Put a Little Spring Back Into Your Home

 Ah spring, the time to renew and refresh our homes and our gardens.  You can put a little spring back into your home with a little effort by adding patterned fabrics on furniture, draperies, rugs and more.  Patterns don't have to be floral in traditional chintz, as there are now many abstract prints that are very contemporary to update the look of your home.

New window coverings go a long way in refreshing your decor.  There are so many new products on the market today that you don't have to be stuck with the old bent mini-blinds of the past.  Now there are cloth shades of all types that let the light in but offer privacy to almost room darkening shades.  They come in all colors and have an abundance of fabrics from which to choose.

Other items to consider when refreshing your home can be small things like new place mats for your table, adding colorful plates to match your dinner ware, new bed linens, throw pillows, wall art or adding a few new plants or silk flowers can add life and color to your rooms.  A coat of fresh paint does wonders to update your home.  Along with the usual spring cleaning chores, make sure that your windows sparkle.

Plant some new flowers near your front door to welcome your guests and spiff up your curb appeal.  You'll be guaranteed to get the spring back into your home with just a little effort both inside and outside your home.

Home Fashion Forecast Summer 2011

Hunter Douglas Palm Beach Shutter

I recently ran across the "Home Fashion Forecast" summer edition.  This magazine is published for the design professional and is full of advertisements to show the newest home furnishings, accessories, lighting, area rugs, etc.   The magazine can be looked at on line which is interesting.  Their "Season's picks:  Well tailored sofas, royal accents, eco-friendly wallpapers, "wood" table lamps, mirrored accents and an ode to the circle."  It's been awhile but the antiqued mirrored accents of the 1970's are back. YUCK!  They're calling  the style "traditional refreshed".  Bold blue is back too along with florals that remind me of the early 1960's...never expected to see the old daisy pattern again, yet here it is.  (Spent the better part of the morning today looking at one well-known fabric supplier's website trying to research a project I've been working on and there they were...the daisies that is...once again.)  Traditional furniture is now painted unexpected colors to liven the mix of modern and traditional furnishings.  There are also a lot of bold pinks and orange colors that go nicely with the blues.

They say if you live long enough you'll see the same things again and again.  To me this "traditional refreshed" is more of the same old thing - but with a new coat of paint.  Happy decorating!

Roman Shades - Popular Window Covering Trend

Roman Shades Come in Many Styles:

As the popularity of using draperies and fabrics at the window has risen, the popularity of Roman Shades has also increased.  These shades operate as a complete window treatment and can be manufactured from many different materials, including many styles of fabrics and natural products like woven woods and woven reeds as shown in the picture from Hunter Douglas.

Roman Shades add style, softness and texture to the window.  This cannot be achieved by the use of blinds alone.  They can also be used in any room in the house.  Roman Shades use a minimum amount of fabric, can be designed to be used as a black-out shade or a light filtering shade; can be trimmed with contrasting hems, trim and other forms of design to make them truly unique.  Also, the use of natural hand woven materials provides texture while providing filtered sun control.  Flexibility of materials that can be used and style elements are the keys to their resurgence and popularity.

Roman Shades also offer softness at the window.  When pulled to the up- position they can look very much like a valance, yet when lowered give privacy and light control.  This way you get the contemporary, sophisticated look of Roman Shades but the added softness at the top of the window.  These shades are extremely versatile, they can stand alone or be coupled with draperies, cornices or other fabric treatments.  I love installing a window dressing using a Roman Shade for privacy, adding a decorative iron rod over the window then drapery side panels on each side of the window.  This look becomes a soft design that helps coordinate with the room's decor adding color and texture to the room.

Using Draperies to Insulate Your Home

Draperies Can Be An Insulator

Draperies do an excellent job in trapping air between the drape and the window glass, which serves as a natural insulator.  The quality of the lining though really makes the difference in the amount of insulation the drapery offers your home.  As an example, a drapery lined with interlining and a black-out lining can add over 300% better insulation than an unlined drapery.

Coupled with a Hunter Douglas Luminette Sheer Shade, as shown in the photo, means a warm room in winter and a cooler room in the summer.  Window glass, even though it may be double paned, naturally heats up in the summer or cools down in the winter and the energy is radiated into the room making the room colder in winter and warmer in summer.  Having the proper insulating shades and draperies over the window can mean your energy dollars will be saved - paying for the decorative products at the window over time.  Seems a good way to spend your money when you remodel.