Our client’s home featured a comfortable balance of rustic elegance.  The formal living room featured an oversized chocolate suede velvet sofa, large mirrors, treasured family art, and soft accent pillows and accessories.  The room had an open feel with tall ceilings and featured equally tall arched windows.  The homeowner expressed an interest in a cohesive drapery design which would highlight the unique arch, and desired grandeur.  “Add plenty of character, texture, and artistry to the wall.”  The homeowner added.

This would be a drapery designers dream come true!   We began sketching an inventive scalloped swag to contour the arches, and then incorporated panels which framed the windows to highlight the architecture and outside landscape.   Our clients loved the direction and looked forward to the completed project. 

We fell in love with a fantastic textured basket weave linen in tea stain which was the perfect complement to the rustic feel of the room.  With this fabric as our inspiration and working with warm tones of soft greens and browns, we chose a cream dupioni silk fabric for the contoured swags, as well as an exaggerated width decorative band on the leading edge of the 1 1/2 width drapery panels.  The drapery panels were interlined for optimal body and structure. 

 The scalloped swags were secured with artistically carved medallions in a blended finish of gold and grey.  In combination, the elegant drapery was adorned by narrow width fluted poles, rings, and distinct traditional style finials. Bold loop braid embellishment accentuates the swags, highlighting the leading edge.  Ornate tassel tiebacks drape from the last medallion similar to that of a cascade.   Crystal and woven tassel braid with gorgeous details were applied to the leading edge of the drapery, distinguishing the blend of two fabrics.  With the grand height in the room, we chose couture quality design elements by utilizing exquisite six-inch traditional pinch pleats.  The additional length worked beautifully in scale, adding an additional punch of drama.  For the final touch, tassels secured the full-bodied panels within a slight bishop sleeve gather, to then ease onto the dark wood scraped floors. 

To achieve our design vision we placed careful consideration when measuring and while fabricating to size and scale within each element; focusing on each swags’ drape and location at the window, to the exaggerated contour in front of the panels.  Equally important was to achieve a full swag without losing the folds.  Multiple mock swags were tested to determine the best technique and achieve the look we desired.

The collaboration of custom features and attention to detail were breathtaking as the final touches were completed.  Our clients were pleased with the soft flow, elegance in texture, and collaboration of stunning details.  Our dream, our vision was complete.

Photography provided by Daniel Driensky Photography, Dallas, TX

Friday, February 11th, 2011 at 3:10 am | Uncategorized