Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Made in the Shade




I'm finally getting around to having curtains made for my condo. And as many of you may know, curtains can be knock your socks off expensive- not just the labor mind you, but the cost for all of that fabric. The whole thing can take your breath away, and not in a good way.

Seeing that I have floor to ceiling windows throughout my home, I've been trying to find some affordable options for a few of my rooms. I'm a bit bored with what some of the catalogues have to offer, so I was excited to find out about
The Shade Store. They offer blinds, shades, and what I've been looking for- panels. The panels are available in six different styles, including pinch pleat and goblet, as well as various options for borders. There are also seems to a range of fabrics available such as silk dupioni, cotton, linen, wool flannel (which I'm interested in), and cashmina. (Robert Allen fabric is also available.) The best part is that the panels ship in 10 days. And, there seems to be a lot of options for both contemporary and traditional interiors.

I haven't ordered from them before, but I'm seriously considering doing so. In the meantime, I'm spending a lot of time playing around with what my panels might look like.

How about a tailored pleat:



In Dahlia Gardens in Rosewood



See what it looks like at top. Other options include:


A grommet panel made of wool flannel in azure with sheers made of Sheers Positive


My contemporary side likes these wood grain roller shades made by Chilewich for The Shade Store.


Tulip Shades in silk dupioni in Vellore


Roman Shades in wool sateen in sand with a border.

9 comments:

  1. Helen Young9:13 AM

    I'm a new reader to your blog and love it! I pop on every morning to see if you have posted.
    My husband and I built a house in Atlanta 18months ago(we tore down our bungalow and built a new "old" house. We live on the same lot that we have for 15 years, just a new house).
    There were so many windows to cover (over 50!) that my starting point was to put wood blinds with tapes on most windows with a few roman shades in my childrens' bedrooms.
    The first place I put curtains was surprisingly, the master bedroom. I have always wanted "grown up" curtains in my bedroom so that's why I prioritized them. They are a green toile fabric that matches the headboard and bedskirt.
    I am just now putting in curtains in the dining room (a very formal room so they are silk) and valances in the living room (not panels because I wanted to keep the sunlight).
    The curtains and valances are what I asked my husband for for our 20th anniversary! So, yes, they are expensive, but worth waiting for. But I do have to say that planning them is most of the fun!
    Helen Young
    Atlanta

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  2. Hmmm, nice choices. I love that tulip shade. I have roman shades in my house {either alone or with stationery drapery panels}. I had the shades made, but managed to make the panels with my limited sewing skills in some of the rooms. You are right though, the fabric cost alone can put you in the range of "are you kidding me?".

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  3. I love the look of the sheer white with subtle details of the dots and then the gray curtain hanging out to the size. CHIC and sophisticated color contrast.

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  4. What a great resource! Also they have great tutorial videos on how to measure properly. Love the Maharam and Dwell stuff, too...

    Adam
    decomancer.blogspot.com

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  5. J -- sounds like a great resource, Thanks for sharing.

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  6. My husband says I am the reverse of Scarlet O'Hara, and draperies out of ballgowns! With bigger ideas than budget, I have taught myself how to make drapes (even interlining). The work is not rocket science. Tedious, yes. I have learned that it is better to use less expensive fabric and more of it, than scimping on fullness with more expensive fabrics. Except for piecing lengths together, most of the finish work is actually best done by hand. Anyway, just a thought about DIY. Have fun with your dreaming. Always the best part.

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  7. Love your style - love your blog. Just wanted to share that we recently outfitted our 1940's beach house with roman shades from The Shade Store. Fairly impressed with the quality - they look pretty great and were very affordable after looking at the options for custom shades. Also - their staff is really friendly and I would say the customer service is excellent. They replaced one shade quickly at no cost without giving me a hard time. I'd recommend them. :)

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  8. I have been using the shade store for YEARS!
    I love them. They now have a store on Fillmore Street in SF now- so you can see all of the samples in person. Have been VERY happy with the quality- the lead times and the customer service. You can also get a designer discount too! I give The Shade Store an A!
    I don't even use the other company- you know the one that you get the catalog in the mail all of the time from...

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  9. Anonymous12:16 PM

    HI found you via Cote de Texas just wanted to let you know that The Shade Store is an incredible source. We've ordered twice from them and have been very pleased with their quality.

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