Julie-Ann
14-10-2009, 10:03 AM
Sheers
Beautiful shimmering, textured , coloured sheers. Nothing like the polyester sheers from the past. These fabrics are stunning. The range of colours and textures just keeps growing. (You can tell I am a fan!:D)
You can use them in the traditional way behind drapes. Or the trend today (especially in 5 star hotels) is to have the sheer at the front with either a blind (horizontal, holland or roman style) behind or lining fabric on a separate track behind.
Grey or taupe colours are very popular and blend beautifully with similar colours on the wall. I recently did a house using chocolate sheers - they looked striking!
Velvets and Silks
For a touch of luxury use either velvet or silks for your drapes. These fabrics may cost a bit but the will give your room a feel of elegance. If you wish to add embellishments indulge! Just keep the top of the drapes very simple. Remember, valances and swags are out and simple is in.
Hardware
When selecting rods or any hardware for your curtains that will be visible use metallic finishes from silver, gold to bronze - all very fashionable.
Grommets (those metal rings added into the top of some curtains, and you place the rod through the grommets) are still very popular. They give a great casual look. Choose grommets in the metallic finishes mentioned above.
Pleats
There is a trend to have pleats longer and looser, as against short and tight pleats which look so precise. The longer pleats are about 12 15 cm long.
Puddling
To keep that clean, contemporary look drapes do not puddle on the floor. But do make sure they are not too short, they should just hit the floor.
Patterns
Large, bold patterns are popular. Especially large contemporary style floral patterns.
Wooden Blinds
Wooden horizontal blinds still remain popular. I prefer the 50mm wide slats they look great and are easier to clean.
Plantation shutters look very stylish either on a window or on a glass door, but they are very costly.
Bamboo blinds are particularly popular in the USA. They can be used with drapes for a more upmarket look or by themselves for a tropical feel. I have seen these with a fabric border added to the bottom, which looked very stylish. They are a lot cheaper than many other blinds on the market. Do hang these inside the window frame.
Fabric Blinds
Roman or Californian blinds are one of the most popular blinds today. They can be used on windows or glass doors. Many clients are choosing these blinds in a simple calico or canvas type fabric. They also look great in sheer fabrics.
Luxaflex Duette shades are still widely used. These honeycomb shaped blinds are brilliant at insulating the room and they come in different blackout densities. They also have a handy feature in that not only can they pulled up but they can also be pulled down for privacy. We used these in a house which was on a main road but from the kitchen you had river views. With these blinds you could see the river view but not the traffic below.
Luxaflex Luminette vertical blinds have transformed those ugly vertical blinds from the past. The blind consists of two layer of sheer fabric with vertical blinds in between the two layers of sheer fabric. When the verticals are open they are inconspicuous as they sit in the folds of the fabric. This leaves you with the soft sheers providing great privacy but lots of light. It has to be seen to fully understand check out the Luxaflex website http://www.luxaflex.com.au/au/en/sb.cn (http://www.luxaflex.com.au/au/en/sb.cn)
When the vertical blinds are closed they give complete privacy. These blinds work particularly well when you may have a footpath very close to the window and you need privacy. They are also perfect for sliding glass doors.
Panels
Fabric panels based on Japenese Shoji screens are available in inexpensive stores such as Ikea and Spotlight. The idea is to have several screens about 60cm wide going across your window. When opened the screens can be stacked behind each other so you only see one screen covering the window. These are great for sliding glass doors. Some of the mechanisms to pull the screens back are a bit clumsy so choose carefully!
Beautiful shimmering, textured , coloured sheers. Nothing like the polyester sheers from the past. These fabrics are stunning. The range of colours and textures just keeps growing. (You can tell I am a fan!:D)
You can use them in the traditional way behind drapes. Or the trend today (especially in 5 star hotels) is to have the sheer at the front with either a blind (horizontal, holland or roman style) behind or lining fabric on a separate track behind.
Grey or taupe colours are very popular and blend beautifully with similar colours on the wall. I recently did a house using chocolate sheers - they looked striking!
Velvets and Silks
For a touch of luxury use either velvet or silks for your drapes. These fabrics may cost a bit but the will give your room a feel of elegance. If you wish to add embellishments indulge! Just keep the top of the drapes very simple. Remember, valances and swags are out and simple is in.
Hardware
When selecting rods or any hardware for your curtains that will be visible use metallic finishes from silver, gold to bronze - all very fashionable.
Grommets (those metal rings added into the top of some curtains, and you place the rod through the grommets) are still very popular. They give a great casual look. Choose grommets in the metallic finishes mentioned above.
Pleats
There is a trend to have pleats longer and looser, as against short and tight pleats which look so precise. The longer pleats are about 12 15 cm long.
Puddling
To keep that clean, contemporary look drapes do not puddle on the floor. But do make sure they are not too short, they should just hit the floor.
Patterns
Large, bold patterns are popular. Especially large contemporary style floral patterns.
Wooden Blinds
Wooden horizontal blinds still remain popular. I prefer the 50mm wide slats they look great and are easier to clean.
Plantation shutters look very stylish either on a window or on a glass door, but they are very costly.
Bamboo blinds are particularly popular in the USA. They can be used with drapes for a more upmarket look or by themselves for a tropical feel. I have seen these with a fabric border added to the bottom, which looked very stylish. They are a lot cheaper than many other blinds on the market. Do hang these inside the window frame.
Fabric Blinds
Roman or Californian blinds are one of the most popular blinds today. They can be used on windows or glass doors. Many clients are choosing these blinds in a simple calico or canvas type fabric. They also look great in sheer fabrics.
Luxaflex Duette shades are still widely used. These honeycomb shaped blinds are brilliant at insulating the room and they come in different blackout densities. They also have a handy feature in that not only can they pulled up but they can also be pulled down for privacy. We used these in a house which was on a main road but from the kitchen you had river views. With these blinds you could see the river view but not the traffic below.
Luxaflex Luminette vertical blinds have transformed those ugly vertical blinds from the past. The blind consists of two layer of sheer fabric with vertical blinds in between the two layers of sheer fabric. When the verticals are open they are inconspicuous as they sit in the folds of the fabric. This leaves you with the soft sheers providing great privacy but lots of light. It has to be seen to fully understand check out the Luxaflex website http://www.luxaflex.com.au/au/en/sb.cn (http://www.luxaflex.com.au/au/en/sb.cn)
When the vertical blinds are closed they give complete privacy. These blinds work particularly well when you may have a footpath very close to the window and you need privacy. They are also perfect for sliding glass doors.
Panels
Fabric panels based on Japenese Shoji screens are available in inexpensive stores such as Ikea and Spotlight. The idea is to have several screens about 60cm wide going across your window. When opened the screens can be stacked behind each other so you only see one screen covering the window. These are great for sliding glass doors. Some of the mechanisms to pull the screens back are a bit clumsy so choose carefully!