How to choose a paint color.

Once again, the additions to the column appear here in gold type.

It seems that choosing a color to paint the walls is one of the most difficult for a lot of DIYers.  In my Interior Decorating short course we spend at least 8 hours learning about  colors. This is  the summary version  of part of that   but the best advice I can give is to hire a professional for a one hour consultation. The cost will be about the same as a gallon of good quality paint.  Could save you a lot of money. And remember - if the worst happens and the color is really bad, you can change it.

First of all it is important that you test the paint color in the room where it will used.  Purchase a tester -or a liter if necessary -  of the paints you have chosen and test them. This does NOT mean painting several colors on one wall. Your eye will see a blend of the colors, not each one individually.  Go to the dollar store and get some white poster boards and paint  one color on each. Keep them away from each other and  move them around the room, see what happens to the colors at night. 

How to choose the color:  Start with a color scheme.   The easiest way is to take  your scheme  from an  existing  one: the sofa fabric, a painting or a cushion for example. Don’t  try to re-invent the wheel;  people get paid a lot of money to design these color schemes.  Get paint samples and match the 3 basic colors in your ‘inspiration’ piece:   the background color, a mid tone and  the most vivid. Match the colors exactly. This is your color scheme.  Now look at the samples in terms of intensity.  If you change the intensity of one color, change the intensity of all 3 to the same degree.

The main color is the background color and  should appear on 60% of the surfaces in a room  ( walls, drapes, floors) - there is your wall color.  The mid tone color  should appear on 30%  ( large upholstered pieces; the occasional chair, the upholstered seat of the vanity,  the banding on the drapes. the bedskirt) and the accent color on 10% ( accessories- cushions, vases, coffee table accessories). 

These colors can appear in different forms:  various textures  or surfaces and prints. The values (intensity) can vary somewhat;  just stay on the color - no mixing blue-green and yellow-green for example.  If you are not familiar with a color wheel, go buy one at the art supply store and spend some time with it. 

The website  www.ehow.com/how_4584162_use-understand-color-wheel.html will get  you started.

Some other things to consider when choosing a color scheme:  Have you ever been in a red  based room when the sun shines through the windows?  Or have you stood in a blue bedroom with a blizzard swirling outside?  The color of the room intensifies the feelings of heat and cold. So think about this a bit. If your bedroom faces north maybe blue is not the best color for it.  You might want to consider a warm color - in the reds, oranges, or  yellows side of the color wheel.  If your living room faces south you might want to forgo the terracotta based color scheme and choose something from the blue or green side of the color wheel.  I had occasion once to do some work in a white house. The walls, carpets, furniture, tables, chairs and even the piano were white.  There were no window treatments on the 12 foot high windows. On my initial visit to the house there was a Calgary blizzard happening and  I felt like I was standing outside.  It was the coldest feeling room I have ever been in.  

We put some valances and side treatments on the windows that helped a bit but the all white scheme was still very overpowering. 

If  you have read  my previous columns, you know a bit about contrast. High  contrast color schemes tend to make rooms seem smaller - your poor eyes jump from color to color . If your room is small, you might consider a color scheme of two colors in muted tones, or even a  monochromatic color scheme with lots of texture. 

Do you want the room to feel warm or cool? If cool, pick a main color from the cool side of the color wheel,  pick from the warm side for a warm room. This is a guideline. It is not written in stone and it is based on a 3 color scheme. Many contemporary spaces are 2 color schemes, but the same guidelines apply.  Hope this helps.

Other Uses for Things

Information that is in addition to the column is in italics and gold colored.

For a special occasion my nephew wanted to wear the navy blue suit in which his grandfather had been married in 1947 but there was a fairly large sun bleach spot on one shoulder. My sister, the Queen of Fix-its, used navy blue floral spray paint  to camouflage the spot. ( Floral spray paint stays ‘bendable’).

A client recently told me she was going to try to cover some plastic vertical blinds with fabric. I suggested she try  Crylon Paint instead. This paint is amazing and was made especially for painting plastic, like the ratty old plastic lawn chairs you thought you’d have to throw out. Crylon paint comes in a good color selection, available at  Hardware Stores .

My Quilters erasable pen is one of my favorite tools. It makes a great, bright purple  mark that fades to nothing  or can be removed with the built in eraser.  I use it in the workroom to mark fabric ( it’s intended use ) and at installations to mark the walls for  bracket placement and things.  Available at Fabricland

If your venetian blinds are dust magnets, spray them with static guard. It helps keep the dust from sticking and makes them easier to clean.  Also - use a  washable wool duster for cleaning them. Wool will actually pick up the dust, not just move it around like feather or polyester dusters do. 

If you are a sewer and need to trace your patterns, try medical  examining table paper. It comes in a roll, is semi-transparent, quite strong and a lot less expensive than the commercially available pattern tracing paper.  Available at the medical supply store in Vernon- behind the large downtown Safeway.

I recently had to install a curtain as a room divider. We could have only one center support, the rod was 12 feet long and the support had to hang from the ceiling.  I used a pipe stand from the local plumbing/electrical supply house. It cost about $4.00, as opposed to the $20.00 and up that similar supports cost from  drapery hardware  suppliers. Got this one at EMCO, they are metal so they can be painted to match the curtain rod color.

The cat peed on the new very expensive brown  leather sofa. It left a large dark green stain.  The Queen of Fix-its tried a lot of leather cleaning  products that didn’t work - but in the end Magic Eraser took the stain out totally. Stain is gone, so is the cat. 

Here are a few more ‘Other Uses’:

To mount a curtain rod inside the window frame a ‘J-hook’ from the plumbing department  can be painted and mounted to the frame and will accommodate up to about  5/8” diameter rod.  They cost less than a dollar each.

 I use releasable  zip ties to transform a flat sheet into a fitted sheet.   Drape the sheet over the mattress, in your left hand gather up all the excess fabric at one corner,  holding it close to the top of the box spring. Put a zip tie around the bundle, snug everything up and then tighten the tie well and tuck it under the mattress. Zip ties are not usually releasable but the automotive industry has them, they are available through Napa special order but their minimum is a  bundle  of 100 for $24.00. I got mine at Bumper to Bumper for 6 for $4.00. If you want to order some, call me and maybe a few of us can go together on a bundle. I certainly don’t want 100 of them....

Here is an ‘Other Uses’ from the President of the Canadian Drapery Workroom Association, Lori Crank:

A product named Green Works - it is a "natural glass & surface cleaner" made by Clorox, comes in a spray bottle like any other glass cleaner. Liquid is clear and works as an excellent spot remover on fabric. Of course test an area first - but I have never seen residue from this product. My little lifesaver!  Lori

Off Center Things

 I worked with a designer who loved asymmetrical things. If I hung a picture straight in the show room, she would come behind me and skew it just a bit. All the furniture in her living room was off centered, just a bit.  We did a Christmas Show Home one year and  one of my jobs was to go behind her and straighten everything. She took great delight in finding a window off center in a room.  She thought it showed some individuality.  I believe I am in the majority when I say that off center windows are really annoying. 

Here’s the thing about architectural elements in a room that you do not find pleasing and you can not change: you can camouflage it, you can ignore it, or you can accent it.

Camouflage it: remember what I’ve said about contrast? Here is a prime example of how to use that knowledge: Make the offending ‘item’ blend into it’s surroundings.

Ignore it:  This is a personal choice. If you have recognized a feature as being ‘bad architecture’ chances are good you will not be able to ignore it; but if you can, go ahead. You are the one who will have to look at it and live with it. 

Accent it: Make a statement out of item.  Draw attention to it, make it the focal point of the room.

I promise you that the most effective way to deal with architecture that you can not change  is to camouflage it. 

Suppose the window is off center.  Use drapes and  have them centered on the wall. Please look at the brown and yellow bedroom  in the Gallery on my website, Designsewlutions.ca for pictures of this problem and the fix. 

You may not care if the wall is in balance or not. If that is so, then put blinds on the window and away you go but remember this: asymmetrical  decorating is very difficult to do well. Unless you are a bit of a genius with balance and scale, no matter what you do the room feel slightly off kilter until you deal with the off center situation. This applies to most architectural  elephants in a room.  The easiest fix of all is to call a professional and get some good advice. 

This is the latest article in the Design Dilemmas series. I have added comments not published in the newspaper and have highlighted them in gold.

Here comes the Sun.

Great having the sun back.  Personally I love the heat but if you don’t and the sun is heating up your rooms, here are some reasonably priced things you can do to help control the temperature. 

 In my opinion the best thing you can do is have solar film applied to the windows. It is applied to the outside of the window and can reduce the UV  rays ( ie heat) by as much as 80%. The UV rays are also what damage your floor and bleach out your sofa fabric. This film, if professionally installed, is one of the best heat beaters I’ve ever seen - that still allows you to see out the window. In Salmon Arm Trademark Glass is the dealer I am most familiar with. Several of my clients have had the film installed and all have been just thrilled with the results.  

You can install black-out roller blinds, Roman blinds,  venetians or cellular shades. These work very well, just remember that there will be up to  one third of an inch gap on each side of the blind to allow for hardware. On a window 60 x 40  this gap would be equivalent to a hole about 5 inches square. If you add a good deep valance and side panels, all blackout lined, you will get  good heat protection but this solution  does not allow you to see out. On the gallery I have posted a before and after sequence of a blackout roller blind with a lot of  light seepage around the edges and the result with a blackout lined valance and side panels.  

Shade cloth is available now that will block about 75% of the UV rays and allows great view out, very little view in on a sunny day. This product is sewable and quite inexpensive,  perfect for patio or balcony curtains.  I have this fabric coming, should be here within a few weeks. I will sell it as a finished drape or blind  or as yardage so call me for more information. 250-833-1120.

You can have black out liners made for your existing drapery. There is a new blackout lining on the market that is quite drapeable, much nicer in feel that the older, stiff  blackout lining. These liners can be made totally detachable for cleaning and can be made to attach to almost any drapery treatment.  Totally opaque but fantastic heat protection, both keeping heat out in summer and in in the winter. On the gallery I have a before and after with dimout lining. The sun reflection on the floor is quite visible and the heat control these drapes provide was immediately noticeable.

I have seen fabric disintegrate after being exposed to the sun in just 1 season. I have seen hardwood floors bleached after a short time, and sofa fabric completely ruined by the sun. All these can be avoided it you put the right coverage on your window to start with.

Fabric Differences

 Which Fabric Should I Use?

I don’t mind a client bringing their own fabric to have me construct drapes or cushions or whatevers.  BUT often I am asked to use fabric that is not the correct quality or type suitable to the design. So,, for all you gals who want to find your own fabric, you should be aware of a few differences between fabric types. Each category has a specific purpose and while we can sometimes use one type of fabric for another, most often these fabrics do not cross the lines very easily. So, when you are out looking for fabric start in the correct department.  Just as you would not expect an inexpensive, indoor paint to look good and last as an outdoor paint, do not expect a fabric not intended for drapery to look as good as most drapery fabric. These are some of the main differences, by no means all the differences:

Quilting Fabric: usually 100% cotton, usually 45” wide. Usually fairly tight weave. 

These fabrics are very thin compared to most drapery fabric and therefore, in order to use them as drapery, they require special linings. The cost of the fabric itself can be quite expensive and because it is so narrow, more is needed for drapery and coupled with the interlining the cost can quickly approach that of a substantial drapery fabric. And it can shrink so pre-washing is a must if you want to wash the finished product.  Imagine ironing 15 meters of cotton.  

Upholstery Fabric: The easiest distinction here is that the design on upholstery fabrics runs across the bolt, from one edge as the top,  to the other as the bottom.  (Think ‘bouquets of flowers side by side  across the back of a sofa’). This is called railroaded.   Upholstery fabric often has a backing, it often feels slightly ‘sticky’ to  the touch and is usually  heavier than drapery fabric.  It doesn’t drape well and  is not usually  washable  and sometimes is  not dry-cleanable either. 

Drapery Fabric: The design runs up the bolt.  ( Think  ‘bouquets of flowers running up a very tall drape’) The fabric is usually 54 inches wide and it can be as light as a sheer (see-through) to  as  heavy as a  velvet.  Most drapery fabric is dry-cleanable, some is washable and a lot  of it has cotton or linen as part of the content. Depending on the weight it can sometimes be used for light upholstery, slipcovers and bedding.  

Fashion Fabrics: Almost everything else. Really. There are so many fibers and combinations it would be impossible to list them all . Some fashion fabrics, like fine wool blends, work well in the drapery world, and denim and canvas are great for slipcovers, but these are 100% natural fiber fabrics.  Some silks, velvets and corduroy’s  are great for cushions and things but they are not meant to take the abuse upholstery fabric will and usually have a much shorter life span. If the fabric has a viscose or rayon content it may stretch or sag. If it is a stretch fabric it is probably unsuitable for most home decor applications.

Now, having said all that, a decorator I knew used screen door mesh to construct drapes for a hair salon. I have used $6.00 per meter silk from a Sari shop for drapes.  I have used black denim for slipcovers that was initially intended for chefs jackets.   And I made a Grade 12’s grad ‘skirt’ out of 10 meters of embroidered drapery sheer.  Once again, if in doubt, please ask. I take phone calls and I’ll even go shopping with you. 

Magnetic Roman Blind and Valance Headrail

This post appears here and on the gallery. I think it is important to get the 'word' out about this because for years we have been trying to find a solution to the metal door and I  now have a functioning Roman Blind that does the job.

Some new developments on the magnetic headrail front.  I can now put a cord lock system on the headrail, no need for a cord cleat.  Today I installed a blind  25" wide and 84" long. Some

new components are coming my way and  I hope to be able to put a continuous cord system on the

 magnetic headrail soon.. Stay tuned!!

 This is one of the first ones I completed: Muslin for the blind, a jacquard for the valance. 

This decorative valance and functioning Roman Blind  are attached to the metal door  via a 

 magnetic headrails.  What makes this one different is that a valance or shade can be attached to it with velcro or staples. I've been thinking about this and trying different things for quite awhile. I've  got it now - the blind functions and the rod is secure.   And no holes in the metal door. If you would like more information or would like to order a rod, e-mail me at linda@designsewlutions.ca

If It Doesn't Work It Won't

I love the make-over shows on TV. They are full of good ideas. Sometimes I can adapt an idea and make it work for me or a client but  sometimes I just shake my head and hope that NOBODY takes the idea and does it for herself - my favorite ‘Don’t Do This’ idea was Hildy ‘s bathroom on Trading Spaces  a few years ago where she took  about 3 THOUSAND  plastic flowers, cut off the stems and hot-glue gunned the flowers  to the walls of a bathroom. I think she had forgotten what I believe to be one of the cardinal rules of decorating:  Functional pieces must be functional.  No matter how great it looks, if it doesn’t work for the people who live there, it isn’t a good idea.  It could be that  the  ice blue color of the walls makes the room so cold it is very uncomfortable in the winter.  Or it could be the  overstuffed  leather chairs are so large no-one’s feet touch the floor. Or it could be that the large screen TV is so big  that watching it, looking up, gives everyone a kink in their neck. Far too often I have heard home owners say that the TV must be  in one corner or against one wall because that is where the cable outlet is situated. I’m sorry but Larry the Cable Guy should not be telling you how you decorate your rooms and you most certainly should not be listening. 

Of course there need to be some things in the home that are there  just because you love them. William Morris said, over 100 years ago ‘If you want a Golden Rule  that  will fit everything this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not  know to be useful or  believe to be beautiful’. Things that serve a function should be functional, things that serve no purpose other than to be beautiful should be beautiful. Just because your Aunt Lil gave you that ’unusual’ lamp for a wedding present does not mean you must  display it in your living room.  Maybe that cushion cover was  beautiful 10 years ago, but now it’s just plain old tired. It doesn’t have feelings. The feelings about it are yours, keep the memories tucked away but get rid of the tattered old cushion.

Pick a vision for the room. Do you want the master bedroom to be restful, peaceful, beautiful, calm? Look at each and every thing in that room and if it does not fit into that vision then it does not belong in the room.   It’s really that simple but it can be difficult to separate emotions and objectivity.

Here is another instance of how a decorator or designer can help and save you time and money.  We can look at a room objectively; we see a lamp, a rug and a cushion, not Aunt Lil, Mexico and the Market on Granville Island.  We see what works together and what does not.  We can help you define your vision and help you get started making your rooms special.  

FOAM

We have high density, low density, high compression, low compression,   5 ,10 or 15 year, open cell, closed cell, latex, visco-elastic, memory, craft,outdoor and camping foam.  And all you wanted was some new foam for the chair pads in the kitchen.

So here you are, the Foam dictionary:

Density: refers to the amount of material per square foot. High density has more material, low density has less. This figure is usually expressed in pounds per cubic foot - how much  a piece of foam 12” x 12” x 12” weighs.  Or you may hear high, medium and low density. A number 1 density means the foam weighs 1 pound per cubic foot. 

Compression:  The number of pounds of pressure it takes to compress the foam 1 inch. 40 compression foam takes 40 pounds to compress.  This is referred to as the ILD  ('Indentation Load Deflection'  and it is actually a bit more complex than this simple definition but it’s close.) Typically a high density foam requires more compression to flatten it, but this is not a rule.

Closed cell: The very firm  foam  that  is used, for example,  to construct a packing case that mirrors the shape of the object being packed.

Open cell: the holes are not independent, they run into each other - take a close look at a sponge.

Latex: made from rubber, not petroleum products like most foam. Because of it’s resistance to  mold and mildew this is the most hypo-allergic type of foam.

Memory: a type of visco-elastic (latex)  foam that conforms  closely to the object being placed on it (like you).

Craft:  Inexpensive open cell polyurethane foam

Outdoor: An open cell foam with big holes that are large enough for water to pass through. This is the best stuff for out door patio furniture or boat cushions.

Camping and  craft: inexpensive foam, usually black in color, wears out quickly.

5, 10 or 15 year - the number of years of average use it will take to cause the foam to stay compressed when pressure is applied.

Testing foam by squishing it between your fingers will tell how hard you have to press your fingers to squish the foam. Not much else. If you want to know more about the foam you are buying, ask the seller. If they can’t tell you the density, or compression, or year rating assume that you are buying a low quality foam.

I hope this helps de-mystify foam a bit. Once again, if in doubt go to a reputable dealer, tell him your needs and ask for his advice. Prices vary from supplier to supplier and are usually directly related to quality but you should ask. Also remember that foam can not be returned once purchased so make sure you are buying the right one.

Usually for foam that will be used daily such as  chair pads or sofa cushions, a high density, high compression foam will last the longest. But, you may not want a really hard seat, therefore you will want to find a high density, low compression foam.   Or, you may use a high density, high compression foam as the inner core with a memory foam top layer. Most foam cushions on a sofa or in a cushion will have been wrapped with a quilt-batt  like substance, usually dacron or teralyne, that softens the look of the foam and rounds the edges a bit. 

Price of foam:  Some retailers sell foam by the foot or meter per pre-cut width, most foam suppliers calculate the price based on board feet. This is a piece 12” x 12” x 1 inch thick. If the piece was 2 inches thick, it would be 2 board feet. Currently the price of  hi-density 15 year foam is  about 3.50 per board foot.   This means that a sofa cushion 30 x 26 x 6  will cost about 114.00.  Why so much? The only answer I have been given over the last few years is that there were 2 plants producing the raw product for foam in North America prior to Katrina. One was destroyed in the hurricane and this resulted in the high prices. I don’t know if this is true or not but there was a huge jump in foam prices after the hurricane and these prices have not gone back down. 

How to cut foam: Most foam sellers will cut the foam to the shape you need. Take a paper pattern of the shape. Remember too that in order to have a really snug cushion the foam is often cut about 1/2" larger than the finished size. This is up to you. Be careful with this though, if the foam is less than 3" thick or so, it may buckle. 

Cutting foam at home is easy if you use a bread knife or an electric knife.  I bought a new electric knife just recently- cost $8.88 and works very well.  

The following link has good descriptions of most types of foam, including common uses of each type:

http://www.foambymail.com/FoamSpecs.html

The Feature Wall

In the last column I mentioned a design ‘rule’ that is : the eye will go to the area of greatest contrast first.(White belt on a black outfit)   Another example of this is: Think of a tree standing all alone in a field. Now think of that tree with a branch partially broken, hanging down. What is the most obvious thing about that tree, the one thing everyone will see first, before they see the tree? Yup.. the broken branch.

 

This is one of the main design guidelines. If you want something to be noticed in a room, make it different than it’s surroundings.  Another example:  Put three vases of similar size  on a window sill. One is pale green, one is pale blue, one is red. Which one will you notice first? Was that your intention, or was it to have the three vases be a grouping of similar things?  

So, now to feature walls. The function of a feature wall was originally  to create some interest where the was no specific architectural feature in the room. Instead of using furniture or fabric, or art to create a focal point, the feature wall was a bold blast of color, usually contrasting to the main color in the room, that said ‘Look at me, I’m the focal point’.  This is where we put the TV stand in the family room, or the head of the bed in the bedroom. It’s contrasting color made it the first thing someone  would notice when entering the room- the focal point. 

 

The more contrast there is in a room, the smaller the room will feel. (Think of a clutter filled room - lots of contrast.)  A contrasting wall color will make the wall advance, visually. Technically speaking, the lightness or darkness of the color  of the wall determines if the wall will ‘advance’ or ‘retreat’ but in my experience any high contrast color will make the wall more visible therefore making the room appear smaller. If you are decorating a small bedroom, for example, that has no architectural interest, painting one wall a high contrast color will only make the room appear smaller. Paint all the walls the same color and use the headboard as your focal point.  Or do the bed wall in a texture that is very close to the wall color. Or if you want to go big time dramatic, be bold and wall paper all the walls in the same paper.   One of my favorite small rooms of all time was in Chintz and Company in Calgary.  I worked there for a few years and the tiny, tiny ladies powder room on the main floor was wallpapered in a black paper with little bouquets of flowers. The ceiling too.  Very dark, very mysterious, very cool. Even though the paper was black, the room appeared much larger than it actually was because there was very little contrast between the walls, the ceiling  and the floor. 

So, please take care with the feature wall. Consider the purpose of the contrast, ask for some advice.  Maybe just a texture on the walls will do.  And remember the lady with the white belt.

Thanks to all who stopped by the booth at the Women’s Conference. It was good to meet so many of you and it was lots of fun seeing the looks of disbelief when I pointed to  Judy’s chair and said ‘ Yes, that’s a slipcover’. If you haven’t seen it, go to my website, Designsewlutions.ca and connect to the gallery. It’s my favorite slipcover. 

Valances - the good the bad and the ugly

Yes folks, valances are back.  But wait!!  I am not talking about the newspaper stuffed balloon valances, or heaven help us, the combination of  2 or 3   wide rods hung really close together with fabric all squished up.  Style and  beautiful fabrics are what make today’s valances different.  The fabrics do the work. Like a classic dress, it is perfect proportion, great fabric, exemplary construction and attention to detail that make or break a valance.  

When  pre-made blinds and shades became readily available in the early 90’s, a lot of us stopped using fabric on our windows at all. The result was a minimalist look that fit well with the pared down type of decor design of the era. The trend now is toward a warmer, more cozy interior space and fabric window treatments are one of the easiest ways to achieve this. So, because we still have those blinds and shades in place and do not need window coverings to provide privacy or light control, good valances and side panels are the style of the day.

What makes a ‘good’ valance? It starts with matching the style of the valance to the style of the room.  If your room is truly a minimalist room, a simple, tailored box pleated valance works very well.  If this is your 7 year old daughters room, you may opt for a more ‘fluffy’ valance, perhaps one with some fringe trim, but again the more classic styles work best - like an Empire  valance. You won’t tire of them as quickly as with a ‘trendy’ valance. Remember the pole with the fabric looped over and over?  Enough said.  Look at the style of the room, look at a lot of magazines and choose something that suits the room. If you can’t decide, ask for help. Then go look for fabric that suits the valance.  I have a software program that allows me to take a picture of your window, design a drapery treatment on the photo itself, apply the chosen fabric and lets you see what the treatment will look like before you make a final decision.

Fabrics that blend with the wall color  work best.  Here is a design ‘rule’: The eye will go to the area of greatest contrast first. For example, think of a lady in a black blouse and black pants. Now put a wide white belt on the outfit. What will you see first? The black blouse or the white belt? The same  happens in design. If you have soft  grey-taupe walls  in a room with pink accents and you use a bright pink fabric in the valance,  the valance is  the first thing anyone will notice when walking into the room.  More than likely this is not the reaction you want. If you put up a soft grey valance, perhaps with some of the pink in the pattern, the effect will be much less jarring. However you may want the valance to draw attention to the window.  If you have a spectacular view, think of the valance and side panels as being the frame for the picture. Then the attention it draws is warranted, and wanted, and the color should compliment both the walls and the ‘picture’. 

The quickest way to ruin a good valance is to hang it too low or to make it too short. The rule of thumb is that the valance depth  should be  about  1/5 to  1/4  of the perceived window depth and  no less than 12 inches.  This takes a bit of planning. You may have to hang the valance higher and make it longer to achieve the correct proportion. Hanging it higher increases the perceived widow depth.

In one of my earlier columns I told about the new valance hardware available that allows valances to be mounted on doors that open in to the room.  Keep this in mind if you have French Doors that need attention. See the Articles Archive, November ‘ Valances on  In-Opening Doors’ on my website for the column.

So, keep it simple, use great fabrics and stay away from trendy, fussy valances.  Most of  you have a great innate sense of style. Trust yourself.

On my Website, Designsewlutions,ca have a look at the brown and yellow bedroom and on the gallery there are some pictures of E’s kitchen with a really snazzy Empire Valance.   

I will be showing a collection of slipcovered pieces and some Roman Blinds at the Women’s Conference, January 29 and 30 at the Prestige. Stop by for a chat.

International E-Zine Features ME!!

I am just thrilled. Minutes Matter has featured me in the designer spotlight for this issue of their E-Zine. Minutes Matter is a software company that supplies the international interior design trade with the most advanced software available. Click on the link below to see the feature

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs041/1101122218818/archive/1102392749092.html

How to deal with a corner fireplace.

One of the frequent design questions I am asked  is ‘How do I place the furniture around a corner fireplace?’ This is a bit of a problem. The guideline in design  that covers this is that the main piece of furniture in a living room (the sofa) should be oriented toward the focal point. In English this means that the sofa should be placed in front of the fireplace, on the same angle as the front  of the fireplace:  parallel.  Doing this creates a rectangle or square area around which the rest of the furniture will be placed.  That sounds easy and simple but the variables that enter in here make all the difference. For example: is there  enough room to put the sofa  where it should be? What do we do if the room is not big enough and the sofa must go against a wall? Well first of all  if you can’t keep the fireplace and the front of the sofa exactly parallel don’t bother. If the angles are off  - if the sofa points in one direction and the fireplace in another, things will look way too off skew. Better to leave the fireplace at an angle and place the rest of the furniture straight.  

When you are working with a corner fireplace - or maybe a corner window-  you will need to decide if it is, in fact, the focal point of the room.  Depending on the usage of the room the fireplace may be secondary to, for example, the TV. In this case, the TV becomes the focal point and the furniture arrangement starts there.  Start with a  room usage list  - make sure you know what the room is going to be used for-  and  design your floor plan with the TV as the focal point. Place the main piece of furniture oriented toward that, keep your angles consistent and the rest will fall into place. a perfect example of this arrangement is Frasiers’ living room on the TV series - the sofa and Martins’ chair are oriented toward the TV and away from the fireplace. 

Now, having said that, the next guideline that you really should address is traffic flow- how people move through the room.  Try to establish the furniture arrangement in such a way that people will not be moving between the main focal point (the fireplace ) and the main sitting area (the sofa) as they pass through the room. Please remember that just because you move the furniture it does not mean you will move the traffic flow. We are creatures of habit and if the quickest way through the room is in front of the sofa, that is often where people will walk, even if they have to dodge around other things to get through. A well balanced furniture placement plan will help direct the traffic flow, not interrupt it.   (Think again of Frasiers living room, the sofa table helps direct the traffic around the back of the sofa - it creates a resting place for books, briefcases, bags of groceries, etc. as it ‘points the way’ to the coat rack around the corner and the kitchen) )

This is the  (true) story I use to get my design students to remember the importance of traffic flow: Several years ago my sister lived in a small two room log cabin on a very peculiar piece of land.  Lots of animals and lots of hills. They moved the cabin to the top of a hill and built an addition.  Cute little place. I was visiting, we were sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee when the house shook, accompanied by a loud bump. Really loud. I thought it was an earthquake; she was calm and said.. ‘Don’t worry, it’s nothing’. Happened again. And again.  I got up to go look and she said ‘ Don’t worry, it’s just the buffalo. We put the house on his trail and he’s trying to move us’.

Pre-Made Drapery Panels

Well - a good thing or not? They are everywhere, they vary in price from quite inexpensive to very  costly. We can find a good assortment of styles -  grommet tops, tab tops  and even  fake pinch pleats. We now have access to longer length panels  and an astounding assortment of fabrics. They offer a very quick, relatively inexpensive solution - you can buy the panels and a rod and install them yourself . If what you want is a quick fix they are great. No doubt about it.  But they do have limitations and because I work on these panels more and more often, I thought you might like to know what my experience with them has been so you can make an informed choice. 

Please  please please be aware of lining. You are simply throwing your money away if you buy a natural fiber panel with no lining; silk should also be interlined.  I promise you will see sun damage (even in a North facing window with blinds)  in as little as one summer season.  Check the seam stitching; hems should be blind stitched- you shouldn’t be able to see the line of stitching from the front. The side seams should be secure and not roll toward the front.   Check the cleaning instructions, if they can not be dry cleaned or machine washed, you will have to wash them by hand- and iron them. Could be quite a chore.  In order for the drape to hang correctly there needs to be a weight in each bottom corner.  Often these panels are folded and packed so tightly  that even with an industrial iron and a professional de-wrinkle spray the creases can not be removed.

Very few  pre made panels  are meant to be opened and closed. Picture this: you open the curtains by pushing the panel all the way  to the side of the window. To close the drapes you pull on the leading edge and drag it to the center of the window. The extra fullness stays squished at the side, all you did was pull the drape flat across the window. In order to make it look good it is necessary to go back and move the fullness along the rod bit by bit. Which leads me to rods that expand. If you are trying to pull the drape over the expansion joint the drape will snag at this point every time - and the  drape on the side with the smaller diameter rod will hang lower than the other side. 

Of the 12 panels from 5 companies I worked on in one 3 week period, there was a variance in length from one side to the other in 9 of the panels, from 1/2 inch to 2 inches.   Only 2 of the  panels were actually the same measurements as the package stated. None had blind hems and none had corner weights. Eight panels were longer in the center than at the sides. 

I am a member of an  association of people like me across Canada  who operate drapery construction businesses  and the general consensus is that the price of pre-made panels does not indicate the quality of  construction, lining or fabric. Most of the panels we see are made in the Orient and with altering and replacing in a few years there isn’t that much cost saving between these panels and custom made to start with.  

So buy these panels with the understanding that you will be replacing them soon - use them  as stationary panels in the kids playroom or the spare bedroom. Get your sewer to add some trim to customize them and  perhaps pleat them so they function better or look a bit more individual.   I recently  delivered some shortened panels to a client and as I drove down the street I noticed the same panels in another  living room as well.  I hate going to a party and seeing someone in the same dress as me.

 

Magnetic Roman Blind and Valance Headrail

Muslin for the blind, a jacquard for the valance.

This decorative valance and functioning Roman Blind  are attached to the metal door with my latest goodie: magnetic headrails.  What makes this one different is that a valance or shade can be attached to it with velcro or staples. I've been thinking about this and trying different things for quite awhile. I've  got it now - the blind functions and the rod is secure.   And no holes in the metal door. If you would like more information or would like to order a rod, e-mail me at linda@designsewlutions.ca

How do I decide if I should slipcover or re-upholster?

 Most of us became aware of slipcovers in the early 90’s when the  ‘Shabby Chic’ style of covering  became well known. They were loose fitting covers, skirts puddling on the floor, often using several different fabrics. Custom slipcovers  have changed and now  are usually very fitted. ‘Fit like a Glove’ - that is the school of construction I follow.   Slipcovers are everywhere. Spotlighted on Cityline recently and featured in Style at Home in a summer issue  they are experiencing  a huge resurgence. Slipcovering is a great way to add style and detail to furniture without spending a lot of money. Consider the following:

Slipcovers are now less expensive than upholstery.  I learned a new way of doing covers last year and now, instead of several days to cover a piece, I can do it  in less than half the time and I don’t need to have the piece in my workroom. So I can charge a lot less  and you save money.    A wing backed chair uses about 8 meters of fabric, the cost of fabric for the chair on the  cover page of my website was less than $60.00 - we waited for the fabric to go on super-sale.

Slipcovering, if done correctly, will appear as if it is upholstered. (Take a look at the slipcovered pieces at Designsewlutions.ca)  Fabric choice is not  as  limited as upholstery because almost any natural fiber  or blend fabric of medium weight  can work - from drapery fabric to denim.  Consider the possibility of using a Sunbrella fabric - one that won’t fade in the sun for use on chairs for the patio or sunroom. 

They can be removed for cleaning.   Dry-cleaning is recommended  unless you have an industrial sized  laundry setup. You don’t want to put 10 to 16 meters of fabric into a regular washer/dryer.  Ironing the pieces would be nearly impossible.  

You can have additional cushion covers made so spills won’t matter quite so much. You can mix and match fabrics and use home decor trim.  We often see Christmas cushions appearing at this time of year - why not have a slipcover made that uses Christmas fabric as well? Or use a great print for a summer cover, a chenille for winter.   

Slipcovering does not interfere with the original covering - for sentimental or antique reasons you may not want to damage the original upholstery. 

 A slipcover is  a garment for your furniture.  It can’t solve all  the problems underneath but it can certainly camouflage some of  them.  

So - to slipcover or re-upholster? If you like what you have read so far, consider slipcovering. If your piece  squeaks, wobbles or sags  it is probably a candidate for re-upholstery. 

 A word of caution: I recently  purchased a pre-made  chair slipcover.   It was made by the most well known brand of ready made slipcovers and I wanted to use it in my slipcover displays - showing the differences between a ready made and a custom made cover.  It  cost just over $100.00 and it looked so bad I returned it. I knew that even if I put a big sign on it saying ‘ready made’  someone  seeing it in a slipcover display would assume that I had done it.   Trust me, one size does NOT fit all.  It doesn’t in pantyhose  and it doesn’t in  ready-made slipcovers.

Now - for all of you who have been told that sleeper or pull out  sofas can’t be slipcovered - the good news: new techniques and products have made it possible to do these pieces as well.  

How much does it cost to heat one window?

If your double paned window is 50” x 50” , and you heat with gas, an estimated $37.00 per year  of your heating bill is going out the window.  This ONE window only. How many windows do you have in your home?   With the right window coverings you could save almost half of this money.

What happens to this $37.00 with different types of covering?

Type                 Estimate of Dollars saved/year      % saved

A venetian ( mini)  blind                        $1.12            3%

An unlined curtain                                $.74             2%

A top of the line cell shade                  $15.32             42%

An interlined blackout drape             $16.00           44%

An interlined, snug fit Roman blind   $18.00           48%

Same window, electric heat, will cost you  about $27.00 per year.

Type                       Estimate of Dollars saved/year     % saved

With a venetian                                  $.63             2%

With an unlined curtain                        $.42            1.5%

A top of the line cell shade                   $8.66              32%

 Interlined/blackout  drape                  $9.00              33%

An interlined, snug fit Roman blind    $10.00             37%

I’ve been in this business for about 20 years and I know that good insulation is provided by cellular shades and insulated drapes and blinds but we haven’t been able to actually estimate a dollar figure on per window saving  until recently. The upsurge of interest in R-Value has made a lot of  new information available. I wanted to share this with all of you who are concerned about your heating bills; as you can see  there is a way to decrease the amount of money going out the windows without  actually replacing those windows.

 If you would like an estimate on  how much your windows are costing you and what solutions are available to you  within your budget, e-mail me at linda@designsewlutions.ca or  check my website Designsewlutions.ca and click the link  to Articles.  I can give you estimates on heat loss cost  for single, double and triple glass, electric or gas heat. 

I would like to thank my sister, Judy Erlam, for  successfully navigating the murky waters of cubic feet per gigajoule, degree days and fuel cost multipliers  in order  design the system that makes it possible for me t0 provide you with the estimates.

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Saving Money on Draperies

 I often hear that custom made drapes are just too expensive. Here are 3 of  my favorite stories illustrating that  drapes can be done without taking out a second mortgage. One of the easiest ways to save money on drapes is to  establish a good relationship with your decorator/sewer, make a plan that includes a budget and be willing to wait just a bit.

I recently did a bedroom window with a blackout Roman Blind, 2 floor length side panels and a beautiful Empire valance with matching trim.  The client wanted a specific type of floral print and the color scheme  of mustard yellow-green and burgundy was somewhat unusual- but beautiful.  I showed her photographs of similar windows I had previously done and did a design of the treatment onto a photo of her window so she could see exactly what the finished look would be and, after  we looked at a lot of fabric samples, ( I have a library of about 200 fabric books ), I felt I had a very clear understanding of the fabric she wanted.  

We did find fabric in one of my books that was wonderful, but at $60.00/meter it would have been a real stretch on her budget.  We agreed to wait for the fabric to ‘appear’ and she, bless her heart, agreed to trust me.   About 3 weeks later I found just what we were looking for on sale in a store in another town. The original price on the fabric was $29.98/ meter. We got it for $6.00/ meter; the print and color were perfect.  We saved about $550.00.

The fabric was a top quality cotton print, no flaws, no mis-printing.  Often these large stores get fabric that is the end of the run and are able to sell it at very low prices.  Or they deal directly with the fabric mills for all their fabric and are able to re-order fabric  or order large quantities at very competitive prices.

 Last spring a client picked a fabric from a book  of  one of my suppliers - in California.  The day the fabric was delivered, at an end cost of $74.00/meter, another client brought  me the same fabric -that she had purchased in Vancouver for $26.98/meter.  I talked to the owner of that store and found that the store buys directly from the mills. Now I order from the store, or send my clients there.

One of my favorite  ‘wait and it will come’  stories is Miras ’ kitchen. She painted her kitchen a glorious color - called  Pear. Except that it was Granny Smith Apple Green. She loved it.  I  was having a lot of trouble finding  a small plaid fabric  with apple green and terra cotta ( the floor color) .   A country kitchen, big French doors, huge over-the-sink window and a large picture window. We needed about 35 meters of fabric and we knew we wouldn’t be able to find that much  in a store, so special order was our only option.  If I could find it. 

 As a last resort I called one of my fabric suppliers and told her the story, asking her to keep her eyes  peeled for something we could use. She called me back later that day and said she had gone to the warehouse and found just what we were looking for and because of the unusual color  the fabric was on sale for $5.00 a meter.   She sent us a sample and it was exactly what we were looking for.  Mira and I were doing a lot of work together so I passed the fabric cost saving directly to her. She saved about $1000.00 on this one room.  I made my money on  the construction, the drapes were fantastic and my client and I were both happy.

Developing a good rapport with your decorator/sewer will save you money. If she is good she will keep looking for just the right fabric, at just the right price for you. She  wants you to be happy, you want to have the look you want without over-spending. Take your time. It is almost always worth the wait.

Have a look at the brown and yellow bedroom on my website designsewlutions.ca. It was done totally with Fabricland fabric, total  fabric cost for window treatments, chair and bedspread was under $250.00