy–”live passionately, decorate luxuriously and entertain beautifully”–is as big and bold as her designs; her focus remains steadfast: “Fine-tune your point of view. It’s what defines style.”

Her energy, passion and focus are characteristics Custom Drapery Designs, LLC. seeks to emulate in our own creations. The sketch here provides an example of our pairing of a Kravet fabric with a Charlotte Moss delicate glass bead trim. This combination stuns with gathered puckers and graduating height and reminds us of the warm light of a lamp reflecting on a tent during one memorable dinner in Dubai.

Another exciting fabric line we have added is Trend, a division of Fabricut, with outstanding quality and style at an affordable price. Their Jaclyn Smith Home Collection can give your drapes an unforgettable look that is sure to have your guests’ attentions!

We believe in the importance of every detail of drapery design, which is why we are excited about the Helser Brothers Artisan forged iron drapery hardware. The pictured prototype is a breath-taking inspiration for some of our upcoming projects.

Brothers-turned-business partners, Jay and Mark Helser founded their company in 1996 on their principles of hard work; commitment to outstanding customer service; and production of well-built, visually stunning hardware.

blog - 03/29/2012

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