ROMAN SHADES….for every room, mood, style…….and weather condition!

“Nothing that is can pause or stay; The moon will wax, the moon will wane, The mist and cloud will turn to rain, The rain to mist and cloud again, Tomorrow be today.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)
It is wonderful to watch the rain, see the lightening, hear the thunder……because it is a sure sign of spring and IT’S MELTING THE SNOW!!!  Those wonderful sunny days we had just before this downpour, however,  were so perrrrfect for curling up in the sunshine pouring through the window and it actually felt too warm at times…..like I needed to lower the shade down a touch….and roman shades are perrrrfect for doing just that!

Colorful and Bright!


Sophisticated!


Warm and Cozy!


Clean and Contemporary!


Or Just Plain Fun!

Whatever the style….roman shades are one of my favorite window treatments.  They can add texture and personality to your window and imbue a room with added flair and color!  They can be made in a wide variety of styles and with a wide array of fabrics.  Most important to remember, however, is that you GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!   If you want quality and excellence in workmanship, then prepare to spend a few extra dollars because it will be well worth the look, the safety, and the ease of operation!
The latest word on Roman Shades has been all about the dangers and hazards associated with child strangulation due to the loose operating cords on the back of the shade.  It is something to take very seriously and ensure that the shade you purchase has safety measures to avoid this tragic possibility. 


The above information and illustrations are from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (http://www.cpsc.gov/) Publication #5115.

For all of you that have existing roman shades like the one above, please be aware that these rings (which look just like shower curtain rings to me) can be used to replace the cords in your shades.  By inserting them through each ring in place of the cord, you can raise and lower the shade….. manually……yes, by hooking and unhooking these rings each time you raise and lower the shades.  If it seems time consuming and confusing, you are right!  It is a pain…. but does avoid a potential threat to your child. 

Otherwise, you can have them redone by a workroom professional to include these new cord shrouds (shown above) which prevent the cord from being pulled away from the shade and around a wee one’s neck!



Of course, the best and ultimate innovations (if I must say so myself) are from Hunter Douglas and have given us the opportunity to totally eliminate a cord lift from roman shades within the Vignette line of products and the completely covered back totally encases the working cord preventing accessibility from children’s little hands!

With the new Design Studio Roman Shades by Hunter Douglas, you have a superb selection of over 300 fabrics, from sheers to prints, to select from.  This collection does have to safe lift cords to choose from and can be made up to 96” in width with NO, yes, NO seams!  These fabrics can even be used of valances over the roman shades or all my themselves.  You can make your own design statement.  Pretty cool! 

However, as I am ending this post, the cold weather has returned, sleet is falling as well as the snow, temperature forecasts are for blustery winds and just plain turn-that-heater-up conditions!  Oh….did I mention that “lowering that roman shade a touch” is perrrrrrfect for that too?
Let me know what your opinion is about roman shades and why……Have a great day!

Sentence first -- verdict afterwards.

“Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on. `I do,' Alice hastily replied; `at least - at least I mean what I say - that's the same thing, you know.'”
-  Lewis Carroll   

March is sooooooo difficult to endure because it is so very close to spring yet this month keeps spring just an agonizing arm’s length away!!!  It is like sitting and watching the clock, waiting for the minutes to pass in anticipation of a wonderful moment.  Well, as one designer said  to me with all seriousness this week, “God promised me spring will come!” 

In the waiting hours, we can take stock of the new 2011 Spring Pantone colors that will grace our fabric books and clothing racks.

Now, I have to admit, I have a love/hate relationship with this year’s palette.  Maybe I‘ve lived in Michigan too long but I would rather work with them in my closet than on the walls, windows coverings, or furniture in my client’s home.  This palette is not as enduring as my favorite shades of these color families and seem to tire my eyes easily.  Bright and fun for spring and summer but then I’ll be ready to move on! 

Now before you tell me I am sounding old and frumpy, I’ll have you know that there is nothing like a playful spring fling (let me clarify….with the color palette!) to invigorate, energize, add pizzazz to our seemingly dreary decors this time of year.  However, I know by fall I will be ready for the deeper versions of these colors……and Kravet has already got that covered.Please add e-news@kravetpromo.com to your address book.

However, if I must choose, I do have a couple of favorites like this blue below!  But I dare say it might be because of the dress!  Pamela Roland by Pamela DeVos.  I knew you recognized her sleek , flirtatious style!

Regatta Pantone 18-4039 does have a very calming appeal as Cyril Foiret says and who doesn’t like blue!

 

 

Blue Curacao Pantone 15-4825 reminds me of a “softer version of turquoise” as described by 10rooms.BlogSpot.com which by the way is a super blog.

 

 

Then there is Silver Peony Pantone 12-1206 and Silver Cloud Pantone 15-4502!

photo courtesy of Pottery Barn

   love

    love

    love

 

Peony is also a beautiful shade in the Hunter Douglas Duette Architella cellular shade collection where we can enjoy our spring palette and have energy efficiency also!

A color also finding favor is Beeswax Pantone 14-0941 even though the mere mention of “bee” sends me swatting and running for cover.

blog.harmoniousliving.net

I love honey and I love this      version of yellow.  I love warm tones and I  love that yellow is making such a come back in our design palettes.

 

Well, if pressed, I would have to say Coral Rose Pantone 16-13349 is another growing favorite. idesignlove.com

It just sounds beautiful and exotic, doesn’t it?  Imagine this warm orange paired with black & white zebra stripe!

 

 

 

 

 

Again, Hunter Douglas carries a very similar color of  Mandarin Coral in their Duette Ariosa honeycomb shade collection.  Who says smart energy solutions need to be boring?

I can’t help but like this color, Russet Pantone 18-1235 as it reminds me of chocolate pudding and makes such a yummy backdrop in this picture.

This photo is from Mary McGee Interiors.

 

 

 

 

 

It is not one of my favorite shades because of its peachy undertones….but it still reminds me of chocolate pudding.  Mmmmmmm!

Next to last… but not least….well, yes, maybe least is Lavender Pantone 15-3817 and Peapod Pantone 14-6324/However, you have to admit that silver and silk in the photo below does make the lavender appear enticing….

blog.harmoniousliving.net

According to Leatrice Eiseman, “Purple is the most creative color.”

Fortunately for Peapod  it photographs better than it really is…….and it is a version of green…..and a sign of spring!

 

 

 

 

 

Now….last AND least is Honeysuckle Pantone 18-2120.  I could not even find an interior photo that I wanted to post.  Sorry all you pink lovers.

“People are looking for something that gives them a lift.  Everyone has been feeling a bit lethargic from the economy, the mood or whatever this is.  Honeysuckle is a feel-good color,”   Leatrice Eiseman said.

Well maybe I’ll feel “good” after I take my Pepto-Bismol  which I am tempted to rename “Honeysuckle Juice”!

So you understand that these are just MY opinions  and, like Alice in Wonderland, “ I think I mean what I say” but always reserve the right to change my mind.  That is why I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.  Please feel free to share your favorites colors and/or least favorites.

BE SAFE. BE HAPPY.

“Surely as cometh the winter, I know there are spring violets under the snow” R.H. Newell

Remember a few months back when I mentioned that it seemed ch-ch-ch-changes were happening everywhere we turned….with people, with places, with products? Some good, some bad….all just a part of everyday life but difficult to keep up with all the same, especially when they come quickly and unexpectedly. Remember the penguins in the animated movie Madagascar? “Just smile and wave boys. Just smile and wave!” February is a tough month psychologically anyway let alone when changes leaves me frayed & frazzled. So I offer this wonderful little thought to all of you who are also facing a difficult change:Think spring too!!!!

A good change has been made by Hunter Douglas and is in answer to the new child safety measures taking place in the window covering industry. On each product that is appropriate and on their new line of roman shades, Design Studio, the exposed cords on the back of the shade are encased in a “shroud” that eliminates the possibility of children pulling it a dangerous distance from the shade and looping it over their heads.

They have also made this change on their Provenance woven wood products. Their Vignette Modern Roman Shade line (shown below) has always been manufactured with a completely covered backside (being shown on the left) avoiding access to the lifting cords and giving it a more appealing appearance from the outside!!!

Remember…. “curb appeal” ladies!!!

“Ewwwwwwwwe!”

To read more about this new safety standard read the following article by Interior Designer Deb Barrett

Window Covering Safety and the New Standards

READ MORE

The ANSI/ WCMA Standard Defined HERE

To keep up to date on the standards and how it might affect you business, Click HERE

Download my Questions Every Pro Should Ask about the Standard HERE

Download Tips for Consumers

......AND ONE MORE REMINDER......PLEASE DO NOT FORGET THAT WE CARRY KIRSCH RODS AND PARTS IN STOCK. Please be sure to let me know what you use continuously and I will make sure to have it in stock. ALSO.....if your installer is shorted a part for a Hunter Douglas product, please call as we have many, many, many parts in stock and would love to help you "save the day"!!!!

.....AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST......I have placed the "FOLLOWERS" gadget along side to the right and invite you.....would dearly love if you......sign in. I am open to all comments and suggstions as to subjects and postings!

As always.....have a super day!!!

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW....

"A new year is unfolding - like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within."
Author Unknown

Everytime a new year begins, I feel a little like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz skipping excitedly and cautiously down the yellow brick road singing "we're off to see the wizard...." not quite knowing what lies ahead but determined at least to take the next step. Yes, we have to leave Munchkin Land behind (aka - the old year which was a little weird to begin with) and forge ahead to the Emerald City in search of a way back home (aka - better economic times with black bottom lines). With Dorothy's wide eye naiveté and determination to keep searching for a way back home, she is fortunate enough, like all of us, to collect along the journey a unique collection of friends who support, encourage and sustain her struggling attempts and, as we all know well, her final success!

Now, if you are still with me through that attempted analogy of my current state of mind, I thank you.... and hope that you are one of those unique friends we all hope to have acquired along the way on this precarious road into this new year. All reports I have been reading..... from Gail Doby, ASID, co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University..... to Bunny Williams, a design icon, author, speaker, business woman extraordinaire, the ol' Magic 8 ball is predicting "outlook good"! By the way, both links to their great articles can be accessed to the right under "Enlightened Links".

 

January is that painfully-slow, hold-your-breath-hoping-that-February-picks-up, what-is-the-balance-on-my-credit-line type of month that we are happy to have over! Yet it is also a month to assess the mistakes and excesses of the old year, make plans and plot changes for the new year, and find that plucky courage to start enthusiastically skipping down the yellow brick road once again.

 

So here are a few of my New Year inspirations from Greenhouse Fabric's new 2011 collection:

 

 

Mix and match, bright and bold, fresh and fun.....just what this dreary January needs!!!!!!! Visit their web site (greenhousefabrics.com) where something fresh is always at hand and attitudes are as positive as you can get. Just read this enthusiastic quote they posted in their latest newsletter:

 

"We're as excited as you are about a fresh start, a new year, a new decade, and the hope for a positive upswing in the economy. With an energized perspective and renewed motivation, it's a great time to review what we do everyday and make it even better."

 

Makes me want to raise my hands and scream "I believe"!

 

EXPRESS YOUR CREATIVITY!

Also, scoot over to spoonflower.com!!! Here is a powerful tool to create unique fabric of your own design with no minimum order for under $20 per yard, premium natural fabrics and eco-friendly textile printing.

And last, but not least, take a few curious minutes to visit my friends' blogs to the right and follow links to other blogs where you will discover more unique friends and ideas to help you on your way this year.

REMEMBER......Nothing is IMPOSSIBLE, the word itself says "I'M POSSIBLE"!

Audrey Hepburn

CHRISTMAS JOYS

Life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and laughter is life's sweetest creation and gift to share!
...Papyrus

By H. Jackson Brown Jr., Rosemary Brown, and Kathy Peel

• Be the first to wish everyone you meet Merry Christmas.


• Take a basket of goodies to a notoriously grumpy neighbor.


• Be nice to sale personnel. They are ofter wearier than you are.


• Sprinkle confetti in your Christmas card envelopes.


• Take a basket of goodies to your local fire and police stations.


• Never write the word Christmas as X-mas.


• Don't give anyone a fruitcake!


• Tip someone who doesn't expect it.


• Remember that the best solution for holiday blues is to do something special for someone else.


• Watch It's a Wonderful Life.


• Cut off the fronts of attractive Christmas cards to use as gift tags.


• Give an anonymous gift of money to someone who is laid off.


• Be ready with a smile or hug.


• Compliment at least three people every day....and not just in December!


• Make your family feel just as important as your holiday company.


• Pay a debt for someone.


• Remember that peace on earth begins with peace in our homes and in our hearts.


• Don't forget whose birthday we are celebrating.

To all, whatever holiday you celebrate, however you celebrate, with whom ever you celebrate, may you enjoy peace, share peace and take peace with you into each day ahead in this coming year!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.....

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
By George Elliot

Autumn is perhaps my most favorite time of year (but I might have said that about spring also!) That is why I love Michigan, I get to experience so many different wonderful aspects of all the seasons! Autumn, by one definition I read recently is "a period of maturity verging on decline." Reminded me of the age I find myself at these days!! I'd rather refer to autumn (and my age) as a time of respite, reflection, reorganization & renewal. "Change" is the buzz word appropriate for this time of year and we have certainly seen it occur in the life of our friends at Israel's! People erroneously surmise that this news of a competitor's collapse makes me happy, however, I want to declare that indeed it does not! With the closing of Israel's doors also closes a long-standing chapter on Grand Rapids' design history, closes a chapter on a family's generous philanthropic outpouring into a community that is very beholding, and closes the doors on yet another empty building with the rippling effect of lost jobs, lost incomes, and lost hopes for many people. No one likes to see a noble giant fall, crippled and humbled. It breaks my heart for their loss and ours as a community. I can only hope the their years of longevity has produced enough maturation and wisdom to spring forth from this rubbled respite with reflection, reorganization & renewal!

"Change" is also the buzzword this autumn for Hunter Douglas with the unveiling of Design Studio Roman Shades. "Custom. Redefined" to quote them directly! Four distinctive shades styles, 320 timeless fabrics from around the world include woven with blends of cottons, linens, silks and synthetic fibers. The best is that ALL fabrics are sourced in wide widths so shades can be made up to 96" with NO vertical seams!!! Yes! You read that correctly! 96" wide and no seams!! And fabrics are available by the yard for additional design opportunities. Coordinating valances complement Design Studio Roman shades, as well as being available for other Hunter Douglas window fashions. Personalize any design by adding distinctive decorative tapes and trims. Their innovative cording system reduces access to the rear cords for enhanced child and pet safety. The double-turned side and bottom hems provide a custom finished look, while stiff battens add structure and support. Discover the soft side of Hunter Douglas!

Changes have taken place in the column just to the right in the addition of a new blog to watch called CocoCozy.com. One of my favorite fabric suppliers, Greenhouse Design, lists this blog as one of the five up and coming blogspots to watch this year. Enthusiastic and inspirational! Also, added to the column on the right is CaroleNet.com, a sister company to Hunter Douglas,

Carole Fabrics has served the design community for over 50 years, offering exceptional quality and customer assistance. Available 24/7, CaroleNet .com offers more than 10,000 designer fabrics, trims and hardware. Let Carole Fabrics bring your decorating dreams and ideas to life!!
(Pictures courtesy of Carole Fabrics)


"Change is a measure of time and, in the autumn, time seems speeded up. What was is not and never again will be; what is....is change." author unknown

Plum, Chocolate, and Technology?????

"But up in that tree sits a chocolate cat,
And a ginger bread dog prowls below-

And this is the way you contrive to get at

Those sugar-plums tempting you so...."

THE SUGAR-PLUM TREE

By Eugene Field

Now that September has arrived, we all know what follows next.....and quickly. Yes, the HOLIDAYS! I find myself mentioning that often to my clients, and not as subtly as I probably should..... but I do not feel like encountering the last minute, need-it-next-week deadlines this season. Therefore, I am preparing my clients ahead of time that decorating "times-a-currently-wasting!"

One of the more popular color trend we've been seeing this year in our drapery projects is the varying degrees of purple and its deeper "plum" cousin. I do believe this wonderful plum delight will follow us right into the holiday season of Christmas with it's also popular companions of chocolate brown, warm grays, and red-cast blues. (photo to the left courtesy trenddirector.net)

I see pink/plum and gray/silver sparkles adorning ornaments, smell plum puddings being baked, hear the lilting music of the "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy", and have "visions of sugar plums dancing in my head"! Well, at least at my house that is what will be happening! My granddaughters will see to that!!

Another very popular trend we've been encountering in 2010 is the demand for motorization options in window treatments. This is an issue we find that people tend to shy away from due to the technical knowledge that is required. After all, who keeps abreast of which intelligent motor control will be needed for remote, keypad, or automated operations???? Well....we do! From the simplest of Hunter Douglas PowerRise battery operated shades to the more intricate control options of sun sensor controls that integrate with your home's automation system , we will assist you with educating your client and acquaint them with the working displays in our showroom for better visualization. Technology need not be avoided! "Technology is everywhere!" says Jamie Robinson, The Chic Geek. "It's in your garden. It's in your home. It's in your kitchen. It's in your car. There really isn't anywhere that technology isn't!" We heartily agree with Jamie and join with her in making technology approachable, fashionable, and fun. Fully automated homes and businesses are on the rise, even in the tight economy of the West Michigan area. Leed-certified homes & businesses are demanding integration of all systems; lighting, air conditioning, heating, audio-visual, windows, and security. Please don't hesitate to contact us and allow us to help you use this new technology to your benefit.

And before you know it, we will be plunging into 2011 with coral, turquoise, fushsia and orange, with royal purples and yellow greens and, yes.......with technology.

It is all around us... just as color is and is becoming as important in our projects. We will incorporate this new aspect of design into our presentation boards along with the texture, color, floor plans, and sketches....with our usual flair and confidence!

"Some people worry that artificial intelligence will make us feel inferior, but then, anybody in his right mind should have an inferiority complex every time he looks at a flower!" Alan C. Kay