Wow! Your room looks so elegant with the drapes. Love the way you went almost all the way to the ceiling. Might I ask where you found your curtains and their length? They are gorgeous. I also love the pillows you have sewn. You have a beautiful room.

Elegant and beautiful!

I'm impressed with your pillows too....

gmnolen - Thanks, the drapes came from Country Curtains (Brookside Diamond in Espresso color) in the 96" length (our ceilings are 9'). They have a texture and small pattern, but it doesn't show in the picture.

barb5 - The pillows were my first try. I am going to make some more too.

Jan,

You picked such great panels! With the pattern and weight of the fabric, the type of fireplace, and your entertainment center, you'll be able to choose just about any style (barring the very formal) of furniture you like. Leather or fabric would work.

Have you had a chance to look at the Gallery for inspiration? There are many more pics since you were last here.

BTW, sorry about your Pack. Brett and the rest of the Vikes looked pretty impressive. I'm happy you'll be rooting for him. :)

I think they look like the ones featured in cote de texas WT piece. Just lovely.

Jan -looks very nice! I see you have the wider trim around you windows & baseboards. We also have the wide trim in the home we are remodeling & my husband does not want me to cover it up with curtains. You can still see your nice trim around the windows & the curtains add so much to your room. I'll bet you saved a bundle on the pillows by making them & you did a great job with them. Looks great!

I love them even more now that I've seen more of them in your room! I ordered a swatch the other night and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival! I also have 9 ft ceilings and will probably hang them like you did.

Jan, the draperies really add warmth to the room. I love your style and it is fun to see your rooms evolve. I like the new pillows, too. Did you use pillow forms or some other type of stuffing? I would like to make some similar pillows and am not sure what to use for stuffing. Thanks.

parma - Thanks, so much. I appreciate and have always respected your thoughts. I confess I'm somewhat clueless about furniture style. I know I don't want anything too contemporary looking. I would much prefer a traditional style, and something with timeless appeal. I'm at a loss as to combining leather and fabric in the same room. We need a seating area by the fireplace and another by the entertainment center. The entertainment center seems to work best on its present wall, although, the sofa could be pulled farther away from the wall. I don't care for the style of sofa and loveseat we presently have in this room. If you have any suggestions, that would be great.
I have not been to the galleries. I tried to search there, and I found it confusing. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place.

P.S. I was THRILLED to watch Brett on Sunday, weren't you? Oh, he's something else! It makes me miss him here all the more!

cooperbailey - Wow! That's a compliment!

ruthy1 - Yes, we didn't want to cover the trim either, but the room is large, and we've lived without window treatments in it for two years. I like how the trim shows, and yet we can still enjoy the texture and warmth of drapery panels. I am so happy we can have our cake and eat it too.

staceyesq - Oh, I'm excited for you! I know you'll really like the fabric. It looks much better even in real life. We had so many windows to cover, that this project was quite a big one for us. And, we actually have another window in the foyer, adjacent to the great room, and we have the panels there too. In all, we needed 15 panels . . . ughh! But it's so nice to have them now.

luv2look - I used pillow forms, not the expensive kind either, but I did spring for decorator fabric. Just cut the fabric squares with a rotary cutter 1" larger than the pillow form, i.e. 17" squares for a 16" form, and sew around with a 1/2" seam allowance. Close the pillow with stitches by hand.

Luv, use a pillow form but (jan listen up LOL) wrap it with two layers of a thick batting. You'll find the forms tend to squish down quickly and not hold their shape for long without the extra plush. With the batting added you'll find they stay nicer longer and with such lovely fabric, nicer is of course umm nicer :)

Once you get the hang of it, (sewing the square) think about the pillow form...you can make a "pillow" with muslin and then stuff it to death (really really full) and you'll have your own pillow form :) Always over stuff so that sewing it together is a bit of a challenge and you'll find in a couple of weeks that you actually didn't overstuff, it's settled perfectly.

When you stuff your own with batting, do not take big handfulls of batting out of the bag (any cheap stuff will do, or use cotton, etc). Take about half a handful, stretch and pull it apart so it's fluffier and then put that into the pillow, corners first, stuff them tight, then the edges then the middle. This prevents the batting from going lumpy quickly because it will settle in those handfuls people often pull. If you really want to go easy, skip the muslin square inside pillow and make one with batting, (the quilt stuffing kind) sewn with a quick zig zag into a pillow form then stuff that into your pillow, then stuff the inside of that with loose batting for a perfect and very quick pillow :)

Now add trim....as you sew the pillow squares together, just tuck a trim in the middle of the sandwich :) You shouldn't see it while sewing the inside out fabric (it's sandwiched between the face side) then when you flip it you'll have a lovely trimmed pillow. Oh and on any pillow, clip the corner before you turn it inside out so it does not have hard points :)

Oh and pretty drapes LOL (really I love them!) I too adore how you hung them!!!

Jan, your panels look great!! Thanks for the inspiration. I've been staring at a silk fabric sample for months now, maybe I should sew 5 panels. Otherwise I'm considering 2 widths for each side of the window. What size round rod did you use?? I wish the rod I plan to use was fatter, its only about 1" round. Any suggestions for me ?? Will you close yours?? Do you plan on adding blinds, shades?? My window faces the front of the house.

Jan, what's your paint color?

Your room is beautiful. I love the drapes, I am considering hanging some in my home but am nervous due to a curious cat.

sewwhatsnew - Your room is beautiful! Of course, as you know, I love gold colors. And your room uses it a lot too. I think two widths of fabric would work well on that window in your room. I used the Opus rod by Country Curtains in antique brown. It is large, at 1 3/4", in fact so large, that I thought about returning it. But with the height and width of the window space, it ended up working well. I like the larger rod, although I have seen smaller rods on wide spaces, and they look okay too. If necessary, I could close the draperies on the front, connected windows, but they are intended to be stationary. We have a covered porch on the front of the house, so the light isn't direct, and we live out in the country, so privacy isn't a huge issue. I'm thinking about using woven shades behind the draperies, but I'm not sure what I'll do. I plan to live with them for a while and then decide. I'm including a link to the Country Curtains Opus Rods.

liljenster - The paint color is BM Wilmington Tan. Thanks for posting. I have a curious cat too (deaf, white, eccentric and 16 years old!), and she has found her way behind the panels to play a number of times, but otherwise has left them alone. :o)

Here is a link that might be useful: Country Curtains Opus Rods

Jan, your room is beautiful. My guess since you live in Wisconsin that you got the lamp in a set at Shopko. If that's so I have the same set. I've repainted them once, but have no place for them in this home unless we use them in our Packer decorated Library.

Yes, I've been a die hard Packer fan for the last thirty years. My hubby owns a little bit of them. I was bummed the Pack got shut out of the super bowl, but thrilled Favre will be going. Gotta love Brett. He's awesome!

Oh and I love your WTs. That brown is gorgeous. You did a great job on the pillows to. Love the fabrics.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brookside Diamond WTs

justgotabeme - Yes! The lamp is from a Shopko set, I believe. But, I'm SO ready for new furniture in that room. The only thing that's staying is the television console and hutch. So, that's the next step.

We are Packers fans too, but I miss Brett! And I'm so glad to know he's taken the Vikings so far.

Hey Jan, By the way, I'm Michelle in IOWA, so how far are you from the Wisconsin Iowa Border???

Hi Michelle in Iowa - LOL! I know my screen name is not very creative, but I'm an accountant - so what do you expect? Ha! Ha! I am quite far from Iowa, as I actually live north of Green Bay, WI. I sure wish I could meet you and some of the other great people here in person. Wouldn't it be fun to get together?

I knew I recognized that lamp. LOL.
I can understand your missing Brett. I miss him being on the Packers too.

Hey Michelle, where do you live in Iowa? I live in eastern Nebraska about twelve miles north of Omaha. Have family in Des Moines, and Clinton too.
It certainly would be fun to have a GW get together.

I got my fabric sample in the mail the other day and am so in love! I think I am going to get them! Did you get them lined? I saw on the website that they will line them for an additional fee. I think I will get them lined so I can close them on really hot and really cold days.

How do you have them attached to the rod? Are they drapery clips?

stacyesq - I didn't get them lined, although I considered it. It costs around $60 per pair or so to get them lined, and I needed 15 panels. I ordered one pair to see if they would be heavy enough as is, and they are quite heavy. The fabric seems to be of upholstery weight. But they would of course be very nice lined as well. I used drapery clips that go with the Opus rod - one pack of clips for each panel. The quality of the panels is very good. I pressed the panels lightly, and they were easily wrinkle-free and ready to hang.

Jan - Your family room and drapes look great. I was hoping you would get more suggestions regarding furniture and accessories, because I've been on the hunt for new furniture for quite some time. I think we have similar taste, so I was going to show you some that I was considering.

I have not made up my mind between leather or fabric sofa. I have some links to sofas below. I think the quality of the King Hickory may be better than that of Clayton Marcus. I got a price on a bryce chocolate sofa (close to $2000 here in SC). I have not decided on fabric choices. That's a bit of a challenge for me. I tend to be safe and stick with neutrals. These are the sofas I'm considering:

http://www.kinghickory.com/products/sofas/58400L.asp
http://www.claytonmarcus.com/classic_traditions/3837.pdf

The recliners I'm considering:
http://www.lanefurniture.com/Furniture/ProductDetails/default.aspx?ItemID=232303

http://www.lanefurniture.com/Furniture/ProductDetails/default.aspx?ItemID=234275

http://www.lanefurniture.com/Furniture/ProductDetails/default.aspx?ItemID=234419

and the chairs I'm considering:

http://www.claytonmarcus.com/chairs_accents/3466.pdf

http://www.broyhillfurniture.com/Furniture/ProductDetails/?ItemID=102259

http://www.lexington.com/items/detail.cfm/item/01-7990-11

If you search Loribee+recliner on here you will see that she has those Lane Chloe recliners in leather that I have linked above. I hope this helps. I look forward to seeing what you decide.

kden,

I have the the same model King Hickory that you're looking at. Long story, but we bought a Drexel Heritage curved sofa that was sooo beautiful but caused DH and I severe back pain. Our formal LR now has a pretty piece in it and the KH is the replacement for our family room.

It's made in the USA, had a great lead time, and is well built/upholstered. My words of caution come from the fabric we picked.

There was a great price if you picked from their special fabric collection. I chose a gorgeous herringbone (one of my favorite patterns) and was so pleased when it was delivered. One week after sitting in it, the fabric looked totally different where there had been use. No way to smooth the pattern back to its original state. Still looks great on the areas where nothing touches it, but...

I had forgotten to ask about the fabric's rub count . That's a measurement to find out about a material's longevity. I know they have to cut corners somewhere to stay competitive with the suppliers who are making their good in China. This is, evidentally, where they chose to cut them. If they offer a quality leather, this wouldn't happen.

There's a site (myfurnitureforum.com) that's run by an old GW member. It's a great place to get info, ask questions, etc.

HTH

parma42, Thanks for the information and words of caution regarding the KH sofa and the fabric. I'm glad to hear you seemed to be pleased with it overall. I have stressed over this decision. I still have not made up my mind whether to go with leather or fabric, but I will keep in mind what you said about the fabric. Thank you!! I would love to see a picture of your sofa, if you don't mind sharing.

Jan, have you made up your mind between leather or fabric?

kden,
I recently got a King Hickory sofa and loveseat that is similar to the one you are looking at. (Mine is 6100) I too considered getting leather at first but am happy with what I chose. In case you are interested in seeing the furniture, I posted a couple of weeks back (Another family room in need of help...).

kden - Thanks so much for the links - wow! I love them all! The sofa is beautiful, and the recliners are attractive and functional. I like the shona chair too. I am going to bookmark those pages. They give me some great ideas.

I appreciate your thoughts, as not many folks commented on furniture, but that's probably something I should post in another thread.

I haven't decided on fabric or leather. We had a Younker's interior designer come out here today, and she really likes the space and can't wait to get started planning something. We have an appointment next Friday to see what she's come up with. I'm looking forward to getting her input.

I do have another question about the draperies, if anyone is still reading this! :o)

Is it okay if the draperies break a bit on the floor? I wanted a casual, comfortable feel. The Younkers decorator described our home as traditional and comfortable. Or do you think they should be hung higher? She mentioned that she could remove the clips on the rings and replace them with some sort of drapery hook thing, which would make them look more custom and lift them a tad. But I know I don't want any baseboard showing.

Thoughts?

Glad I stopped by this thread..
Jan--I think the curtains look wonderful (and got me over my jitters of hanging them high like you did as we also have no crown molding and didn't know if it would accentuate that- yours look lovely).
I am not sure what the designer is suggesting with them- as I said they look great to me- and if all she is suggesting is slightly different hardware - if it is minimal $ and effort I would entertain it- if it gets more involved I would probably leave it alone.

I wanted to also comment on the furniture kden postd- all of it is really attractive. That Chloe Recliner I am pretty sure is also at MAcy's (here is the link) and I did go to sit in it and it was adequate, but not great and not ample. (If you are not large folks it would be fine).
I realy like that Belle recliner as well as the shona .
I will also add that I am replacing my family room sofa/loveseat which did NOT wear well and they were THomasville. So needless to say, I am not so convinced about $$ to quality relationship. My view now is of course I don't want to buy junk, but less$ and if I replace it in 5 to 6 years, so be it-
Just my 2 cents.

Here is a link that might be useful: macy;s chloe recliner I think its the same?

jan - love your WTs. Absolutely a home run look. I didn't follow your other drapery drama thread, did you post the source for the new drapery? If not, would you share?

I have a similar need in my home - many long/large windows that I do not want to obstruct, but need to frame. I initially installed decorative rods, but rather than drapery, I used JCP pinch pleat sheers hung on rings, that are never closed. I was not willing to put out significant $$ for something I wasn't thrilled about. The sheers solved the immediate need to lessen the starkness of the rooms when it is dark outside.

I think I am now ready to take the plunge into purchasing full-fledged drapery panels. Until now, I've not seen anything worth my investment. What is the material makeup and how much ironing did you have to do prior to hanging them? Were the draperies available in any other color?

Your home is lovely. Thanks for sharing!

Sheila - I LOVE that recliner! The fabric is gorgeous, and it is priced well. Plus, it seems to have good reviews. I like the red or the black fabric print. We aren't big folks at all, but we do have a couple of people in our family who visit now and then who are. I completely agree about the expense of furniture issue. On the one hand, I don't want the furniture to wear out in five years, but on the other hand, I don't want to break the bank either. The hardest part for me right now is coordinating. The room is large, and I don't feel confident in my ability to mix and match pieces, etc. I know what I like, just not how to pull it all together. For example, does all of the furniture in the room need to be covered with the same fabric? I'm hoping not. I'd rather mix it up a bit. So it will be great to see what the designer comes up with.

work in progress - Like you, the combination of many large windows and not necessarily liking everything out there caused me to wait over two years to buy drapery panels.

The panels are Brookside Diamond by Country Curtains in the espresso color (also comes in cream and rose). The quality is excellent. They cost $129 per pair in the 96" length. For one thing, the fabric is heavy (73% rayon and 27% polyester). I didn't purchase them lined because it costs $60 per pair (and I have 15 panels!), plus I didn't want any white showing on the sides, etc. I hope I don't regret that, and I don't think I will, as the fabric is heavy as it is. I ordered a sample before purchasing. I pressed each panel before hanging with my steam iron, and they barely needed that. I hate wrinkles and was really concerned about it, but they ironed easily. I'm posting a link below to the Country Curtains site.

Anyway, I can't tell you how much warmer the room feels. What a difference. I understand your feelings about "taking the plunge". My advice is to take your time making up your mind and finding something you really like before buying.

Here is a link that might be useful: Country Curtains Brookside Diamond Draperies

Jan, I know what the designer is speaking of and I think it's a good idea (of course, I don't know the cost involved).

I don't mind a slight break on hardwoods but not so much on carpet. The drapery pins will just lift them a bit and give you a custom look. I prefer clip ring for lighter panels. Just make sure she knows that you don't want the baseboard showing. I doubt if she'd plan to give you the wader look. :)

If your rings have removable clips, the cost should be minimal.

jan_in_wisconsin

Would you mind sharing the info on the sofas you have in the room. I really like them.
Thanks in Advance!

jan - Thank you for sharing the source. I already have rods and rings with clips. I hung the pinch pleats with drapery pins, putting them through the small ring that attaches to the clips IYKWIM. So I am set with the hardware, just needed to find the right drapery and yours is just what I am looking for. Our new windows were installed over 2 yrs ago and the PP sheers have been up while I've not found a drapery I liked.

I won't line them either since I am using them to frame my windows. I need 12 panels and lining them would be a waste of $$. I don't/won't need to close the drapes as there are no privacy issues.

I thank you as well for the fabric and information regarding how well they hang with little ironing. The last thing I want to do is iron 12 96" panels. With the cats, it would be a certain fiasco. I can just see them laying on the drapery that is laying on the floor as I am ironing the other end. LOL

Best of luck on your furniture quest. I know you will find just the right pieces. Please post a pic of the room when you've finished.

zoey - sorry I don't know the brand of the sofas. We bought them years ago for a previous home, and they will be replaced sometime in the next couple of years. Sewwhatsnew posted her lovely new furniture. Maybe that's what you were thinking of?

Hi Jan, I was interested in knowing what the Younker's interior designer had to say Friday. Please share, I'm sort of in the same boat as you.

Thanks,
Kden