Love, Love, Love, the new houndstooth. You were right to wait! The wall color swatch looks really great. Don't you have brown drapes in the living room? You could put one panel on the other side to help you decide. I think I like the gold one the best. Only when I looked your pics over again could I tell the blind was down. I personally don't like how sheer they are but maybe they look good in person. Bed looks awesome.

Thanks! I do have brown curtains in the LR that I might have to bring in.

Here's was a mock up from before. These curtains were Restoration Hardware's linen that are out of my budget so pretend they're a dark brown. Also pretend there are no romans and no rug.
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I hear how curtains are supposed to be close to the wall color but I'm not 100% certain what I think of that for this room.

Here's a shot at night with the blind. I actually think I'm going to take it back. It is really sheer during the day and you don't see it very well. Romans would look nicer but I could live without.
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Love the new bedding! I like the camel paint. I can't say for sure on the curtain color without seeing the brown. I do think you need a woven shade of some sort. You are right - that one is too sheer. I'd save my money, watch for sales, and buy the roman.

Looking good!!

tina

Love the new houndstooth. Good call. I agree with others those wovens are much too sheer. Instead of doing an inside mount though; I'd do a mockup of having the woven blinds mounted right below the rod so that the rod and blinds form a single line, then you would not seem any bowing. I wonder if you do just the stationary panels if you can get by without ath center bracket so you can get the blinds up just under that rod. I agree I'd need to see a mockup of the brown curtains, though I think there needs to be some color difference between the curtains and the blinds; so perhaps Aspen might be the way to go.

No question on the fabric- it makes the statement that you were after.I like the brown curtains with the paint color in the mockup. I think it looks richer.

Duh, ignore the comment about the stationary panels. Overlooked your comment about the pinch pleats. Still I'd put the blind up higher.

Awesome, good move !!

Really nice and now that I see so much better She. Glad you stuck to your guns :-)

What a difference that makes! Very pretty.

What a difference the correct fabric makes! Love it!

Glad you decided to keep the red coverlet; it's my fav of all you have posted.

Who said curtains have to be close to wall color? I don't think any of mine are. Oh well... I'd like to see how the brown curtains look; I like the mock up of them best, think they bring warmth that the other color does not.

If you want a woven blind, we got some at Home Depot that have a nice visual weight to them but aren't overbearing. Inexpensive too.

I smile every time I walk into the room and I had great joy making the bed this morning, lol. :D

I'm going to pick up a Chris Madden panel in the dark brown today. I was going to just test a brown curtain from the LR but what a pain to take down and it's not the same color and material anyhow.

If I went with romans, would you use two side by side, mounted up high? I was a little nervous to hang the roller blind, which is lighter than a roman, from those little hooks.

I'm really on the fence about the shades as things have changed for us financially over the past few weeks. Thankfully we're still able to pay all our bills and I have the small wad of money for this room put aside(for basically the curtains) but I don't know how important they are to me. I could save the money but we have other priorities and future things that it should be put towards. We'll see. I'll have to check out Lowes and Home Depot again.

Stay tuned to see the dark curtain panel!

"I had great joy making the bed" that was nice to read !!!

btw, I find the fur throw looks good as is, I would not invest necessarily in another one.

Shee-

The new bedskirt looks great! The larger plaid/check is definitely better.

I like the idea of the brown for the drapes as I think it will pull the colors together nicely.

As far as the shades are concerned, I have custom woven blinds in my home office. They are lined. Could you take on of the inexpensive blinds and hand sew or glue a lining on the back? I just looked at mine and it is just lined with basic (relatively stiff) drapery lining. It is only attached about l inch in from each side. You could also line with a brown crisp sheet. It would be an inexpensive fix. If you would like detailed pictures, just let me know!

When I purchased mine, the lady tried to talk me out of the lining saying I didn't need it in the office but I didn't like that see-thru effect either.

Hi!

I read recently that if you want your walls to disappear (like if the room is really small and you want it to appear larger), you would match your curtains to the wall color. I would also think if you simply didn't want your curtains to draw attention, but instead use other items in the room, then you could match them to the wall color. None of my curtains match my wall color.

Elaine

S'sree, i've always loved houndstooth and other plaids, and think it looks great in your bedroom~definitely the larger of the two. As for paint, i'm with you on the DC, it has more depth and 'shows off' the bedding. I also prefer the gold-ish throw at the bottom of the bed rather than the brown~the brown seems too drab after seeing the gold.

As for drapes, I don't think there's a right or wrong as far as wall color, just what you prefer. Years ago paint and draperies *had* to match~I remember my Mom telling me that. LOL Theses days that's not the case. I've chosen a color that just happens to be close to the wall color cause I thought it looked better in the room. ;o)

Shee -

The new shams and bedskirt look fantastic! I'm glad your vision is coming together so nicely. I also *love* the red coverlet with the fur throw. The whole ensemble looks wonderful!

About your drapes - I am one who prefers a lot of contrast in a room, so I would lean towards the brown ones. I think they would tie nicely into all your pillow fabrics.

I know you've hit a lot of bumps on the road so far, but keep going with your instincts. Everything is turning out beautifully!

As far as I know, there is no RULE about drapes matching wall. It is personal preference. And the look one is going for in the room. I've done both in my house because it was the look I wanted in the room.

I love the new fabric. Looks fantastic and so much better than before. A happy ending!

If you do not close the blinds and want them just for looks, and finances have changed, I would definitely not get them now. They can always be added later if finances allow. Plus, then you'll get to add something to the room down the road to make it fresh again for you (something I like to do).

I've never heard walls and drapes have to be the same color! That's a decorating trend rather than a guideline for success. Since you're going for a layered look, I would contrast with the walls rather than minimize or fade them in for a clean look. It would also feel warmer and cozier that way in that a darker rich color would visually bring the wall forward for a sense of enclosure. I also like the gold throw. You've grounded the headboard in dark pillows, maybe the dark drapes, and then a chocolate throw at the foot of the bed also is too much of the same. Even without the dark drapes, it would look better to vary the bedding values more, I think, so it isn't flat or drab as someone mentioned. Variation in the colors and values adds depth and interest and would contribute to your layered look. I also don't care for how such a dark throw is chopping the bed into three segments. It just seems to feel a bit too heavy for the foot. The bolder plaid looks great! Really adds a lot.

I just love knowing that I can come here and you guys get excited with me! I'm serious, the few people I showed had zero decorating enthusiasm.

I threw the brown up there quick. Of course, they only had the shorties in stock so it looks a little weird. : )
I like them both so that's not really helping.
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Dawnp - I did think about adding a liner to the blind but I like how some light shines in with the woven shades. I've been throwing that idea around for at least a year now with my other romans I have in the kitchen.

Spring - I see what you're saying about too much of the same. I think I could still possibly take the bed up a notch but I'm not sure how. Any suggestions? Are you thinking folding down the coverlet and having printed sheets? There seems to be a fine line with me that I like how lots of stuff and layers look in photos but too much IRL makes me feel bogged down. I don't want the room to feel stiff though. I'm not one to change out bedding for seasons but maybe I could keep the brown fur throw for winter and find something gold for the warmer months? I still like the idea of a ruffled cream pillow but there's nothing else cream showing. It would look like a marshmallow on the bed. :)

Oh, slightly off topic but I found this lamp super cheap at Christmas Tree Shops, it's going back because it�s too matchy but, just for sizing purposes, is it about 3 inches too short also?
{{!gwi}}

Oh, I also wanted to comment about the curtains and paint matching or being close in color. In most photos where I've seen this done, I like the look but I'm not sure how I feel about it in my own house. One of those things, you know. I think the Aspen and Dromedary Camel are off enough in color that it could work for me but if I use the Apsen, I'd want to pair them with darker bamboo romans to add the contrast/texture. I don't know that I'd really like the dark shades with dark romans and think I'd prefer the brown with no romans which, at this moment, is what I'm leaning towards.

"Even without the dark drapes, it would look better to vary the bedding values more, I think, so it isn't flat or drab as someone mentioned. "

I was just referring to the dark chocolate throw adding in too much of the same. The rest of your bedding looks great.

If you're set on the paint color, I think I'd get a coat of paint on the walls before choosing the curtains. That brown looks very dark but it might just be the photo and the white walls. Along with the picture being cropped, they seem too strong and heavy to me.

Don't you love the new fabric?

Spring - Here's a picture of Whitedobe's room with brown curtains and her paint is Dromedary Camel. My LR paint and curtains have the same look.
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My LR
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Lori - I sure do! :)

Regarding drape color, I also liked the lighter beige color that your old drapes were. A lighter color similar to the beige , or off white, in the scenic pillow might look nice.

I was looking around at curtains and found these Robert Eclipse Blackout Energy Saving Coordinates from JCP with high ratings. They're back tab and it says you're to use a 2-1/2" rod and mine is 1-1/4" so it shouldn't be a big deal to slide the two inner panels closed at night. I've never owned back tab curtains but I would think they'll stay neater looking than rod pocket curtains..? I was looking at the chocolate but they don't show a full photo.
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Here's the swatch.
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Any thoughts as to how the back tabs will slide and stay neat? I'm not willing to fuss with how the pleats are every day which is why I was going to go with the pinch pleats.

My original curtains are only 84L and I like the look of the raised rod. They were actually too short with the old rod mounted right at the top of the trim. I have thought of adding fabric to them but the color isn't rich enough. I did find the eurosham large plaid fabric online for super cheap but it just doesn't look good with it. The curtains are an odd color and don't photograph very well.
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Here's a mock up with the old bedding and drop cloth curtains. This is the what the red coverlet looks like IRL.
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Oh, and I have a confession... I'm only going to say it once. As much as I do really like the new iron bed, I wish I would've bought the cherry Stanley bed. The solid headboard would give it more ummph. Yes, it would've been huge but not that bad. I could've went with no posts at the bottom and full or even half posts for the top. Oh well. Maybe once I get paint on the walls that will help cozy it up for me. Now shhh... you read nothing. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: JCP curtains

One thing I like about the brown curtains over the Aspen ones is that it matches with the faux fur throw and gives it a more cohesive look. I agree, though, to skip the dark woven blinds if you go that route. I would imagine the darker fabric would exhibit more blackout qualities as well.

shee: Did you see dgmarie's thread on her guest room transformation. She seems to be having a similar color scheme to yours. Her lamps would look perfect in your room. Also, her drapes look to be in an olive color--which could be another option if you are finding the brown a tad dark, but want a richer color with more contrast than the Aspen.

Here is a link that might be useful: dgmarie's guest room thread

Val - Olive is one color I didn't think of. There is olive in the fabrics but also that brighter green. In the reviews for those back tabs they all say the check is subtle and about an 1". One reviewer said the brown is more milk chocolate than dark. I really like the idea of these back tabs. If I end up with brown, I won't get the romans. I feel like the Chris Madden fabric with pinch pleats will be too formal.

I feel like there's still something missing with my bed. I really like the super layered look but at the same time I really need to keep the covers practical. Maybe make other smaller pillow in a paisley or something. I like this fabric - described as cranberry, cocoa, ivory, and black.
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I really like Dgmarie's room and was looking at that again tonight. I like her lamps a lot but figured I should stay away from something that looked like iron since my bed is? I'm not keeping that lamp above, but do you think it should be a few inches taller or is it more the skinny base that's throwing it off?

How's your bedroom coming along?

hi!!

just a couple of comments...

i think the brown drapes would match everything well, but agree that you should paint the room 1st and then sample curtains. i just redid our master bedroom and had picked out a fabric to have panels made...gorgeous fabric. but, i had to wait a few weeks to have them made and i began doubting my choice. i bought chocolate velvet rh panels to bring them home and try- thinking they would actually be perfect, then seeing them up- i just knew they were wrong for my room...too dark, too heavy. as it turns out, i LOVE the panels that were made for my room, but i really needed to have the walls painted and the panels up to tell...it helps to paint and then purchase full panels and hang them and see... and be willing to return if necessary if the whole look isn't right.

i think the lamp needs to be larger...the shade at least. to tell the best ht, it helps to sit in bed and try reading...but, to me it looks like it can be 3"taller with no problem.

also, i know you've had trouble finding the right spread for the bed and the color you have looks very nice, BUT i really think your bed would feel much cozier if you got a down alternative comforter of some type...something that fluffs up. right now everything is very tailored looking, which is great, but does lack coziness. it's amazing how light but snuggly and warm a down or down alternative comforter is. (not something that has to happen, but just know you can cozy up your bed someday!)

PB has the Cameron cotton drape in espresso on sale! 50x96 is $33!!!! For that you could do two on each side!
They are not lined, but if you know someone who can add lining, it would be great although they may be fine as is.
They also have the cotton linen lined drape on sale, but it is still a little pricey.
I would prefer to see a cotton or cotton/linen for the drapes. The silk is feeling too formal for the rustic elegance you have in the room. Also, I'm not sure another pillow is need BUT I would try the ivory RL from Kohl's. I think you know the one I'm referring to. Slip that in the mix and it would look nice. I think a break in pattern would be refreshing among the pillows.
I know ceiling fans are necessary,BUT a hanging lantern would be the crowning touch!This one can be had from O for $139!
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I also have to give you a huge pat on the back for sticking to your guns and seeing your vision through. At times I'm sure it seemed overwhelming, but it was SO worth it in the end! It looks perfect!

Here is a link that might be useful: PB Cameron drape in espresso

I have back tab curtains in my entry and love them. They hang beautifully, and are very easy to close and open.