The print is busy, but there's not really anything else going on in there - great opportunity for the drapes to stand out.

I completely disagree with your MIL. While I typically prefer solid drapes (and solid fabrics in general), I think your room looks fantastic. The pattern in the drapes adds just that little extra "something" that really makes your room look fantastic. It's a fairly monochromatic color scheme that makes the room look very classy. The drapes are a fantastic (not obnoxious) pattern and they really draw the eye to the window. They even coordinate pattern-wise with the decor on the wall. Your room is gorgeous as it is now.

As was said, the drapes make the room. They are fabulous!
Diane

Not at all! I LOVE them. They look fabulous, as does everything else in the room. What is it about MILs?

Tell M-I-L to mind her own decorating.

While your room is lovely, the drapes are what give it the "wow" factor.

How the heck can, what is basically a vertical diamond pattern be busy? The curtains are perfect in your room. They go colour-wise, bring interest by way of the pattern, bring elegance and don't overwhelm the room.
Your MIL is inflicting her taste onto you. Compare how her house is decorated compared to yours and perhaps that will explain her opinion.

Step away from the drapes!

By the way, where did you get them.

I agree the drapes are WOW! They add just the perfect amount of pattern. Not crazy busy just elegantly classy.

Seriously?

MIL is wrong -- IMHO :)

I love them! It's like the art in the room. Carry on...

While switching laundry over I was thinking about this - just to give your MIL the benefit of the doubt in the interest of a harmonious relationship - we are seeing your DR in isolation from the other rooms that are flowing into it. Could your front entrance, living room or kitchen not flow with it and that lack of flow is perhaps clouding her opinion? Perhaps the colour or patterns don't flow from one room to the next? I'm not saying that they have to but perhaps that is swaying her opinion.

I love that room.

I think the only one "too busy" is MIL ;-)

Looks great.

It cracks me up how everyone seems to be assuming this was an unsolicited opinion! Maybe I missed an earlier post that everyone else saw? Otherwise, it's interesting how everyone seems to assume the MIL's opinion was unsolicited or unwelcome.

Regardless, I think patterns are very much a matter of personal taste and my guess is that your MIL really just dislikes the pattern itself. It's not a pattern I could ever live with because I dislike such contemporary style. That said, it works perfectly in your room. I love how the pattern mimics the mirrors and it certainly does put the wow in your focal wall.

Unless it is creating a problem with some part of the house we can't see, and as long as you are comfortable with the contemporary feel, it is perfect. Does you MIL have any contemporary patterns in her house? If not, I'd suggest that is her real issue with these curtains.
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Sounds like they're just too busy for your MIL's taste but from this view, they look very nice in your room.

I think they look good. My own preference for a grometted drape would be hemmed straight to the floor, but they are not too busy, no.

fyi...it was totally an unsolicited opinion. she just came in and said "oh you got new drapes...i've gotta tell you, i don't like them. they're too busy".

the rest of my house is a muted color palette, transitional style, the drapes do not clash with anything. these are all the rooms that are near the dining room.

living room:

kitchen:

entry:

She is probably just not a pattern person; my mom would feel the same way she does.

I think they are very nice in the space - they bring in a casual element to balance the more formal woodworking and elegance of the pendant over the dining table and the seating.

I think that your decorating style is clean, contemporary, coherent. Very attractive.

Your mother-in-law may be responding to the wave pattern in the drapes. In a dining room, the visual effect may make the rare sensitive person nauseated to face when they're eating. Seriously. Easy enough to fix by having them sit with their back to the window.

I love the look of the stainless steel subway tiles that you have in the kitchen. How do you like them now that you've lived with them for a while?

I love those draperies in the dining room. Heck, I love your whole house!

Your MIL's negative words really hurt you. Now you are second guessing yourself. We want those closest to us to agree with us and like what we like. Not always the case.
What I find offensive is that you did not ask for her opinion and she felt fine with giving a negative opinion.
We here at GW have followed the progress of your home and know the time and effort you have put into every decision. As you see by the above posts, those who don't like the drapes are keeping silent. Too bad your MIL couldn't do the same!
That said, she gets a free pass for being older and being your MIL.

I don't believe the pattern is too busy but the puddling on to the floor seems inappropriate with their modern style. I would shorten them to about 1/2 inch short of hitting the floor.

love it! do you mind me asking the paint color in your dining room? i'm on my 4th sample and can't quite find the shade of mocha I'm looking for.

You're good. The curtains suit the style of your look and decorating. In each room you seem to have something that has a little bit of punch and in the DR it's the curtains.
In the kitchen, the light above the table, at least from the angle of the pic, seems to have the same idea of the curves as in your curtains.

thanks everyone.

graywings: i will be hemming the drapes, but they will still hit the floor

shamrock 71: it's rustic taupe from ben moore (has a greenish undertone, so it's not really mocha)

adriennemb: they're not stainless steel tiles. they're ceramic (or porcelain or something). beekeeperswife suggested them to go with my bianco antico and i found them and fell in love.

They are lovely - your the one who lives there, your the one spending the money, your taste is for YOUR house. Her taste is for HER house. You can't please everyone all the time!

I think it may be sour grapes if your MIL is anything like mine. The fact that it was unsolicited and she knew you were proud of your new decorating, makes me think she is a bit of a ...hmmm... how can I put this nicely..... be-atch? Sorry, but there is no universe in which those drapes call for her rude comment. It may not be her style, but who is she to pee on your excitement? I see houses all the time that are not done to my taste but I can respect the effort and outcome none the less. If you had said you were unsure about them and asked if you should keep them, then her words would have validity (and would still be wrong, lol). As it went down, she was deliberately rude.

I meant I can appreciate the outcome "none" the less..... need sleep....

Based on the clean, simple lines and overall lack of patterns in your GORGEOUS home, I can see why she'd make the comment. Now, I happen to love those drapes, and don't think they're the least bit busy. When I saw the topic, I was expecting some sort of overwhelming floral, but these busy? Nah. Love 'em.

My MIL hates my decorating style, and vice versa, so I have learned to just take her comments in stride. I'd bet your MIL's home is unpatterned too.

not busy at all for my taste!! i love them in your room!!!

They're absolutely beautiful to me. I think I would have replied something like "though I value your opinion place her name here, we feel they are just what we were looking for to complement the rest of the room". Well unless you feel that will just bring more unsolicited opinions from her. Depends on your relationship with her really. My mother in law was like that when we first got married. She didn't like a thing I did or how I did it. She thinks I'm pretty amazing now. (wink)

Wow, gw removed the word none from 2 posts now. I thought I had put it in but then the second time, I definitely did. So what banned word is "none" like?

Make that 3, on 2 different computers
The word is;
N -
O -
N -
E

Why is it being erased?

I am the outier here because I have to say: I do think they are too busy. There's nothing wrong with them in and of themselves, and they obviously have a look that fits your style to a tee; the colors work, too. But unless there are elements to the spaces that I don't see, my issue is that they have a very large and dramatic pattern in a space with virtually no other pattern at all. So, to my eyes, they pull everything off balance. Very easy to fix, I'm sure: somewhere on opposite sides of their space, some dramatically patterned pillow, or cushions for the kitchen chairs, or a piece of art, even something on the dining room table or above the fireplace. With a pattern not unlike that of the drapes, that's all that you need. In my humble, nondecorator's opinion.

I like them a lot but would prefer them shortened to just above the floor. But the pattern is great and I don't think they are too busy at all.

Is your MIL the type to always give her "honest" opinion on things?

Your whole house is beautiful!!!!! The drapes are perfect! I don't see them as busy...

I think your drapes and your house are beautiful. I had to smile when you said your MIL said the drapes were too busy. I grew up in a farmhouse in the 40's. Figured wallpaper, figured drapes and linoleum on the floor in a figured pattern. Talk about overload. It was the best a farmer's wife could do and everyone's house looked the same. Never thought anything of it, as long as the house was clean. Now we talk about too much pattern, too much of this and too much of that. The 40's decorating on the farm left a lot to be desired by todays standards.

I like neutrals too, but they need something to spice them up in my opinion, contrast, pattern, etc. so I think the drapes provide that well.

The drapes are perfect. Even the puddling is growing on me. ;-)

Your entire house is gorgeous! Don't worry about anything your MIL says.

LOVE them!! They make your room, it would be boring w/out them. Your home is lovely. You did not ask MIL's opinion, so would not give it a second thought. Although, I understand that is hard to do. My MIL always says what she thinks too! I just ignore her and go on :) I could not live in her home, it is so dated, why would I expect her to like mine, I suppose?

No, no, no! They are awesome! I love the ikat fabric!!!!!

I have been trying to figure out how to use those same drapes in my new house!

Perfect for your pretty room!! :)

I think they are gorgeous and work perfectly in the room!

They're lovely. IMHO, the pattern is what makes them so striking.

I think they are Perfect! Your dining room (living room, AND kitchen) are all stunning! You obviously have some amazing decorating skills! Trust your instincts and enjoy your gorgeous home! :)

No! they are the way supposed to be! They pull everything together in that room. You have a beautiful, gorgeous home!

I love the pattern of the fabric and it's certainly not too busy. Would you share the source for it? Thanks.

I change my vote. They are busy and you should send them to me and I'll hang errr get rid of them for you. :-)

I'll chime in here, but please realize that I'm far from pro at decorating. I think the drapes are fine for a monochromatic look, but I'd like to see some color. A few weeks ago someone posted a picture of fabulous orange patterened drapes/curtains and I think she said that she made them from a coverlet or duvet from Walmart!

I guess one could say that the orange and brown would be too Halloweenish, but, without finding that post again, I think something similar would introduce a new color dimension.

Respectfully,

Suzieque

Is your MIL the type to always comment or say something, such as
"you look tired" , "you look healthy , you were too skinny before"
( I interpret that as "you look like you gained weight") etc... ?
( btw, I was never skinny in my life, she was backpeddling)

Mine is very verbal, although she is a sweet person, she often says too much with no reflexion on her part as to how it will affect the receiver of such comments. I try to learn from that, since I'm a MIL myself, lol......

Say less, not more. The drapes are hanging in your LR for Pete's sake, does she think you'll rip them down based upon her opinion ?

I think the drapes are perfect. Since you're shortening them anyway, why not tape a piece of the fabric to your MIL's mouth! I adore my MIL and she knows to never comment, which one of the reasons I love her so much! Did you ask for her opinion?