Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
waltbsc

1 panel, 2 panel, valance, solid, pattern....ugh.

waltbsc
13 years ago

So it's time to start researching window treatments and I'm clueless. We are usually drawn to geometric patterns but I'm thinking we need to go with a solid color and jazz it up a bit with pillows and art..the wife doesn't have an opinion at this time, go figure.

My first issue is the panels sticking out too much and blocking my view of the TV. Heck, I already gave up the prime seating area and I've learned to like my little corner but I have to stand my ground..I think the panel can come out about 2.5" so it's not impossible.

Second issue, how many panels, or should we go with a valance? In our old house we had two windows flanking our bed and the wife put one panel on each window and I hated it..I can see that idea being mentioned again. Since the windows are closer together maybe it won't be that bad. All the panels I've seen are 50" wide so having 100" of fabric on a 30" window may be a little much so that's why I'm here.

Any idea's with color or pattern? We only have one piece of art (pictured) and the artist is working on something for our fireplace..We purchased the pillows today and we're not sure if they're staying.

Enough rambling for now!

Comments (35)

  • Lyban zone 4
    13 years ago

    A few questions for starters:
    1- Will you be keeping the blinds that are on there now?

    2- Will you be closing the new curtains or will they just be for decor?

  • waltbsc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Blinds are new so they will be staying and curtains only for decor.

    French doors lead to pool so this will be a high traffic area. That's why I chose a 1/2" blind and it's also secured at the bottom.

  • HIWTHI
    13 years ago

    I love your wall color, very pretty.

    For the 2 windows, I'd put one panel per window, but swagged opposite each other so they frame the area. Because the window are close together, this treatment will work.

    I think with the colors and style you have going in the room I think geometric would be great. I can't recommend a color though, but I'd look for something that compliments the lamps.

  • amykath
    13 years ago

    I used to have just one panel on each window and I decided I just did not like it.

    I would use two panels per window... very simple and in a color such as a muted yellow/orange or tan... keep them simple... not too heavy. I just think the two panels per window is the way to go. I would go with solid or a very mild pattern that almost looks like a solid color. Play off your artwork which is beautiful btw!

    Hope this helps a bit!

  • amykath
    13 years ago

    These might be a possibility...

    Here is a link that might be useful: curtains

  • bird_lover6
    13 years ago

    I don't know what your budget is, but I would look at the Pottery Barn Peyton (linen blend) panels and the Restoration Hardware linen panels. I have both in different rooms and love them. Yes, the RH is quite a bit more expensive, but they look every cent worth it to me. :)

  • Boopadaboo
    13 years ago

    Well, I am generally a curtain person, but I think I would skip them in your room unless you needed them for some reason. I would fill in art and accessories and then see if I still felt like it needed curtains.

  • erinsean
    13 years ago

    Personally, I would use white sheers with a dark decorator rod. Simple but clean looking. Blinds can be opened behind the sheers or closed...privacy either way.

  • waltbsc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    As usual, you guys are great! Thanks for the feedback.

    We are wanting to add some color in our space so we thought we would do that with curtains. Everything about our room is new in the past month so we'll be decorating a little at a time over the next few months. As far as a budget, we don't really have one..if we see something we like we'll try to make it work.

    I'll take a look at the PB and RH curtains and find a few that I liked at JCP (I know, probably doesn't compare to the others) and post them to get your opinion. We also have two black dogs that will eventually make contact with whatever we chose so we would like to be able to maintain.

    Would you use the same curtain for both area's?

  • waltbsc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Here is a simple sheer..not sure what color we would chose.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Example

  • waltbsc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hex..thinking too busy?

    Here is a link that might be useful: hex

  • les917
    13 years ago

    Well, the first thing you can do is pull the tv away from the corner a bit. There is nothing that says because it sits at an angle it has to span exactly across the corner and tight into it. You have room to move things a bit left, so do that.

    I would actually like to see your whole couch/chair seating area slide down a few inches. I think it would be nice if the end table and lamp on the right side of the couch weren't jammed up against the doorway, but had a couple of inches of breathing space.

    As for window treatments, I think you need to hang them close to the ceiling, to balance the height of the bookcases and fireplace. I would want to see them hung on either side of the window, just covering the frames, so that you have the maximum amount of window visible. Standard for fullness is 1.5 to 2 times the window size, which means on a 30 inch window the most you would want would be about 60 inches of drapery. That is less of an issue if you go outside the window on either side, so the it seems that the windows are wider. You have the wall space, and you don't seem to have plans to have other furniture in that area.

    I would be inclined to want some kind of print or tone on tone thing going on, rather than a solid. Something with some of the gold/yellow/curry color in the lamps would be wonderful.

    A burlap fabric would be great if you go solid, for the texture.

    These from IKEA might work - the grey in the leaves seems to be the same, or close to the color of your walls, and the brown and beiges in there seem to pick up on your floor and furniture colors.

    stockholm blad

    Or, do nothing right now, and down the line replace the white blinds with something in a warm wood tone.

  • User
    13 years ago

    You may want to take a look at the Jewel Tex III at JCP as well. I've got samples up on my windows right now and am liking them a lot. The photos on their site are horrible and don't represent them well at all. They were recommended to me by the girl at the store who is in design school. When I first saw the card I thought well what do I have to loose. They come in either a grommet or pinch pleat and we're going with the grommet in ivory beige which is a very soft cream color. Hanging they look like a slightly heavier than sheer linen with a touch of texture to them. Why they don't sell them in the stores I don't know but if you ask to see a sample card they have them in a book behind the shelf. The actual feel of the fabric is weird to me, but when hanging, they are really lovely.

  • Lyban zone 4
    13 years ago

    I just love the curtains that Les attached. The Stockholm ones. Here is another photo of them that Sarah Richardson used in a nursery. I think the wall color is kind of like yours and they are so cheerful and light looking. They are from Ikea and very very reasonable.

    {{!gwi}}

  • waltbsc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Les - I'll admit when I first saw the curtains they didn't do much for me but I trust your opinion from everything I've read. The pic Lyban posted (thank you!) confirms your suggestion as they really do look good. We have an Ikea about 1:30 from here and I've been wanting to go so I may head up that way in a couple of weeks.

    As far as furniture placement, the couch is centered to the fireplace which you really can't tell from the picture. The table is also 3" from the opening so there is a "little" room. I went ahead and moved the TV stand to the left a few inches which helped.

    Would you use the same curtain for both sides of the room?

  • les917
    13 years ago

    Thank you for the nice comment, Waltbsc. I am flattered!

    When you ask about using them on both sides, are you talking about putting them on the french doors? Replacing the blinds or as another layer? I could see them gathered top and bottom on rods on the door, in place of the blinds, or made up as roman shades, but I am not sure I see drapery panels over there. I think the bookcases provide a lot of interest and detail, and you don't need drapery there.

    What I might be tempted to do, rather than do a treatment on the french doors, is line the back of the bookcases with the drapery fabric. However, that would only work if the shelves were going to hold basically books. Otherwise, the printed background would steal the show from any vases, etc you might place on the shelves.

  • lynxe
    13 years ago

    "I would be inclined to want some kind of print or tone on tone thing going on, rather than a solid. Something with some of the gold/yellow/curry color in the lamps would be wonderful."

    That's what I was thinking, too.

    Your room already contains solid blocks of color -- the wall, the wainscot, the furniture. Lots of rectangles and color blocks.

    My opinion only (and I seriously dislike Sarah Richardson's style, so take this with as many grains of salt as you like), but I find those Stockholm curtains too light, too similar in intensity to the wall color; I think the room wants a larger proportion of dark bits in the curtains to balance elements like the coffee table, end tables, and TV. I'm envisioning a pattern in intensity and with dark-to-light ratio somewhere between that pillow on the sofa and the art above it.

  • waltbsc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks again for your opinions as I love the feedback! I always think to myself, "This is going to be an easy decision" Yeah right, nothing has been easy :)

    We're really open to anything..well, I don't want to spend $400 on treatments for two windows.

  • suzienj
    13 years ago

    Walt- what color blue paint is that- BEAUTIFUL ROOM-- i like something with pattern too for your space

  • palimpsest
    13 years ago

    I vote for pattern as well. These are from The Shade Store, in their Dwell collection, and the color is Jade which may be much too green for your room but I saw the grey-blue-green and the ochre so I thought I would put it out there as an example.

    {{!gwi}}

  • waltbsc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    The wall color is SW Samovar Silver. What do you guys think about this pattern and color? There are many colors available if you like the pattern..not sure if I should go lighter or darker. I really do appreciate all the suggestions! The wife is out of town this week so I've been trying to get some examples together so we can make a decision this weekend.

  • msrose
    13 years ago

    I'm on this white/cream curtain kick, so that was my first thought and I still think that would be beautiful, but after seeing pipdog's recent post, I can see something brighter also. I'm including her post just in case you missed it.

    Here is a link that might be useful: pipdog's room

  • tuesday_2008
    13 years ago

    msrose - you linked the wrong pic - it is a mirror/wall hanging. Pretty though! Did you mean to show us drapes??

  • waltbsc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I think she was referring to the link below. I also love the orange. Again, too many choices!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Try this one

  • Oakley
    13 years ago

    The orange curtains work in that room because of the furnishings in it.

    I like the leaf curtains, but not for a living room. I think you definitely need print, but with a bolder color..what I don't know.

    For the french doors leading to the pool, I think sheer panels gathered at top and bottom would be perfect! You can still leave the shades there and close them at night for privacy.

    Love your room, but it needs more color, IMO. I can't believe how much you've accomplished in such a short time with great results!

  • terezosa / terriks
    13 years ago

    I thought that I'd do a couple of rough mock-ups to show how panels would look in your room:

    Here is a link that might be useful: JCPenney panels I used for mock-up

  • waltbsc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks Terriks!!!

  • msrose
    13 years ago

    Yep, that's the one I meant. Thanks, walt!

  • les917
    13 years ago

    Terriks did a great job with her mockups!

    I think the window panels are right, but I would NOT put panels on either side of the french doors. I think you are changing the effect of the built-ins and crowding the space visually.

    As I said, I would do roman shades or gathered panels on the doors in the same fabric as your window panels. The other thing I would love to see would be a shelf that spans between the two built-ins, probably at the height of the top shelves in the cabinets. Paint the shelf the same color as the cabinets. You could paint the wall behind that shelf in the cabinet color as well, so it would feel like a part of the cabinets, and the crown above it would help that feeling.

    What I keep thinking about in the room is painting the back walls of the cabinets in the accent color of the lamps, or another color if you prefer. In that case, I would paint behind the shelf over the doors in that same accent color.

  • Kathleen McGuire
    13 years ago

    I was racking my brain trying to find a nice yellow/mustard color that would pick up on your lamp color and then it hit me! The drapes I have in my breakfast room! The PB Alessandra in yellow! It is a nice casual floral in linen/cotton.

    Here is a link that might be useful: PB Alessandra

  • Lyban zone 4
    13 years ago

    I like that suggestion from ksmg. I have always loved that pattern from pottery barn and the yellow.gold might just go well with the lamps.
    I also like Les s suggestions.

  • waltbsc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I was supposed to paint the wall section of the cabinet the wall color this week but work was crazy and well, that didn't happen..haha Since these were stained wood I had to use a lot of caulk in the joints and they look pretty good in white but I'm scared if I start painting part of them a darker color I may be in a never-ending battle of perfection in the joints so we'll see.

    I do like the PB curtains but I need 95" and they don't have the gold color at this time..figures.

  • Kathleen McGuire
    13 years ago

    Oh shoot! Go figure!

  • bac717
    13 years ago

    If you REALLY like the Alessandra panels from Pottery Barn, as suggested by kmcg, you could always order the longer length and shorten them.

  • terezosa / terriks
    13 years ago

    I like the cabinet area painted the way it is.