So much of the time, when we’re thinking about window treatments, we’re thinking about function, and even form, in the strictest sense. Physical design, materials, even colors can rule over the heart in these matters. But do you ever just daydream about your perfect room, casting practicality to the wind?
Find your happy place…
Feeling good, and happy, with your surroundings, and IN your surroundings makes a big difference in how we approach other aspects of our lives. Since our window treatments provide a connection, or interface, with the outside world, their impact can be significant on our satisfaction and “feel good” factor, so why not go for it? Designers know all about this phenomenon. You’ll hear them talk about their “inspiration piece”… something that provided a springboard for an entire room’s design. Sometimes it’s a piece of art or furniture. Sometimes it’s a swatch of fabric. For me, it’s often a found object or something in nature- I’m very inspired by nautilus shells, with their golden proportion swirl and simple colors. Once I designed an entire bedroom around the colors and textures of my cat, Romeo, starting with his blue eyes and his silver tipped fur, and finishing with the “primitive” rufous, rusty colors in his lynxpoint tabby underside. The silver tips of his longer fur and the glassy blue of his eyes brought a bit of sparkle and glam to the design, and his rusty accents brought in some natural textures with rusty red tones. The black of his stripes inspired grounding touches of black spread around the room. For the window treatments in that bedroom, I chose silk-inspired draperies with an understated sheen in that blue-gray eye color, layered over sheer Silhouette window shadings, and the light that came in on cold winter afternoons was simply transformative. I don’t have that room or that house anymore, so I can’t show you a picture, but it was a gorgeous room and it just felt so right!
Inspiration pieces are always something that makes the client feel good, and the best designers will talk with their client to get to the why behind that appeal. Maybe it’s the color, or combination of colors. Maybe it’s a shape, or a design aesthetic. Maybe it’s a texture, whether smooth and silky, shiny, natural or nubby. Sometimes it’s just je ne sais quoi… that “I don’t know what” quality… something evocative that takes us someplace else. A place in the world, a place in the past, a place in the future, or a place within our own mind. That special quality, or combination of qualities, can be found in or enhanced by your room’s window treatments, and help to transport you to that “place”… wherever it may be.
How could YOUR inspiration piece translate in a window treatment?
