Tuesday, February 28, 2012

curtain possibilities for the new living room

For the most part, I plan on using what I have for the new house.  I don't see any major changes to the decor, but there are a few things that are different.

For one, the living room will need massively long curtains.  There are four sets of windows that run along two walls of the living room.  They are 11.5 feet high.  (It looks like there are five sets of windows, but the very last set  all the way to the far left are actually cut-outs in the wall into the dining room, and you can see the window in the dining room through it.  There are only four sets of top and bottom windows that need curtains..)

I could attempt to break them up by doing shades in the top windows and curtains on the bottom, but....no.  The room does get a lot of sun in the afternoon, and I will want to be able to cover the windows.  I see two feasible and reasonably inexpensive DIY options here.

Option #1
Use the Audrey drapes I already have, and simply lengthen them with a contrasting or solid fabric at the bottom, like I already did in our current living room. This is the cheapest option, as I have found a few fabrics I like around $5 per yard, and I'd need about 7 yards.

There are two problem with this:
 a) I have four Audrey curtain panels, but they are 2 different size pairs (one is 84 inch, one is 96 inch). This means I have to somehow adjust the 96 inch pair to 84 inches, but not permanently, and then add the extra material.  Not impossible, but a bit of work. (Also, my sewing skills are limited to hemming tape.)
b) I only have four panels, and I have four windows to cover.  I prefer a panel on either side of the window, which means I need 8 panels.  This pattern is discontinued at Pottery Barn and sell for a fortune on ebay, if you can find them, so buying four more panels is out of the question. I would only be able to have one panel per window.

Option #2
Make simple unlined 140 inch panels from this Ikea Gullan Blom fabric:
This is not super-cheap, but its fairly inexpensive, considering I'd be making eight 140 inch curtain panels.  I'd need about 32 yards of fabric, and its $6 a yard.

I will admit that I am leaning towards the Ikea fabric.  It has the same reds and blues as my living room chairs, the scale is really large, and its just so fresh and graphic.  I totally dig it.

For tomorrow's design discussion, lets discuss what the hell I am supposed to put in that 10 feet space above the fireplace.  I assure you that I do not have a piece of art on that scale.  I have an idea or two, but I would love to hear your thoughts.  

6 comments:

  1. I was leaning towards the Ikea curtains also:)

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  2. Ikea fabric! The ones you have just seem like to much work to make them work!

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  3. I prefer a curtain panel on each side of the window too, but with that fireplace (if it's working), it may dangerous. So you may be able to get away with only one panel each on those windows, stacking to the side away from the fireplace. The corner may also get a little tight so you might want the two panels on the other window to stack to the left. And I had curtains that were safety-pinned forever - I never hemmed them.
    And for the wall, buy a large canvas and go nuts with all your leftover house paint.

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  4. For the wall above your fireplace, what if you created a framed-picture collection using really large scale art? You know, using framed posters, paintings, or mirrors that you already own, interspersed with canvases painted in solid colors?

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  5. You are awesome . . . you are already thinking about curtains! Good luck with your move.

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  6. I really like the Ikea fabric....even though it's a little expensive, you'll love the result more because you could have all 8 panels like you want. Plus, because the IKEA ones would be so long, you could probably incorporate them into your next space.

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