Hi lovelies and welcome back. I am having a great start to the week by taking some time out to focus on house Reno jobs, which I have been meaning to do for months but never seem to find the time to complete. Today is the day where I knuckle down to make some Roman blinds for the master bedroom.
If you have read any of my other posts, you will know that we recently renovated our master bedroom after 6 years of living with 1 plug socket and crumbling lime plaster, held together by textured wallpaper. I am literally living my best life, having such a light, airy and tranquil space to not only sleep in but work in too.
I want to talk quickly today about window dressings for traditional spaces.
My personal tastes are without a doubt traditionally British, combined with a modern edge and bursts of colour, in a nod to my Jamaican roots. I am lucky to live in a beautiful Edwardian property, with high ceilings, large windows and plenty of traditional features. in terms of decor, the house mostly speaks for itself and honestly could handle anything thrown at it.
Window treatments are something which I gained a lot of experience in whilst working for the well renowned Laura Ashley. In fact it was possibly one of the biggest parts of my job- measuring and playing with beautiful combinations of fabrics, trims and figuring out how to make the most out of a window.
Windows, depending on the view can really make or break a space. They are dull on a rainy day and create too much glare on a sunny day. They are however a great way to create a focal point if you have a boxy space and want to add interest to a room.
There are plenty of options to choose from when dressing your window:
1) Roman blinds- pleats of fabric
2) Roller blinds - coated fabric fitted to a roller
3) Venetian blinds - wooden slats which can be pivoted to control light
4) Shutters - wooden panels with hinges
5) Curtains with various headings (perhaps a post for another day)
6) Voiles- thin/semi transparent fabric
For traditional spaces, I favour roman blinds. The reason for this is because period properties tend to have large windows, which means you can afford to loose some of the light- allowing for a pop of colour to constantly be on show. Patterns are great for blinds but choose wisely. If you have more than one window, you will need to make sure that the pattern repeat is matched. Stripes and checks can be problematic for this as cutting and stitching will need to be perfectly straight. Remember- vertical stripes will add height, which is great if you have a low ceiling.
In my own home, I have square bay windows. As I make my own blinds, I tend to choose plain fabrics, which covers a multitude of sins with my novice sewing. This allows me to be bolder in my curtains and finishings. Keep reading to learn more.
The key to adding warmth to your living space is texture, texture texture. I cannot talk about this enough. I love layering- sofas, beds, windows! If you have space above your window, add in a pole. 9 times out of 10 there is a sofa under a window. It is very traditional and also quite grand to have long curtains to the floor, framing your window and sofa. (This is best suited to rooms with high ceilings). If you have low ceilings, try to add your blind to the outside of the frame, giving the illusion of a larger window and preserving light.
I love the colour and pattern clash going on here and it is pulled off by the vast amount of light streaming through the windows.
If you are less adventurous- stick to one plain and one patterned. Make sure that you pull a colour or pattern in to the rest of the room to tie it together.
Lastly, I love adding something fun to finish the window off- a holdback or tie back in a contrasting colour or tassels and pom poms. Traditional doesn't need to mean dull. Have fun with it and you can achieve a traditional yet modern space.
I hope you enjoyed todays post. don't forget that can follow me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mayajoydesign/
See you next time.
Lots of Love
Mayajoy x
Σχόλια