Zayda's store-bought bed got stinky really fast. It was like a large beanbag but had a soft cover and foam shredded filling (She's not a chewer). No matter how much I washed the zippered cover, I couldn't get that smell out and decided it was from the bed's filling. Also, stains from her body oil or chewing her dog bonys while she was laying on her bed, were no longer coming out of the cover. Threw the whole works out (I'm not one of those that would sell a stinky dog bed on Craigs. *smile* ) and started from scratch. Bought my Sunbrella 'seconds' fabric off Ebay for $4.96 a yard/$5 shipping. Bought twin-size egg crate, barely used, off Craigs. Went to see it first...no smell at all and it was advertised as "used twice, almost new". But just in case (one never knows when it comes to Craigs) I put the egg crate on our patio table, poured a half a cup of sanitizing soap on the crate, sprayed lightly with the hose. Used a push broom to scrub and make a good amount of suds. Rinsed, did a good ring-out of excess water, let dry hanging over the fence. Cut the crate in half and stacked them on top of each other. Measured. Sewed up three sides of Sunbrella and added Velcro to the fourth side. Slid both pieces of egg crate into the 'pillowcase' of Sunbrella. I put the crate sides together so that Zayda didn't lay on lumps. :) Under $20 and I got a great bed that Zayda loves. It's the color I wanted for the room where we keep her bed (Terracotta!) and the Sunbrella doesn't seem to soak up any of Zayda's wet doggy scent when she insists on going outside and playing in the rain. The most I've done in the past year and a half is open the Velcro, pull out the crates, washed them the same way and washed the Sunbrella along side of the crates...dried them all on the fence. I did this more for myself, not because the doggy bed smelled...I just wanted everything in the room freshened when Spring came last year. I'm thinking of making a second one soon to keep in daughter's room but this time I'll make the pillow case a little more formal with boxed sides. For my money, this is the best doggy bed we've ever used, with all the dogs we've had over the years.... I swear by the Sunbrella fabric for Doggy beds.

Mamorella -- I love the fact that you drew your inspiration from the vibe of the Beverly Hills Hotel. You've created a fun and glamorous destination for partying in your own home for sure. kswl -- very interesting point about showing (or not showing) the curtain rod. I hadn't even thought about that. Now I will! I've just flipped through a small stack of House Beautiful and Elle Decor from the last year and see that curtain rods are almost always showing. So I guess that showcasing the rod is the current "look" and perhaps is part of the current appeal of the euro/tailored/parisian pleat. Thanks! Now I'll need to consider whether the exposed rod is the right look or not for what I'm trying to achieve in my dining room. If I decide to cover the rod I assume that I'll need my drapes to be at least three or four inches longer -- so I need to decide before I order the drapes.

With the ORB fixtures/shower frame, as well as the tan tile, imo, a dark color would look very rich. I can't recall reading any posts where you've used white, but have focused on more dramatic, deeper colors, so that's my logic for suggexting a darker color, unifying what you have in your home already. I have the Bamboo Romans in three of the bedrooms and family room and love them. I've had no problem with any of them in the 7 years they have been up and my son was able to hang them, which was very easy. I have unlined, but they can be custom ordered w/lining.

That is very fine yarn. The photos are gorgeous, but quality issues with Amazon "deals" and that price would have me leary. Years ago I looked at a luscious cashmere yarn and decided "someday" -- it was $50 a skein and took 2 skeins to do short gloves. Cashmere hasn't gotten less expensive, so I am skeptical. But that also isn't the right kind of yarn for the Bergdorf sweater. It might make gloves or a finely knit sweater, but the one you like is made of a heavier yarn and worked in a bulky, textured style. Very different animal. The bulkier yarns may be 100 yarns per skein and at least $30-50 per skein. The finished size also makes a difference -- tall or large folks will need 10-50% more yarn. As far as yardage, it would be a guess until you found the right yarn and worked up a sample swatch. I've looked at sweaters ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 yards, but none of them were like this one. Without a sample swatch and some careful calculations, I'd want to buy a lot more than I ever thought I'd need. It's always better to have extra and make a hat or scarf to match or gift than to be one sleeve or 2 inches too short with no more yarn available or a dye lot that doesn't work. Another way to approach it would be to do a mock up in an inexpensive yarn and test the pattern ideas, texture, fit and whether you really love it before spending the money on cashmere. Kind of like making a muslin of a pattern in sewing.