Traditional family room, in Naperville, Illinois. The client desire was to create warm, cozy, and still elegant to welcome close friends and family.
Inspiration for a large timeless family room remodel in Chicago with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a media wall

Richard Lanenga photography
Family room - transitional family room idea in Chicago

Window treatment Design By Susan Gailani, of Gailani Designs Inc,
Elegant home design photo in Chicago

Piano room in a Burr Ridge home. Draperies design by Gailani Designs Inc. Photography credit, Richard Laninga. Brown velvet swags cascading to the sides of each window hung from a cornice. The cornice is embellished with a decorative motife.

Transitional home design photo in Chicago

Traditional dining room, Naperville Illinois.
Enclosed dining room - large traditional dark wood floor enclosed dining room idea in Chicago with beige walls

Beach style guest carpeted and beige floor bedroom photo in Chicago with blue walls and no fireplace

Luxurious draperies for arched windows at the entry of a residence in Orland Park IL. Notice the glass work of the entry door and how it was repeated with a fancy drapery trim on the cornice crowns.

Custom Drapery Hardware by Susan Gailani, Drapery Design By Susan Gailani, Photography By Richard Lanenga
Inspiration for a modern home design remodel in Chicago

Draperies for an arched window and custom hardware.
Example of a large transitional home design design in Chicago

Draperies for tall and arched window.
Home design - large transitional home design idea in Chicago

Inspiration for a transitional home design remodel in Chicago

The Illuminated Room A new client in Burr Ridge, Illinois, asked me to design his living room and said he wanted a unique design. He further said he wanted me to create “the WOW! factor” with a design that I’ve never done for another client. Exciting challenge for a designer, right? Well, after giving it some thought, I decided to create “sculptural” window treatments for the five windows in the room. The room has a curved wall with a faux finish with honey, gold, gray and a hint of golden green. That was my base for a color scheme. We selected furniture with contemporary styling, in black and gray with a hint of rust/copper. The coffee table was very interesting! It’s oval-shaped and finished in copper, resembling a smooth pebble. Deep thought was given to the design of the five tall, slender all windows. I needed to create a design to enhance the overall look of the room and the play up the height of the windows. I found this amazing fabric that was perfect in terms of colors and texture. The background was in blackened, antiqued silver with woven lines of copper that stretched up and down across the length of the fabric. Perfect choice! I also found an amazing trim with diamond stones woven in rows across the band, which added amazing elegance and style. So, I thought to myself, “Why not create curved cornices to echo the curved wall?” I imagined covering the cornices with that perfect metallic fabric and using the diamond-covered trim as a decorative element to add sparkle and draw the eyes up to enhance the height. Another thought: “Why not install LED lights within the cornices to illuminate the ceiling, and install drapery sheers under the cornices?” Voila! Unique idea, I hadn’t done this before, and I was positive that my client would love it! As expected, the client approved. Construction and installation took 12 weeks, a little longer than average; the delay was because I had to find the perfect electrician to make my design come to life. I found the perfect light fixture for the narrow wall that one sees when entering the room. It looks Like a shield with the light right in the center. Unique choice for a unique room! The room is not quite complete. We need an area rug, side tables, and accessories. I will post photos of the room when we have selected the right elements to complete the look. The following photos show the room as it is now:

With sleek, contemporary styling, the living room boasts a curved wall with a textural copper-and-silver finish and five very tall, narrow windows. The room itself was all the inspiration I needed to envision big, bold and bright decorative hardware and trim, but the modern furniture and the eye-catching metallic-copper coffee table provided additional inspiration. Because the clients don’t like floor lamps and because they entertain frequently, I suggested back-lit crowns to reflect light off the ceiling. They loved the idea, but then came the challenge. Incorporating LED lighting in the design sounded easy enough, but a certified electrician had to be consulted to ensure safety and security. After spending considerable time learning about installing lights within the crowns, I set about designing how the lights needed to be placed to have the most dramatic effect. Two rows of lights were installed. The upper row shines upward to create a curved light on the ceiling, which enhances the height of the windows, creates a rhythm suggestive of the curve of the accent wall, and mimics the pebble-like shape of the table. The second row of lights shine downward, creating beams of light on the drapery sheer for dramatic effect and helping illuminate the room. Dimmer switches were installed so the clients can adjust brightness. A decorative trim of diamond crystals was attached to the center of the crowns to create visual interest and add a touch of luxury – a detail that was repeated on the tiebacks. The sheer draperies hanging under the crowns are very close in color to the walls, reducing the contrast between the wall and the draperies, which helps give the room a more open and expansive look and feel. The clients are delighted with the end result and said that when visitors see the room for the first time, they never fail to comment on the amazing lights in the window treatments.

Drapery Design By Susan Gailani of Gailani Designs Inc,
Elegant home design photo in Chicago

Inspiration for a transitional dining room remodel in Chicago

Richard Lanenga
Example of a classic living room design in Chicago

Richard Lanenga Photography