Fabricut Archives - Custom Drapery Designs

Detailed art defines design

Art and design frequently overlap; and Custom Drapery Designs seeks for ways to make this happen in each room we complete. Bringing intricate artistic aspects into the details of design results in those exquisite couture details that take a design to the next level and make CDD stand out.

We look for ways to take our clients’ rooms to the next level with the products we use—like this rich material from Fabricut’s French General Collection, Josephine in Rural Red. We paired it with a double row of 5/8″ decorative gimp from another favorite company—Duralee—and added these fabulous wooden tassels from Aidan Gray.

Often, it’s the “little” things that produce the largest impact. Samuel & Sons’ Patina Collection is a grouping of delicious holdbacks inspired by Alexander Calder’s jewelry and is appropriately called “jewelry for the home.” Give your home some shine and glamour with these drapery accessories, like this Zanzibar metal holdback which pairs nicely with lovely, simple chocolate draperies.

Kravet offers more stunning examples of the “little” things in their acrylic drapery hardware collections. The most recent additions come from their Modern Luxe Collection which includes acrylic finials paired with tasteful metal accents. With many options encompassing various styles, Kravet has something for every design.

Art is a world-wide language that can be spoken through many mediums: sculptures, paintings, clothing, home goods, fabrics and home accents.

Samuel & Sons brings the graceful art of Asia into your home with their Shangri-La Collection of intricately designed, hand-beaded, silk and linen borders. The art in each option could hold an admirer’s eye for many moments and the colors and designs pair perfectly with many beautiful fabrics to create draperies, pillows and furniture that are truly works of art. This is the company’s third collaboration with designer Roger Thomas. He reflected on the inspiration for the collection on his recent blog.

Fabric can be a canvas itself, as shown in Lee Jofa’s Artisan Collection of hand-blocked fabric. We can thank our friends in China and India for introducing the intricacies and unique results of block printing. In order to produce many lovely repeating patterns, a skilled craftsman precisely carves a wooden block which he then transfers from a particular ink onto the linen he is decorating. The process is long, but the end product is breathtaking and special—no two are alike. Custom Drapery Designs loves the opportunities we get to share our passion for art in design with the wonderful clients who entrust their homes to us.

blog - 09/02/2015

Inspiration beats global rhythm

Inspiration beats as the heart of design. Because designers and artisans find inspiration wherever they may find themselves, the world stands as the ultimate palette for fabric, fashion, design and handcrafts. Custom Drapery Designs brings the world home for many of our clients.

We did just that for one special client with this beautiful embroidered cherry blossom fabric with crystal finial hardware. Brenda Baxter, CDD’s owner and principal designer, shares: “Our client’s home already boasted globally-inpired designs, featuring art and accent pieces collected from all over the world. The embroidered details paired with delicately carved crystal finials strike the right balance with soft light refraction and delicate movement—a perfect complement to our client’s interior.”

Lee Jofa Willow Lake BlueCream P2009010.5

Fabricut looks to East Asia’s delicately whispering cherry blossoms for its embroidery on a linen/cotton blend. Part of the Nikara collection, this fabric with its soft cream background promises to add an elegant allure to any room while breathing comfort and welcome to all who enter. Lee Jofa offers two Asian-inspired options that are beautiful in blue. Jardin Chinois cotton fabric brings softness and sophistication to designs and Willow Lake wallpaper in blue and cream carries a global theme onto the walls for a more bold statement.

Europe has long been a rich source of inspiration in design. We included these show-stopping custom pillows and matching ottomans in a recent living room design. The pillows feature glass bead braid with French welt accent trim in burlap linen. These are the exquisite couture details CDD loves to highlight. Just like no one’s ever fully dressed without a smile; a design is never fully dressed without its details. And, global inspiration doesn’t have to be a room’s central feature like draperies or wall coverings or even upholstery on a large sofa. Often, a punch of fabric through pillows or ottomans or other room accessories make the most powerful statements.

A few years ago, inspiration came through for us while we enjoyed a traditional meal from the comfort of pillows on the ground in a tent in the Dubai desert. Brenda Baxter snapped a photo of the light from a lamp casting dancing patterns along the background of this brilliant burgundy tent.

This moment, coupled with unexpected brilliant hues lining our path at the spice markets, carried us home on wings of plans, ideas and dreams for future design projects. Inspiration rises from nature, art, other designs, light and even smells or sounds.

At the 2015 International Window Coverings Expo in January, CDD reunited with an outstanding company—Surya. Surya brings Indian inspiration and texture to the table! They offer a number of pillows and poufs rich with not only color and bold patterns but also with texture. Often, the extra “layers” that accessories like these add to a design simply “make” the whole project come together; and Surya’s materials definitely offer the perfect finishing touches.

In Ugapur, India, Surya’s employees make intricate wool rugs by hand from the wool selection process to spinning and dyeing and finally to cleaning and packing. Some take a week to make. Hand-knotted rugs—”the ultimate in Surya craftsmanship”—can take more than a year. Textures and layers are all hand-cut. The beauty, rich texture and unrivaled quality of these rugs are testament to the care and dedication of the craftsmen and women who produce them. This video inspired us with Surya’s pride in workmanship, dedication to design and commitment to the future of our world and environment; we hope it will do the same for you. Here are “The Hands and Hearts of Surya.”

blog - 06/10/2015

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Design makes the most of motion

Interior design and technology often go hand in hand to produce spectacular fluid results. Hunter Douglas’ Alustra® Vignette® Modern Roman Shades present a perfect example of this compatibility. As one of our favorite products, these timeless window coverings offer not only protection and privacy, but also fashion and the ability to simplify life. You have the power to control these beautifully textured shades with the touch of a screen thanks to Hunter Douglas’ PowerRise® with Platinum™ Technology and their Platinum App.

Custom Drapery Designs loves installing Hunter Douglas products because we know they deliver high quality every time, which is why we are a Hunter Douglas Showcase Dealer. We are proud to work with Hunter Douglas certified installers for our clients’ projects. We wire the motorized shades in order to eliminate the hassle of changing batteries on a regular basis and do so in a hidden way that will not detract from the finished design. Combine this convenience with the Platinum App and our award-winning drapery designs and our clients will be completely satisfied with their new looks! Contact us today and visit our new Hunter Douglas website to take advantage of the Season of Style Event with its big rebates, which runs now through December 16.

Our goal is to offer our clients the highest quality products available for interior design. This is why we partner with companies such as Hunter Douglas for shadings and Stroheim and Fabricut for fabrics. Stroheim’s Color Gallery expands this season with the Malachite palette. Born from the earth and inspired by nature and the runway, the Malachite gallery showcases the variety found in the blue-cast green shades of the mineral by the same name. These fabrics aren’t just solid, stagnant colors; like malachite, they present a moving, breathing backdrop that ebbs and flows and breathes life into the rooms they touch.

The vibrant greens of malachite have cast their glow upon royal halls and humble dwellings for thousands of years in the form of objects such as vases. The colors are striking enough to have been utilized in paint as well. Now, you can bring these hues into your own home in the form of upholstery, drapery, pillows and other accents. We look forward to using the malachite inspiration in upcoming designs. Malachite and bronze are a match made in nature, and we anticipate topping off this fabric with some exquisite couture details. When we pair striking fabrics, such as those in the Malachite palette, with warm finishes, such as bronze upholstery nail heads, we produce a design masterpiece our clients will continue to enjoy for years to come.

Animal print is all grown up and catches our design eye for sure! Light-colored animal print also introduces brilliant movement into design. Texture and soft hues in this chenille brocade animal print fabric from Clarke & Clarke add another dimension to a room.

Another collection we like for animal print comes from Candice Olson, interior designer and HGTV host of “Divine Design” and “Candice Tells All.” She partnered with Surya to produce her stunning rugs with contemporary timelessness. Her zebra print rugs forget the harsh contrasts of black and white and set style in motion.

blog - 09/29/2014

Stunning reveals remain focus

Custom Drapery Designs combines the highest quality products available in the design industry with the most detail-oriented work ethic and our desire to give clients a final design project they will be proud of and thrilled to display. We offer more than high-end couture draperies; we coordinate shades, shutters, draperies, valances, bedding and upholstery for our clients to provide a complete package of interior design needs.

Fabricut, one of our favorite leaders in the fabric industry, added the Stroheim brand in 2010. Stroheim’s classic high-quality products work for both traditional and modern tastes and provide perfect matches for Custom Drapery Designs’ discerning clients. The 148-year-old Stroheim name brings the prestige of being “one of the oldest and most respected fabric houses in the decorating world” along with its high-end textiles, trimmings and wallpaper to Fabricut’s already broad range of home furnishings.

Technology from Hunter Douglas continues to make our jobs easier and design innovations more user-friendly for our patrons. With the Platinum™ App from Hunter Douglas, the control of all the window coverings in your home rests in the palm of your hands. Set the appropriate lighting for different times of day as well as for different activities, such as movie time. Use your Apple device to adjust the amount of light your motorized shades allow into each room of your home. Custom Drapery Designs just received a new Platinum™ App display; so now we can demonstrate with our iPad during our in-home consultations. Click on the app photo above to view a video about all the great features and ask us today about how to incorporate these outstanding window coverings into your new design.

From first contact with a new or returning client, we consider both the big picture and the little details that make that project unique and characteristic of the person’s style. We lead with a phone consultation which gives us the project’s budget, style and design needs. From there, we draw up a plan and choose fabric samples that match the color, style and architecture to bring to our in-home consultation. We return with final samples, sketches and photos to cement our design plans for the space before returning once more for professional measurements. We monitor every aspect of the design implementation from start to processing each detail in the workroom to installation. As Brenda Baxter, owner and principal designer for Custom Drapery Designs, says, “Our goal is to produce an end product that you are absolutely in love with!” Call us today to realize your interior design dreams.

blog - 11/11/2013

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

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

Bend design around your favorite view

So, you want to maximize the masterpiece of nature’s art as seen through your prized bay or bow windows; but how do you work around those curves?

Simple.

With seven modern metal hardware collections to choose from, including the popular indoor/outdoor Cabana Collection featured in our last blog and the stylish Signature Metal Collection, Brimar proves “bending is their business.” Fall in love with your perfect collection and match up the rod and finial style that fits your home. Then, let Brimar do the work to make your vision come alive.

To add extra flair, consider Orion’s recently-expanded Tuscany Cornice Designs. With 28 designs–narrow, medium and tall–and 31 iron art finishes or a custom finish of your selection, the possibilities seem endless! Any design can be bent to your window’s specifications, and you can stack most styles to double and even triple. From simple and elegant to big and bold, Orion has a choice that makes your picture window truly picturesque.

Your search for just the right hardware to accent a wall or two of windows or sparkling french doors may end with Orion’s swing arms. No longer just for use over doors to swing drapes open and shut with entry, swing arms crown stationary panels with elegance. Again, your options are innumerable: 8 styles, 31 finishes each and the choices to further customize or curve the arms and add rings…the sky out your windows is, indeed, the limit!

Accentuate your positives with Brimar’s versatile hardware and trim collections. In addition to the Signature Metal Collection featured above with Brimar’s custom bent drapery rods, 19 other collections in a variety of finishes provide choices that fit any style–from the old world “Archive” Collection to a more modern, daring “Ice” and earthy “Botanica” to the other-worldly “Manhattan”. Piece together poles, finials, brackets and rings and add matching tieback rosettes to complete your collection.

Whether you want to add brightness and light or enhance more muted, soothing tones in your decor, you will find the perfect trim within Brimar’s 23 expansive collections. Select solids, prints or geometric designs on Jacquard tape or choose from a multitude of other trims, including braided tape, gimp, lipcord, tassels, fringe and rosettes.

Fabricut draws inspiration for your fabric choices from the colors of the skies. Bring outside in with your drapery! Play off breathtaking golds, blues and chartreuses in a harvest sunset or the playful posies, purples and peaches of a springtime sunrise. Welcome in the deep greens and browns of the earth and watch them complement the hues of the horizon. Breathe deeply and let the sun kiss your home all year!

blog - 10/27/2011

Selections for every style

One of the most exciting parts of our job is sharing new fabric and design trends with our clients; another is helping them find just the right fabric and hardware. We think you just might share our enthusiasm once you see some of the latest options for decorating the world around you.

Sometimes it’s the details that add huge flair when it comes to decorating. Brimar’s selection of grommets is more extensive than ever. With round and square metal-finished, decorative and enamel-painted brass options, Brimar has a grommet for you! Nature inspires the colors and textures in Calvin Klein Homes’ new collection of trimmings; and only Kravet has them!

Robert Allen recently released its Modern Library Collection. This eclectic fabric selection alone has enough style options to please almost any taste with designs showcasing both bright and muted colors and patterns ranging from bold and daring to intricate and minute as well as traditional prints with a modern flair. The options include 113 designs between two color schemes: Magenta/Prussian/Sunset and Slate/Twine/Pool. With the diversity in the Modern Library Collection, feminine meets masculine; and they live in perfect harmony!

Another collection offering an impressively wide variety comes to us from Fabricut. Collier Campbell–the sister duo which has been wowing the design world since the early sixties–has released their third and final collaborative collection: Exotic Inspirations. Like the Modern Library compilation, this Collier Campbell selection of diverse fabrics provides an option or two for just about every style. Whether you want warmth, calm, inspiration or elegance, you can find it in the thirteen patterns and their four distinct color themes: cinnamon and stone, duck egg and sand, peacock and emerald and white and bright. With options like these, prepare to let your imagination run wild! All of us in the interior design world grieve with Sarah Campbell on the recent loss of her sister, Susan Collier, and celebrate her life through their Exotic Inspirations collection.

If you’re all about the cheerfulness and playfulness of bright colors, the new Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa Fabric Collection may be just what your home needs. For more than a half century, Lilly Pulitzer’s creativity has brightened homes around the country; and, today, Lee Jofa brings her cheery selection to you. It’s certain to bring a smile to your face and a glow to your home on the bleakest of days!

Fabric adds fun and flair to any room, but we can’t forget what holds it all up and keeps it in place–HARDWARE! Brimar does not disappoint with its elegant Versailles Drapery Hardware, an updated look made with an ancient art form–water gilding. Artists carefully hand-craft each of these stunning masterpieces by layering gesso, red clay and gold or silver leaf. Precise polishing provides an antique finish to the pieces as well. Four finishes are available: antique gold, silver and bronze gilt as well as hand-painted dark walnut. The meticulous work certainly pays off, making Brimar’s Versailles Collection a must-have! Another Brimar option worth viewing is its dramatic and practical Cabana collection of corrosion-resistant hardware–made to withstand outdoor use by the salty sea, it’s stunning enough to find its way inside. This collection will keep rust at bay while providing a classic look that’s hard to ignore. While you should use it outside or in your bathroom, you’ll find yourself wanting to utilize it throughout your living area.

You may wonder if the right style for your home or office exists–maybe everything you’ve seen before this blog is too dull, too bright; too obvious, too forgettable; too modern, too old-school. Whatever your eyes desire, Custom Drapery Designs, LLC, will help you find just the right decor to match your lifestyle.

blog - 08/12/2011

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