Thanks ever so much for your feedback on the fireplace dilemma — I now have a lot of things to think about. Most pressing it seems I must do something about the windows, and the new question du jour is: what, praytell? Should I do shades or curtains? Do I address all four windows or just the lower levels? And then there’s the adjacent (non tv wall) — it has glass patio doors. So whatever happens on the fireplace wall must carry over onto that wall, as well. (You can see a rough old floorplan here).
Shades would be the easiest and most cost effective, or perhaps it would be even cheaper to only hang curtains over the bottom windows and treat the top ones as transoms, as per Nelya‘s suggestion. But I have to say the double height curtain plan has got some traction… inside my brain at least. Turns out the height to the top of the window is 148,” which is too tall to use the longest premade curtains I can find — by a matter of inches. UGH. Who built this house?! So now if I go that route we’re talking custom curtains and that means berserker cash. Let’s look at some pictures and see if such a thing might even be worth cleaning out my piggy bank.
Leggy. Like Angelina Jolie.
What I do know is I don’t want this to happen. I mean, that is my house.
Gone horribly wrong.
So there’s a lot of drama inherent in the giant curtain idea. I like drama, but will they be too overwhelming?
What do we think about double height curtains?
And is there anywhere I can find them premade in lengths longer than 144″?
Once again I’m depending on you to save the world.
[Fawn Galli, House Beautiful, Tom Scheerer, Happy Home Workshop, Harpers Bazaar, AD -- thanks Pieter!]
Related posts:
If you do go with the premade 144″ panels, you could sew on a few inches of fabric onto the bottom to make them the height you would need. The photo from elle decor above sort of has that going on – some detail on the bottom 18″ or so. Could be a compromise that doesn’t break the bank!
Looking at your old picture with the tall fireplace windows, then the shorter window/door on the side that matches up with the dining room (or breakfast room?) windows, I say you do not need to treat them the same. The fireplace windows are one thing, the others are one as well. The fireplace windows are the drama (even if neutral), the others either have nothing or if you need them for heat/privacy, some same as wall color shades of some kind that don’t compete. And I still say get extra sets of curtains and sew some to the bottom or top of the pre made curtains.
You ladies are smart! I don’t sew, so the idea of just adding a stripe at the bottom never occurred to me.
Does anyone have a source for premade 144″ curtains? Frequent commenter Rosie sent me to curtain works, and they do indeed have a few choices, but not many at all.
http://www.curtainworks.com/144-inch/long-length-curtains/
Frequent commenter Rosie loves the sew-it-on idea! Bust out that thimble, girl! I also agree with Jenny B: I’m not feeling it necessary for you to echo the treatments on the patio doors. As a matter of fact, could be too much of a good thing?
Honestly having curtains made isn’t that expensive if you keep it simple. It’s worth looking into. I think you need like 16-18 yards of fabric, so if you find an inexpensive sheer or white its really not that bad.
Images 3 and 4 make me all kinds of happy.
Ok, so curtainworks pretty much has tan and mocha. That’s it. I just ordered a bunch of free fabric samples from this place:
http://www.idreamofdrapery.com/default.asp
Not sure how much the finished product might cost, though…
Naomi, my mother in law can sew, but super long curtains seem like a tough job. I’ll see what I can dig up from other seamstresses in the area.
If you do go custom this is a great resource: http://www.graylinelinen.com/index.php/barry-linen-31-different-colors.html
I was just about to suggest adding a large block of color at the bottom – something like this:
http://pinterest.com/pin/25966135321043034/
or this (3rd image down):
http://fashionableinteriors.blogspot.com/2012/01/colorblocking.html
or you can hack a couple of existing curtains to give an effect like this (no one would be the wiser!) – see 2nd image down:
http://honeyandfitz.blogspot.com/2010/05/ikea-hacked-nursery-curtains.html#axzz1nywWvME8
(don’t hate me, ’cause I’m going to go deep into unsolicited “advice” here…)
In every pic you post, I can’t really focus on the other details of the room, ’cause the TV in the corner distracts me so. I think the fireplace/window wall is like a clean, composed face, and the TV is kind of like a big old goiter on the side distracting from the symmetry and harmony of the room. So (without actually knowing the full room dimensions and configuration), I’d put the TV on the far back wall and face one sofa (+ chairs and whatever) toward it. Then I’d move the other sofa facing and closer to the fireplace, leaving a corridor of sorts between the two. Essentially, I’d create a cozy, curl up and read, converse or watch the fire space, and a separate “media” space for TV-centered activity. The two areas could be equal in size (measured from the back of a sofa to the TV or fireplace) or the TV area could be larger, but I wouldn’t make the fireplace area the larger one (the idea is to keep it cozy and intimate).
As for the curtain issue, if you do go for double height, I think you need to keep both the color and the fabric weight very light, or you risk overpowering the whole room and making it look like stage curtains. But truthfully, I prefer the idea of viewing the upper windows as ‘transoms’ and just covering the bottom ones. And since you asked
the proportions of the fireplace just don’t work with the rest of the room, so if this were my house, I’d hack out the top several rows of brick so the top of the fireplace was exactly even with the top of the bottom windows, keep the fireplace white, then put some fabulous sculptural something (abstract painting, metal sculpture, chunky fabric hanging) up between the uppper windows to add drama.
Here are some photos of white rooms with black painted windows. I think it would bring visual harmony with the black squares made by the tv and the fp:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oDNuXSxLwK4/Tx3ipQ2XREI/AAAAAAAAD2I/ixTi3j5x6uo/s1600/black-painted-trim-via-paperwhitej_blogspot_the+decorologist.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6084/6079246379_4524b56272_z.jpg
http://www.remodelingguy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/black_window_trim_contrasts_white_walls_floors.jpg
http://cdn.decorpad.com/photos/2009/11/27/16027b2a4165.jpg
Amy Good House, I love the colorblocked curtains and the piped ones, as well! I was just discussing this with Naomi via email and she suggested the same things. Great minds, right?
Other Amy, I am always fine with unsolicited advice as long as it’s constructive — and yours most definitely is! As for the overall floorplan, it is 100% bad drama. The problem with putting the tv on the back wall is that there is a major traffic corridor that runs through that area, from the entry and master bedroom into the dinette/kitchen. It makes it so hard to use that space functionally. Thus, the tv in the corner. I really really really need to post a sketch of the room dimensions — maybe you guys will see something I don’t.
As for the fireplace, yes it is horrible. I would love to tear down the whole thing, but the mess would be insane and I am on bedrest for pregnant lady complications. I just don’t think it’s going to happen this year. Sooooo I need to figure out how to crapoflage the situation.
It’s a pickle. There’s always something wrong with the family room in every house I’ve ever lived in that makes it a crazy hard design challenge!
Oh, and Katie, thanks! Bookmarked it.
Erica, I love #3. I guess I’m afraid painting the frames black will draw attention to the architectural weirdness… I really need to mock this up.
That last photo scares me.
The first picture makes me happy; the last one gives me a stomachache.
That being said, I would do white — I think a color will make the brick pop out even more.
(I have a friend whose job is to make custom curtains…I’ll ask her about 144″ simple fabric/simple top curtain making! Hopefully she’ll have some good ideas and could whip them up lickety-split!)
etsy= custom or craiglist= steamstress get exactly what you want and don’t pay retail$$$$
You might find some help here:
http://thecurtainexchange.com/
However, I do love the solution of finding something pre-made that almost works and then customizing the bottom for length. So smart.
Ah see, I go offline for a few days and I come back and you have one zillion comments on this important issue.
My first thought is that double height curtains are not an easy look to pull off on the cheap (some looks just aren’t). But you’re a crafty gal and might prove me wrong.
On a positive note, your fireplace looks so much better in white. Yay! And I love your red rug. I might not be a big fan of curtains, but I am def TMO.
Just watching on this one…the ladies have covered it well.
I can so relate to a window treatment crisis. It’s right up there after a rug crisis. So here goes…
I was thinking about that image from last week with the red roman shades. I like the clean lines of it. It goes with the contemporary feel of your house, but softens it.
If you don’t want to cover the upper windows for the light, I can see the appeal of full height drapes. Challenge is your ceiling is angled, which makes the look less clean. Also visually I just like the romans more. [BTW I made my own once - no sew - just fusing tape. It looked great, and the effort wasn't horrible. ;- ) ] You could also just hang panels….till you’re up for more work.
You need a different scale on the art over the fireplace. I like the brass tray idea.
Here is my 10 minute PowerPoint solution.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39400682@N02/sets/72157629502515121/
I like the shade idea best. If you do curtains that much fabric will be hard to clean, hard to find, and I think a different coloured panel on he bottom is too fussy for your look. roman shades on the bottom windows and leaves the transoms clean and clear. I like the red with your rug but if you ever changed out your rug it might be too much. I’d go with pure white. It’ll look clean and not compete with you fabulous style…but I’m no designer so I could be wrong!
“There’s always something wrong with the family room in every house I’ve ever lived in that makes it a crazy hard design challenge!”
just shorten that to:
“There’s always something wrong with the every room in every house that makes it a crazy hard design challenge!”
it is a universal challenge, sweets.
as for curtains, i bet there is someone in austin who does custom curtains on the cheap. ask around and call some peeps out for quotes, you may be surprised. the main expense would be fabric, but you are handy like that- you’ll find something cheap that works.
i like the idea of double height curtains because they always look luxurious- i mean everyone can tell just by looking at them that they cost some cash! don’t do white, unless the whole room will be done in white, and don’t do a pattern either. keep it simple, solid and tailored. and leith above is right on the the bigger, bolder art suggestion.
I think the way to end up with that last picture is with off the rack panels. I’m all for budget solutions, but the way to do double height curtains right is professionally. You’ll also want a traversing rod so they can move into position gracefully, and that’s really a custom thing. My mom has a double height living room with tons of windows, and curtains to the ceiling in white linen–the same soft white as the walls–has been the most sophisticated way to soften the room and play up the drama of the ceiling height elegantly.
Go for curtains, but go custom!
Blegh the last one is the stuff of nightmares. Good news is, you’re already halfway there in terms of avoiding that train wreck. Your window trim isn’t all “it’s so bright and shiny I can’t avert my eyes” and your fireplace, despite its faults, is at least 2x taller than the one in the photo and blends in with your wall color, which helps with the scale. So hey, that’s something. You might try linens n things or bed bath & beyond. I got white, extra long panels from bed bath and beyond (online bc their stores creep me out) for absurdly cheap and they turned out great. I just got them in a width that was 3x wider than the recommended width for my window and had them lined so they hang nicely. Good luck!
I just don’t love the curtain idea here. They draw too much attention & I don’t think they deserve to be the prettiest lady at the party!
My vote is still for Roman Blinds. The horizontal line of them when they are up would balance well in the wholeness of the room.
You could always zhoosh them up with a contrast band around or sumpin.
Incase you call them something diff over yonder – this is what im talkin about – see pic 2: http://blog.camillamolders.com.au/?page_id=1949
that is all!!!
I think pic 1 and 3 is great and because the proportions of your windows aren’t as hideous as that last pic, you could totally make it work.
If double height turns out too expensive, I love the lace’y window “decal” (whatever it’s called) in the Tom Scheerer pic. Why not apply something similar to the top windows, then have curtains at the bottom.
If all else fails, make a photoshop mock up?
I vote for double length curtains. it adds so much softness to a room.
ikea has a nice linen-y panel that i have used several times that comes in a 128″ length. (I cut the ugly loops of the top and have used the top hem as a rod pocket.)
but you could get basic ikea panels- cut the tab tops off- line them with a cheaper ikea shear and add length to the bottom. use simple rods with clip rings so they are functional.
semi- custom! go for it!
A little late here, but I bought Ikea curtains and added a stripe on the bottom (white curtains black on the bottom) and I actually LOVE the way they turned out. I couldn’t be happier. And it was SO cheap.
This convo may be long over by now, but if you’re still contemplating double-height curtains, do it! I ordered 50 yards of fabric online and made 8-foot curtains for the dining area of our great room and 17-foot curtains for the living area of our great room for $300. It looks luxurious but clean b/c I used simple grey fabric with a tiny bit of sheen. I sewed pleater tape at the top and used those three-pronged drapery hooks. And amazon has decorative traverse rods for a fraction of what Kirsch charges (and I don’t like the uber-traditional, old fashioned style of Kirsch decorative traverse rods). Anyway, sorry this comment has been all about me, but my point was all about you: if you want double-height curtains, check out sites like fabric.com and onlinefabricstore.net. You can have very expensive-looking curtains for way less if you sew them yourself.