Like them or hate them, the fringed drapes are up in the bedroom

11 years ago

Most people liked the plan, but there were a few dissenters. I know some of you still have issues with the quilt (whiteness and/or lack of formality), but I'm still looking for a duvet that I like. Anyhow, I finally got around to hanging the rod 2.5" taller so that the drapes just hit the floor, and I took out the cheap vinyl blinds that were in the windows on either side of the french doors so that it looks more uniform and so that you can see the mullions through the sheers. I definitely like that aspect way more now, and I just close the drapes if I need more privacy. I got the brass-tone telescoping reading light at the Restoration Hardware Outlet for $129 on sale, which was a good deal. My new Stickley bedside chest (which will match the dresser) should be in in a few weeks, and then I will be moving the bed over a few inches to accommodate it, getting rid of the nightstand by the window and moving the reading light over to that side of the bed.

Flash (a little distorting and makes the drapes look like they're not as close to the wall color as they in fact are and makes the bedding look whiter than it actually is), but was necessary because I get a ton of light in the first half of the day:

No flash (dark because of the light):

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Comments (37)

tinam61
11 years ago
Pretty pets!!

I like the drapes although I am not a fan of sheers - but that is just my own personal choice. I like the drapes raised up.

Love that plaid chair in the corner - and the rug. Can't wait to see what kind of duvet you find!

tina
maire_cate
11 years ago
Well it's a good think you posted because I was beginning to go through KevinMP withdrawal. I'm thoroughly enjoying watching how your home has transformed itself from merely well done to beautifully finished with just the right touches. Your editing skills are superb. Over the weekend I was even wondering what your next project would be and then worried that you might be finished. Any plans on the basement?

I like the drapes and the sheers and the height of the rod and drapery length work well in the room. I am amazed at how you're able to take a candid photo with both of your pets sitting so still. All you see in my photos is a shiny, dark blob of Black Lab.
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cooperbailey
11 years ago
Beautiful. The windows are showcased by the curtains and sheers, really bringing them into the room. Love the fabric and fringe.
I am one that likes the quilt, and think it looks like an heirloom that belongs in the house.
Thanks for posting.
bronwynsmom
11 years ago
I like them, too - and love the windowpane pattern on the chair, too.
And your rag doll reminds me of a darling Maine Coon we had and loved.
threeapples
11 years ago
I like the quilt very much and would not replace it. The window treatment looks great. Do you plan to keep the ceiling fan? I don't love it, but its not a big issue. Great space!
palimpsest
11 years ago
I like the coordination with the wall color. Can you take a closeup of the trim?

Re: the quilt, you live in an antique house, and I think some things work better in antique houses than they do in a new house. I think closely correlated palettes and patterns are not as suited to old houses as they are to a new house, so I am fine with the quilt in this context. It looks more natural. I think starting to go too tight with a palette in an old house looks too modern for it and can start to look contrived.

I know this seems to go against how I feel about window treatments--which is to correlate them to the wall color, but windows in small houses are tricky and I think blending takes care of issues of placement and proportion, etc. (same in new construction).
User
11 years ago
The curtain color looks good in that light, without the blinds. The fringe does seem to overpower the curtains. Looking forward to seeing what you find for the bed.
nosoccermom
11 years ago
Love the curtains, color, length, material, just not too crazy about the fringes. It may look nicer IRL, but on the picture, they look like they have little teeth.
sochi
11 years ago
I think those drapes are great. Would also love to see a closeup of the trim.
User
11 years ago
I think the quilt looks nice too. But if you would like to tone down the white, what about maybe tea-washing it? Your room and your entire house are just beautiful.
dedtired
11 years ago
Have to admit that I am not crazy about the fringe, but as nosoccermom says, they may look entirely different IRL.

Is there a Restoration Hardware Outlet somewhere around here?

I love the softness of the sheers.
busybee3
11 years ago
nice! much nicer without the blinds!
Valerie Noronha
11 years ago
A huge improvement! I also am in the no-fringe camp, but in a space as personal as a bedroom, best to go for what you like and not worry about having to impress anyone other than yourself! So how is the opening/closing the drapes working for you? What type of rod did you get?
tuesday_2008
11 years ago
Pal said it for me - he just knows how to say it better :).
YOU live in the house and the quilt must suit you or you would have already replaced it.
Re: Your sheers - love them - they "suit" your room better than blinds.
Re: Your fan - Works for me - not too flashy or showy, yet functional.
Re: Your drapes - you did a good job blending the drapes with your wall color - it doesn't matter if they might be a shade darker - they are still the right shade. I would like them with or without the fringe - again, only you know if they feel right in the room.

Good job!
maire_cate
11 years ago
dedtired The outlet is closer to you. It's nearly 50 miles from where I live in S. Jersey.

Philadelphia Premium Outlets Restoration Hardware Outlet
18 West Lightcap Road, Suite 501
Limerick, PA 19464
610-970-1518
Hours: Sunday 10am-7pm, M-F 10am-9pm, Saturday 10am-9pm

This post was edited by maire_cate on Tue, Apr 2, 13 at 13:11
bronwynsmom
11 years ago
About the quilt - I like it too, and agree with Palimpsest about its appropriateness, but I think t he room would look more balanced with the quilt folded into quarters or eighths crosswise, and laid across the foot of the bed, rather than having the whole pattern spread over the surface.

I wouldn't tea wash it, particularly if it's old. If that's an old one, its color is remarkable - old red and white quilts tend to fade and discolor, and I wouldn't tamper with its condition.
camlan
11 years ago
I have an old red and white quilt that was made for my grandmother when she got married in 1910. The red is now a faded pinkish sort of color and the white part looks tea-stained even though it isn't. But I can't bear to part with it.

I like the fringe. I think it suits the house and the overall style you have created in the house. And the sheers work--on a busy city street with the house right on the street, the sheers give daytime privacy without having to close the curtains if you just want to change clothes real quick or something. And I just like the whole look of the window wall.

But can I admit half the reason I like your threads is looking for your pets in the pictures? You have such a floofy, fluffy cat. I'd love to pet her, but I would never dream of taking such a liberty in real life. And your dog always looks so dignified.
dedtired
11 years ago
Wow, thanks for the address of the outlet. I have been going to the Pottery Barn Outlet in Lancaster (love it!) but now I will have to give that one a try. I've only been to that outlet center one time. I am generally not a fan of outlet malls, but have found that the PB outlet sells real PB goods.
tuesday_2008
11 years ago
I forgot to mention - the "fur" looks good with the drapes :)
Annie Deighnaugh
11 years ago
Wow...I haven't seen ball fringe in 40 years! Mom used to put it on all her table cloths....
lynxe
11 years ago
The first thing that struck me about the room is how perfectly matched the dog and curtains are!

About the quilt: I think I suggested this before, but why not place a folded something at the end of the bed that's got both the red of the quilt in it and off-white, ivory, or a tea-stained white? My suggestion might have been the other way around - to fold the quilt at the end of the bed and find a blanket in tan or off-white. But regardless, I'd keep the quilt.
peegee
11 years ago
Such a classic look - love it! LOL at Maire_cate's comment re: KevinMP withdrawl!!!!
ogrose_tx
11 years ago
I like it, Kevin. And I like your quilt the way it is.
teeda
11 years ago
Love the drapes, love the fringe. And there's something so nice about sheers in a bedroom. I used them on windows just because I love seeing them blow in the breeze of a warm day/night!
marcolo
11 years ago
Very refreshing to see a properly-dressed window.

I agree with bronwynsmom--I like the quilt, but I'd like to see just a hair less of it.
ellendi
11 years ago
The drapes are perfect, but I'm not a fan of the sheers in your space.
User
11 years ago
Annie, I believe it is a tassel fringe, not ball fringe. He showed a closeup in a previous thread before the trim was sewn on the curtains. Actually, if he had gone in a different direction and used a different chair and the quilt was the prominent feature he could have used white curtains with white ball fringe. I love that look, but don't think it is really Kevin :-)
PRO
Diane Smith at Walter E. Smithe Furniture
11 years ago
I like the fringe - a lot. It brings to mind the dental molding from formal casegoods. Adds a nice edge (and edginess!) to the drapes.
KevinMP
Original Author
11 years ago
The plan is to get a duvet that's goldish and then just fold the quilt up at the bottom of the bed. I'm not parting with the quilt. Browny, et al., it's not old, it's just a Ralph Lauren quilt that mimics an old pattern (and was extremely overpriced). Here are two closeups of the fringe; as you can/should see, it's a perfect match for the rug and chair and, I think, the velvet in the curtains.

And you're in withdrawal because I haven't yet finished my other (and small) things. I'll post about one of them tomorrow (it's about where to hang this new framed oil painting I got (there's a teaser of it below)), but this past weekend I also made the terrible mistake of thinking I could easily strip an old 5-panel door I got to match the closet door in my living room. If you recall, I had my contractor put in a new 32" door for my bathroom to make furniture moving easier and just to have a bigger door. Well, I hated the look of the 6-panel door just 5' away from my original 5-panel door. So I went on a hunt at the local salvage yard and found a matching 5-panel, 32" door with a brass mortise lock and properly hung. I couldn't pass it up, and it was just $45 once I talked her down a bit and told her I didn't want the hinges, knob, and rosettes it came with. So I took it home and spent 7 hours stripping 1 side. Disaster. But it's getting there as you can see below, albeit from an upside down positioning of the door.

Here's the door (one side nearly completely stripped of about 20 layers of paint) and the teaser of the new painting that is going to go in any room of my house.
Annie Deighnaugh
11 years ago
Ah I see...in the distance shot it looked like ball fringe...I was surprised as I didn't think kevin was a "ball fringe" type....

It looks like there's something nice to look at outside that the sheers are hiding....is that tree tops?
KevinMP
Original Author
11 years ago
There is an American beech to the left and a massive blue, lanky spruce, so yes. But there's also a house less than 20' to the back and about 25' on either side diagonally because this is in Center City.
User
11 years ago
Love the painting and frame.
nosoccermom
11 years ago
Ahhhh, really like the fringe from close-up.
KevinMP
Original Author
11 years ago
By the way, I cannot get rid of the ceiling fan. I use it every day (and all day) during the summer months to circulate air through the open transoms above the doors and because the back bedroom is a few degrees warmer. It's hard to get air conditioning four floors up, and I wouldn't want to go without the fan. It or the control pad is, however, being finicky, so I may have to switch one of them out for another.
pamghatten
11 years ago
The fringe looks so much better up close ... and I really love your pets, they look quite at home.
Annie Deighnaugh
11 years ago
I'd love to see some drapery hooks or ties to pull the sheers back, even low down just to get some sense of outside and tree tops....I also think a graceful curve in the sheers would help soften the look vs. the very vertical drapes which seem more formal than the pretty quilt on the bed...
dedtired
11 years ago
I agree, the fringe looks better in its close up shot.