Roman Shades with new ladder-tape technology

Amy has a beautiful living room/office painted a deep cranberry. She has recently purchased several new pieces for the room including a leather chair, computer desk, and comfy chenille sofa. The only thing missing was the finishing touch - great window treatments! Bright sunlight coming through the windows was an issue for the room - especially in late afternoon. Privacy was also a concern since these windows face the front of the house.

The solution Amy and I came up with was an operable Roman Shades with a decorative valance. My favorite way to fabricate Roman Shades is to make them reverse-mount, meaning the lifting mechanism is in the front of the shade. The advantage of making your shades this way is that the shades fit tightly to the casing of the windows, meaning the R-value is better, and there is no light peeking through the sides.

We chose a faux-silk brown plaid with a tiny cranberry dot that matches the cranberry color of the walls. The fabric was dressy enough to work well in a living room, but not so dressy that it competes with the decor of the rest of the house.

The last detail to mention about these shades is that they are made with ladder-tape - an acceptable option for compliance with the new ANSII standards for Roman Shades. The tape was fairly east to work with, and ensures that a small child cannot get caught in the lift cord mechanism.

A new look for a well-loved side chair

When my friends, Drew and Sarah, recently did some updating to their living room, they decided to give an old side chair that Sarah had from college days a new look. The original plan was to create a slipcover out of a khaki denim fabric, but as I got into the project I realized that because of the curve of the chair and the way they back was tufted, a slipcover just wasn't going to work. So instead, I reupholstered the chair, and I think it came out well! My favorite part is the cream cording around the back edge of the chair, and the cushion. A small detail like this can really make a piece pop.

Just got my new "Southern Living" magazine for March, and am starting to like it again! After several years of searching for a new layout, they have gone back to the way things used to be and it's so much better. Travel section first, then gardening, home decor, and great recipes in the back. And I know it's a small complaint, but the feel of the magazine as well as the font is better. As an added bonus, I just checked out their website, and they've got several great videos that show ideas on how to choose the best fabric for your decorating project. Check out www.SouthernLiving.com/home-garden/decorating.

Love love LOVE their recipes. Makes me want to nest just thinking about them :)

New Fabrics in for Spring!

I've just received several new fabrics from Greenhouse Fabrics. There are several beautiful faux-linens and faux-silks as well as some upholstry-weight fabrics. Spring is just around the corner - could your home use a little spruce-up?

Call today to receive 20% off your next order with Sycamore Creek Interiors!

A New Way to Purchase Window Treatments

Sycamore Creek Interiors has just added another great fabric dealer to its lineup - Carole Fabrics. With Carole Fabrics website, CaroleNet, we can sit down together, and in a few easy clicks of the mouse, have your new window treatments designed and ready to purchase. Carole has hundreds of fabric styles and colors and many different design styles that will work in any type of decor. We can even pick out your drapery hardware. Once the order is placed, your new custom window treatments can be ready in two - three weeks.

Check out their website www.CaroleFabrics.com for more information.

Accessories to make a room really stand out!

I have recently started carrying a line of accessories from a company called Uttermost. They are a family-owned business that has been around since the mid-70s. They are located in Virginia, and offer many unusual items for home or office including wall art, occasional tables, floral arangements, mirrors, lamps, and clocks. Some of my favorites are shown above. To view their complete line, visit http://www.uttermost.com/. If you see anything you like, let me know, and I can get prices for you.

Some finishing touches

My new friends :) Jennie and Keith just made some big changes to their home with new paint throughout and new window treatments on several of their windows. In their master bedroom, they have a beautiful arched window with a cathedral ceiling. The arch was letting a little too much morning sun in, and didn't allow for late morning sleep. My solution was to create an arched panel treatment that is Italian strung to allow for easy opening and closing. I added a button detail at the pleats to bring your eye upward so that visitors will see the beautiful vaulted ceiling. We were able to find a yellow and blue striped fabric that perfectly matched some bedding they already had.

In their Great Room, they had a window and operable French Doors leading out to their deck. The door made it tricky to hang window treatments that would be symmetric in the room and still make the door usable. The solution was to use hardware for the door valance that allows the valance to open with the door. The design we came up with is an inverted-pleat valance in gold and red to match the decor in the room. Again, I added a button detail in red to pull your eye upward. Problem solved!

Finally, their guest bedroom is painted a new shade of lime green with a beach umbrella fabric for the shower curtain. We added a cornice in the same fabric with a banding in blue and matching lime green fabric. How fun!

The best way to describe their home is - happy. As soon as you walk in, you feel welcomed and ready to share a cup of coffee and a story or two. Thank you Jennie and Keith for the opportunity to help you complete your home!