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bepo2003

Drapery help needed

13 years ago
Hi everyone! I could really use some help. Attached are a few pictures of our loving room and dining room. We are still waiting on a few pieces of furniture, which will be delivered Monday. The walls are revere pewter. The couch is a gray and the side chairs that haven't arrived are gray as well. There are seven windows across the living room and dining room. The seller left their drapes at our request. They are from restoration hardware. We had them cleaned and now we can tell that some panels have faded and we are trying to match up the right panels. But overall I don't think the color looks good. I think it's drab and takes away from the room. They are a 100% cotton. They cost $200 a panel at the store and we can't afford to spend $2000+ on drapes right now. Is there any way to make this better? Would bleaching be a possibility? Is there something we could do to make this look better. Other than the color, the drapes are excellent quality.

Thanks so much.

Comments (17)

  • 13 years ago
    How much does it typically cost to dye them?
  • 13 years ago
    My two cents would be a subtle stripe that incorporates your wall color and any other dominate colors in your room. I would also pull your couch a bit off the wall so the drapes can hang freely and actually make the room look more spacious. If your tight for space a few inches will do...
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    Dye is a good option indeed. However, if it is not feasible, I'd suggest to bleach it to white (to match your trims and windows) and run a gray border to bring it to the colour scheme that you picked for your decor. This border could be done horizontaly or even on both vertical sides. Nevertheless, I'd like to suggest one more thing. PLease lower your curtains. I can tell that there is a 2 to 3" gap between the floor and the panels...It looks odd. It gives the impression that the curtain was bought/made too short. The panels should be installed almost touching the floor (1/4" before it reaches it).
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    My quick DIY cheap anser would be to get a long peice of ultrasuade material in a contrasting color and hot glue it around the edges. Its an easy material to cut and pin as well as not expensive in the small quantity you will need.
    Ive done this on Staging jobs & it looks great!
  • 13 years ago
    Thanks for all of the suggestions. Our windows and walls are different shapes so the best solution was to ensure that the rods were at the same height. So some of the drapes hang higher.

    What to you mean by using suede?
  • 13 years ago
    I like the idea of adding trim. Place trim along the length of the curtain on the inside panels. Also, to even out the varying heights place a larger border along on the bottom with the same color. You can add trim by using fusible iron on tape. I would not attempt dyeing the drapes yourself. The color may not be uniform, and when you wash them they made fade differently based on the amount of light each window receives. use material that is the same as the curtain because materials act differently when washed. Also I would use a contrasting color to the grey, decide on which accent color you want and use that for the drape.
  • 13 years ago
    I like Anne Gibney's suggestion for a wide border at the bottom hem of your drapes to add some contrasting color as well as length to your drapery panels. It looks as though there may have been some shrinkage when the curtains were laundered as they should just barely brush the floor.
  • 13 years ago
    For those suggesting a border, do you think the color itself is okay? To me it all looks so bland now. Before we put the drapes up the revere pewter looked clean. I just don't know if the base color would work even with a trim?
  • 13 years ago
    For those suggesting a border, do you think the color itself is okay? To me it all looks so bland now. Before we put the drapes up the revere pewter looked clean. I just don't know if the base color would work even with a trim?
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I think there is something wrong with the pleating at the top. Tey look messy and crooked. Whats up with that? They look really shabby and don't think it's worth your time and energy to muck around with them. Save your money for some new drapes. They cost what they cost and if you don't think it's worth it, then learn how to sew and make them yourself for less. If you can stand they way they are now, fitx the pleats and embellish them with some of the above suggestions, I would paint the walls the same colour to make them fade away. Sorry but it's a no for me.
  • 13 years ago
    For the cost of dyeing the drapes, I would go to a reputable dry cleaner in your neighborhood and bring a panel with you. They'll be able to tell you IF they can be dyed and how much.

    I've seen draperies with a border added at the bottom and they look good. However, it's the whole drapery that is the wrong color so I don't think it will help you in this instance.

    Go to a local department store in your area, and buy 1 or 2 charcoal gray panels. Make sure you can return these panels to the store. Try them out on your windows and see if this color doesn't make a difference. If it does, return the panels and get yours dyed. It made ALL the difference in my Revere Pewter room.
  • 13 years ago
    Design coach - huh? We just painted the walls. So I don't understand your comments. We threw the drapes up and weren't careful with pinning which we can fix.
  • 13 years ago
    Design coach - huh? We just painted the walls. So I don't understand your comments. We threw the drapes up and weren't careful with pinning which we can fix.
  • 13 years ago
    Well, if it were me, I would start searching the discount fabric outlets, find a print that I like and make my own panels. Use one of these panels as a template to size the new ones. They're pretty easy to sew. Just fold and hem. Allow for a generous rod pocket at the top, and a generous hem at the bottom. Use a material that hangs nicely. If you don't want to change them out, just hang the ones you have evenly and bring the bottom hem up so it just brushes the top of your registers. The other thing I might do is make a wide tieback out of a pretty print material, and make matching pillows in the same print or colors to match. This will give them that bit of color you're looking for. Good luck! Have fun.
  • 13 years ago
    Why don't you hang one pair nicely, photo them really well and advertise the entire batch on Craigslist? If you promote that they are from RH, you may get enough out of them to pay for
    some new ones.