{window treatment wednesday}

House of Turquoise is an excellent resource for inspiration. Whether you want ideas for paint colors or just want to see what other people are doing in their homes, House of Turquoise is a site to check out. Erin works very hard at curating all that is turquoise, and the majority of what you see on her site is the result of Erin’s hard work. She finds all those lovely homes to share with her thousands of readers.

I chose some window treatment photos from her site, and asked Shannon Scarrella (Manager of Hirshfield’s Shop at Home) to share her window treatment expertise. It’s all in the details.

House of Turquoise

A great picture to show the effects of layering. Hardwood shutters, while they provide a handsome look with nice privacy, the top treatments and draperies softened the feel.  The tassel fringe breaks up the linear lines of the shutters and the stripes in the drapery fabric.

House of Turquoise

The roman shades on the doors provide privacy when lowered and the valance provides uniformity, when the function of a shade isn’t needed. In this case, the custom roman shades and valance bring in the needed pattern and color to a neutral kitchen.

House of Turquoise

This is one lucky girl! The honeycomb shades are neutral, to disappear, but also providing privacy and light control when needed. The drapery panels, tie backs, and trimmings give the room a classic feel. The layering of pattern, texture, and color help to keep the room age appropriate and fun.

House of Turquoise

Custom Shutters with Pinch Pleat Draperies provide a clean backdrop to the teal and green table combination. The pleating on the draperies helps to add fullness and depth to the neutral drapes.

House of Turquoise

My favorite! Upon first glance this appears to be teal drapes, but look closer…..it’s actually a sheer with a soft stripe over a teal colored fabric. The header at the top is sewn to create the illusion of one piece, when it’s actually two materials sewn together. The layering of the sheer over the top softens the fabric underneath and the stripe in the sheer adds another dimension. The fluted detail in the rod mimics the custom molding beautifully, while the metallic matte finish compliments the accessories in the room.

House of Turquoise

More shutters with side panels….must be a trend! The white on white provides a classic, clean look, while the darker rods pay respect to the other furniture pieces in the room. 

House of Turquoise

People see our windows from the outside too. The chevron patterned fabric is attached to the rod with rings and clips; this allows the soft fold and less serious look to them. They are outside after all. The fabric framed windows also make a great backdrop for the skirted bar or buffet.

House of Turquoise

Natural Roman Shade with blackout lining and coordinated cotton edge banding gives the bathroom something more organic, yet structured. The color of the shade ties the color of the bedding into the bathroom.

Wasn’t that a treat? It’s like looking into houses on your nightly walk, without having to worry about being busted.

Here’s a link for more information on Hirshfield’s Shop at Home Division. And to see what’s on sale in the window treatment world at Hirshfield’s, you can click right here!

Erin also runs the shopping blog, Everything Turquoise, jammed packed with turquoise goodies for sale. We’re very proud of our Minnesota girl.

{window treatment wednesday…it’s a sale}

There’s a lot going on at Hirshfield’s when it comes to window treatments: price points for every budget, quality products (Hunter Douglas always wins awards for product design and technology), and this month, a fantastic selection of window treatment sales.

• Free installation offer* ends Tuesday, March 12, 2013

• Free Top-Down Bottom-Up on Natural Shades and Roman Shades from the Premier Collection thru March 30, 2013

• An additional 25% off on select wood blinds – Classicwood and Durawood thru March 30, 2013

• An additional 25% off on Sienna honeycomb window treatments thru March 30, 2013

• Free cordless promotion on Premier Collection honeycomb standard shade thru March 30, 2013

• Mail-in rebates of $25 on Duette® Architella® Honeycomb or $50 mail-in rebate on Silhouette® Window Shades and Vignette® Modern Roman Shades thru April 2, 2013

If you don’t know what your options are for window treatments, shopping for them can be overwhelming. Our window treatment experts will help you sort through all the products, options, and sales offerings. They will give you the information you need to make an informed decision. We want your business. Give us an opportunity to quote you a price. Hirshfield’s knowledgeable staff  have the highest “window treatment IQ” in the world! (Can I say that?)

*Minimum Order of $500. Any order under $500 is a $55 install
Ask our staff for details on the exclusions

{window treatment wednesday}

Simple. Durable. Environmentally friendly. Not your mother’s blinds!

Natural Elements is the latest introduction from Hunter Douglas Window Fashions.  This new collection of precious metals blinds is now available at Hirshfield’s stores. The 2″ slats are a spring-tempered alloy offering superior resiliency. This alloy is made from 95% recyclable aluminum. It is lightweight, easy to lift, with minimal stack. Another cool feature is called MagnaView. Even though the slat is 2″, the view-through is comparable to a 4″ slat. When tilted open, the slats nest together, doubling your viewing pleasure.

This is an example of MagnaView™ where the slats nest together.

Hunter Douglas offers 22 different slat finishes in three collections:

• Riverstone™ Collection – Earthy and natural, works well with organic materials.
• Metallic™ Collection – Shimmery and fashionable, accents furnishings and fixtures.
• Matte™ Collection – Sophisticated and classic, blends with any decor.

Three different lift systems are available. Topping off the treatment is a wood valance in 12 popular colors and finishes. Decorative tapes are also an option.  Natural Element blinds are a great complement to granite, brick, and marble. Windows, especially above a kitchen sink, can be a challenge due to splashing and dirt accumulation. However, this blind is easy to wipe down as it bounces back to shape after handling. I can also see the Natural Elements Metallics used in lofts giving the space an edgy vibe. You can control your light and privacy needs and still pull them up if you want a completely unobstructed view. These blinds will make a striking statement at your windows.

Come and check out these not-so heavy metals at one of our Hirshfield’s locations or have one of the Shop at Home designers out to your home.

Guest post by Bonnie West, designer with Hirshfield’s Shop at Home

651-366-696

I think all window treatment posts need a Gladys Kravitz ending!

{kim yeager’s inspiration rubs off on roseville}

I have been taking a lot of side roads to work lately, as 35W has been a parking lot in the mornings. One morning I passed a house and there was a piece of furniture at the end of the driveway. I thought nothing of it. The next day I drove past the same house and it was still there. This time, I slowed to look at the item. It was intriguing. It wasn’t until I saw Kim Yeager’s presentation on the Art of Junk that I realize..I needed that old TV stand.

The next morning, Shop at Home employees, Dawn and Emily, went to pick up the piece, and both were a little nervous as they have never picked up treasures off the curb. They went up to the door and asked the homeowner if they could have it. He was more than happy to see it go and probably had a good laugh watching them load it into the vehicle.

Once back at the showroom, we consulted with Ashley, the store manager of Rosedale, what prep we needed to get our new stand ready to be painted. He recommended a light sanding with fine sandpaper and Wil-Bond to help clean the piece. Typically with Wil-Bond, you are to top coat within a half an hour, but Emily and I didn’t realize that the odor was going to be so strong. We eventually stopped using the Wil-Bond and wiped the furniture piece down with a clean rag. I’d suggest using the Kleanstrip Deglosser which we now carry in the stores.

Next step, prime. Ashley primed the piece outside using B-i-n Shellac-Based spray primer. Once primed and dried we were on to the fun part; the transformation. Picking out a color was actually easier than any of us expected. We looked at a few paint samples (lime green, purples and teals) and realized we were drawn towards blue-greens. We chose Hirshfield’s 0683 Joyful Tears. It was intense enough, but not too dark. The product used was Hirshfield’s Heavy Duty Eggshell. We were so happy with the color, that we were nervous to apply the finishing top coats for fear that we would mess it up. But then we remembered that this is just paint and if we didn’t like the finished look, we could always paint over it.

We chose to dry brush a brown color (Hirshfield’s 0557 Evermore to be exact) over the top of the paint. After we dry brushed the brown, we used a cotton rag and took off some of the brown paint. This helped to create a vintage feel to the piece. After the brown came the finishing touch…metallic! I believe that every painted piece of furniture deserves a little metal to help finish it off. We used Modern Masters color Antique Bronze. We used the same technique as the brown for applying the color. Instead of applying the metallic everywhere, we highlighted the wood detailing on the doors and applied some metallic to the edges of the piece. And believe it or not, the hardware is the original hardware from the piece. We are all in love with our new piece! One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

Submitted by Shannon Scarrella, Hirshfield’s Shop at Home

{window treatment wednesday}

Averté knob option

Don’t know how to cover those large windows or patio doors? We are all very familiar with vertical blinds. You know those 3” wide fabric or vinyl strips that hang from a metal track. While they are very practical for these applications, they have been on the market a very long time. There are many new products that have been introduced the past few years that work great for those large windows, patio doors or even as room dividers.

Averté treatment by Dawn Feda

Averté
Averté is like a drapery for a patio door or large window. But unlike a drapery, this isn’t made with fabric. An Averté is made up of natural materials like grasses, reeds and bamboos. The uniqueness of these materials provides something very different than what we are used to seeing on large windows.  The track is grooved and allows small wheeled carriers to slide back and forth.  These small wheels allow you to operate the Averté quickly and effortlessly with your hand. There are no draw cords on the Averté. Combine this with a decorative wood track and the look is truly one of a kind. Averté is available at select Hirshfield’s  locations. To see one on display, visit Hirshfield’s Lakeville.

Skyline® Gliding Panels

Skyline® Gliding Window Panels

Skyline® Gliding Panels
Skyline® Gliding Panels from Hunter Douglas offer clean lines and a contemporary look. They allow for 11 ½” Panels or 17” Panels. The headrail system allows for panels to stack to one side, or split stack off the window. With over 187 color and fabric combinations available, there are plenty of fabrics to select from. The fabrics range from sheers to screens, textures to opaque. The Skyline® Gliding Panel fabrics also offer options in roller shades for coordinating the look of a room.

Sienna with Long-Vue

Sienna with Long-Vue
There are many names for this type of treatment, but in short it is a honeycomb shade done vertically. The honeycomb fabric is placed between two rails that slide along a track.  There are no exposed cords and you get all the energy efficient benefits of a honeycomb shade. Even better…when the Long-Vue is stacked open to one side, the stack is approximately 6 ½.

Vignette™ Traversed with Vertiglide™

Vignette™ Traversed with Vertiglide™
This is a newer concept on the market from Hunter Douglas. Hunter took their ever popular Vignette Roman Shade and created a vertical application…the Vignette™ Traversed with Vertiglide™. By doing this, they offer the soft fold of a fabric with a mechanism built for large windows. With 11 fabrics and 75 fabric and color combinations, there is a nice selection to choose from; it also comes standard with a fabric-covered headrail and side rails.

So next time you are thinking of covering those large windows, know there is more out there than a “vertical.”

Shop at Home 651-366-6969

Guest post by Shannon Scarrella, manager of  Hirshfield’s Shop at Home

{window treatment wednesday}

Dawn Feda, Hirshfield’s Shop at Home

Well, Window Treatment Wednesday isn’t always about windows.  In the world of window treatments we work a lot with fabrics and working with fabrics allows the opportunity to cover more things . . . and showers are no exception.  Shower curtains can be much more decorative than what you’d typically find available at a traditional department/home stores.  So many bathrooms look the same: a long rectangle with a shower/tub combo at the end.  Creating a custom shower curtain can add distinctive character and really show off your personality in that small space.

Questions that come up when creating a custom shower curtain:

Can it get wet?  A traditional shower curtain liner will help protect the fabric from the water.  There is also the option of sewing a liner onto the curtain.

Do certain fabrics work better? Certain fabrics do work better than others.  Polyesters alone or blended with other materials are a good choice.  Polyesters are a synthetic material and will hold up better than a natural material like silk.  There are also numerous fabrics on the market that are classified as washable that would work for making shower curtains. Outdoor fabrics are gaining in popularity (Hirshfield’s Design Resource Showroom carries the Maria Flora line) and if a fabric can handle the outdoors, it sure can handle a bathroom!   Polyesters, washable fabrics and outdoor fabrics come in all ranges of patterns, colors and styles to fit your needs.

Dawn Feda, Hirshfield’s Shop at Home

Can you use a drapery rod in place of a shower curtain rod?   Yes.  Decorative rods come in numerous finishes and styles and most companies sell an end mount bracket that allows the rod to rest in it.  If you are having a traditional shower liner behind the custom curtain, two rods are typically used: a decorative rod in the front, with a standard shower rod hidden behind.

Atlanta Design Works

Kravet trim

Don’t Forget.  Decorative trims can be added to the shower curtain, from fringes to cording to beading. Tiebacks can also enhance the treatment.  Any pleating that is available in custom draperies can also be used in your custom shower curtain.

Arrange a free in-home consultation with one of Hirshfield’s Shop at Home designers. We specialize in custom bedding, draperies, hard and soft window treatments, and custom shower curtains…here’s our number, so call us, maybe?

Shop at Home 651-366-6969

Guest post by Dawn Feda from Hirshfield’s Shop at Home