Sheers- Cheers or Jeers?

Go ahead and laugh if you must, but I've been obsessing over these curtains at top for a while now. Yes, the shape of them is a tad frilly (in fact, the 1929 book from which this photo came refers to them as "bouffant curtains"), but I do find the scalloped edge refreshingly sweet. What has really captured my attention, though, is the material. It appears to be a little stiff and crinkly and more importantly, it looks shiny- and we know how much I love shiny things. The caption to the photo mentions the fabric as being glazed tarletan.

So, just what is tarletan? A little research on the web yielded this information- it's an open-weave cotton fabric that was often used for stiffening garments. Now, let's take this definition with a grain of salt because internet research is not always accurate. Still, just by looking at the photo, I can tell that I like this fabric. It's glazed so it has a sheen to it- a plus in my book. It's sheer- and we don't see sheer fabric used for curtains as often as we used to. And finally, it's stiff. These were not the tepid, limp sheer curtains which I'm afraid have poisoned many of us against even considering sheer drapery for our windows. I think the point to my roundabout post is that sheer fabric needs to be crisp. What do you think?



That ruffled edging to these curtains is a bit prissy, but the organdy material is a clean, crisp addition to the various patterns in the room. I would definitely consider using an organdy for sheer curtains. (Designer Ross Stewart for W. and J. Sloane, 1936)




I'm not at all advocating these curtains as I find them too Petticoat Junction. This was a 1936 ad for Macy's which touted an amazing fabric that required very little pressing. It was "chifonese ninon" fabric.




There's actually a lot that I like about this 1936 Armstrong Linoleum ad, but let's start with the windows. I'm not so crazy about that swag held up by the red bows, but once again the fabric appears to be shiny and stiff. That really fantastic plaid linoleum floor was a "Fashion Thrift" pattern, while the walls were also covered in linoleum: Armstrong Linowall. By the way, doesn't that light fixture remind you of one now sold by Circa Lighting?




This room, once again decorated by Ross Stewart of Sloane's, features peach taffeta and natural colored silk gauze curtains. It almost sounds like a description of a ballgown.

(Image at top from House and Garden's Book of Color Schemes; other photos from various 1936 issues of House & Garden)

You're Gonna Think I'm Crazy...

Do you know what has been catching my eye lately? Aluminum blinds. Seriously. There is something about them that just seems right for right now. I'm not talking about white or black aluminum blinds, nor do I mean vertical ones either. It's both silvery polished and brushed aluminum blinds that have been on my mind.

So why the interest? These are tough- not tender- window treatments. We've seen a lot of sweet and tame design lately; maybe it's time for something edgy, a bit raw, and a little provocative. Now, I do realize that these blinds can conjure up images of that dated Miami Vice look. In fact, as I was typing this, I thought of the movie poster for American Gigolo, above. Some remember both the movie and the poster for a very handsome Richard Gere, while fashion mavens think of the Armani suits. For me, it's the shadow of those blinds reaching out across Gere. Leave it to me to think of the window treatments when referencing a movie about steamy...well, you know.

So if one were to indulge in something like this, in what type of room would one put them? Obviously, contemporary goes without saying. A room representative of the school of Billy Baldwin and Albert Hadley would be another great venue. Even a Miles Redd maximalist interior- couldn't you see these blinds in a room or two of his? And speaking of Miles, I think Nick Olsen could completely rock the aluminum. Whether he wants to is another matter.


Look how the light bounces off of the blinds in the late Stanley Barrows' apartment. The surroundings are pretty traditional, and yet these blinds totally worked.


Again, the blinds serve as yet another reflective surface in this "nighttime" dining room.


In another dining room, this one in the home of the designer Ruben de Saavedra.


And though I'm NOT advocating a return of vertical blinds, I did have to include this photo of the home of one of my favorite eccentric designers, the late Valerian Rybar. I've never seen steel blinds that were so polished and glossy.

(Barrows photo from Manhattan Style; dining room photo from The Collectors (The Worlds of Architectural digest); de Saavedra and Rybar photos from Designers' Own Homes: Architectural Digest)