First of all, are you sure you need cleats? Most shades are made with a self locking mechanism so cleats would be unnecessary. It could be usefull for draping a long length of cord so that it doesn't hang on the floor but if you are actually moving the shades on a regular basis, wrapping and unwrapping from a cleat will get old real quick.

That said, to my mind, it's a small enough thing and if it'll make you smile everyday, go for it.

Continuous loop and self locking are totally different animals. I had one shade with the continuous loop and hated it - made the company switch it out for self locking. But even so, on a long shade, the cords can still be really long and a cleat gives you a place to hang it off the floor. But if you won't have any lock, obviously you have to have cleats so make them something you love!

I really like the decorative cleats - and if they make your heart sing, they're a no-brainer, IMO.

I also have to say that I LOVED seeing your pics. Up until now, I thought I was the only one who posted decorating questions featuring pictures that included big plastic toys. I think there's been toys and/or kids in every pic I've ever posted on here. I was starting to think that either no one else here has kids, or everyone is a LOT better about picking up than I am. (I've been trying to convince myself that everybody probably just shoves all their mess into the closet 5 minutes before taking the picture). Anyhow, thanks for the look at your "real decor," LOL! It looks an awful lot like my house!

I love your cleats if you're not going to do the continuous loop. I like the antique brass ones best in your space.

What a great space your living room is. So fun!

Since you have young children, you really should have breakaway holders at the end of the cords. They hold the cords together, but open up at the slightest pressure. The place that's making your shades should be able to supply them.

Oh right! Can I blame it on a Monday for not catching the self-locking part or your note, dlm? They will be self-locking but even still, with little children and inquisitive pets, the cords just aren't safe 'round here: that's why I'd investigated the continuous loops. (We have them on our roman shades purchased from Smith & Noble and love them! But reading your negative experience makes me glad we didn't try them with our locally-made ones this time ....)

lkplatow -- you are not alone! One, it would take me a lot longer than five minutes to clean-up (boy don't I wish) and two, we don't have a closet large enough to hold all that stuff. I bet you know what I'm talking about! But here's the scary part: I did actually attempt to "tidy" for those photos -- see the two piles of papers and books on the coffee table? My handiwork! Thanks for making my ego feel this big. Shoot. But the photos on the console are pushed all the way back because two year-old Li'l Bit cannot control himself from grabbing them, and the red strap around the tansu (side table) is because same Li'l Bit believes in taking everything out and giving it to the puppy. One way or another we are child / puppy proofed!

sarchlos -- thanks for the encouragememnt!

Definitely go with the decorative bamboo look in the corresponding finishes, attach them up high and where they can be seen as a decorative, yet functional element. Your shades will look nice & flow - great choice in fabrics.
Love the Japanese flags. They add such personality.

Oh gosh, I didn't mean to make you feel bad. If you could see the room I'm sitting in at this very second, you'd know I was "laughing with you, not at you", LOL!

I would say the pewter for the breakfast nook, and the antique brass for the family room. love the "flags" but don't think they go with the chandelier LOL! We have a carp windsock my sister gave my son for Boys' Day a few years ago, I'm thinking of hanging it in the bathroom that's decorated with fish (or will be after I put the wallpaper border up). Just wasn't sure where/how to hang it in such a small room.

Where did you find the cleats? Bamboo won't go in my farmhouse, but I'm looking for some way to keep the long cords of my romans out of 5-yr old hands too.

Also, what are the break-away ends, where can you get those? JC Penney didn't offer them on my blinds.

I would definitely not do plastic cleats - I love the metal bamboo look ones. I think they will be very subtle and not overkill at all. Where did you find them?? I have plain metal ones in my house, but would have bought something a little more decorative if I could have found them. We still have roman shades on a number of windows in my house and I pretty much open/close them every day, and wind up every little of bit of loose cord also as I have young kids (and we have Bozo too!)

And tell me about your sofa! It is a slipcover? I love that fabric - is it Ralph Lauren malloy? I was looking at that for LR curtains (even bought a sample piece) but went with something else instead from Calico corners - It's virtually identical to the Malloy fabric, but slightly different colorway and not as expensive as the Malloy.

lkplatow -- I totally knew what you meant and you didn't make me feel bad; you're so sweet to check back in with me! It was just that I really thought the space looked not bad (as in: not insanely messy) but it just goes to show I do not have an objective eye about my home!

magothyrivergirl -- thank you for your feedback! I really appreciate it!

Good eye, jenny. I don't know if the fabric is Malloy but it is Ralph Lauren, as are all the fabrics in the family room. (The sofa is Shabby Chic so we just ordered 26 yards of the RL fabric for them to make the slipcover [back in '03]. The George Smith armchairs / ottomans are also RL fabrics, but from '06. They're upholstered in the most delicious raspberry linen I brought back with us from when we lived in Belfast, but the cats did a real number clawing and they showed dirt something awful. Since the Polo store was just a mile or two from our house and since we already the RL fabric on the sofa we just went there to find fabrics which coordinated but didn't match.)

I'd love to see the fabric you got from Calico Corners which is similar to the Malloy! I don't remember it as being pricey, but that was in the days before we had children so I looked at many things differently .... My favorite thing about the Malloy fabric is the beautiful pink danphe -- it may not be an actual danphe, but we found that fabric after we spent a long time in Nepal (climbed a b-i-g mountain, studied woodcarving in Patan, helped rescue and raise an orphaned newborn rhino, Mangolseen), so for us the danphe holds deep, spiritual resonance.
{{gwi:1815094}}

The cleats are from Chic Cleats. Although I think they're pretty common because I also saw them at different sites, but that's the site from where I "borrowed" the images.

ajsmama -- so glad you have koinobori as well! Three of the flags are koinobori and the fourth is from the matsuri of my husband's hometown. That's funny that you don't like the chandelier with the koinobori because we love it, and I love my four year-old's homage to Calder hanging underneath it. Good thing it's our house and not yours, I guess! Have fun with your son's sakana ("fish") bathroom!

Well, your house is a bit more eclectic than mine I guess LOL! We're going more traditional/country since it's a farmhouse with a full-length front porch. Though I did sneak in some track lighting in the kitchen & family room, and have "Moroccan Tile" drapes yet to hang in the dining room and living room. I just figured I could have fun with the kids' bathroom, remove the hanging fish and change out the cartoonish shower curtain, leave the border when they get older. I'll post pictures of that when it's done.

Based on seeing it in a magazine, I ordered a swatch of the RL Malloy fabric from the RL store it runs about $81 a yard. IRL, the pink in it didnt really work in my living room. Plus I needed about 27 yards of fabric to do all my living room windows, so it really added up pricewise for me. But its gorgeous fabric and I love the faded quality of it. The RL malloy swatch actually comes from a different mill though and I think they must make the same fabric as I bought at Calico Corners. If Im recalling correctly (the swatch is buried in the basement somewhere) the pattern is identical its just that the colors are different (see pics below, and please excuse my wall color - its primer). The colors on the Calico Corners fabric worked perfectly in my room (okay, to my untrained eye they do ;-). My only complaint is that it is not as faded looking as the Malloy but for a fraction of the price I can live with it.

And, ahh, a George Smith chair upholstered in Ralph Lauren fabric Im drooling. If you told me it was upholstered in Bennison I might pass out :-D

Thank you so much for posting a photo of the fabric, jenny. Wow, it absolutely is the same fabric -- that is great that you found it at Calico Corners! I think you made a beautiful choice -- those jewel tones look gorgeous in your room. It's funny because on my monitor your walls look like a beautiful, sheer lavender. I'd never have known it was primer!

I have my own "Calico Corners saved me a bundle of money" story: I'd found a fabric I really like which was, to me, v. expensive (few hundred a yard). But I'd searched and searched and it was the only one I could find which met my criteria (a h-u-g-e scale red / cream buffalo check), so I was prepared to just bite the bullet. I received a postcard about Calico Corners' sale and as it's pretty much right next to the design center where I was going to order the yardage thought I'd pop in. They had an incredibly similar buffalo check only slightly smaller in scale but for a (literal) fraction the cost -- $16 a yard. I nearly passed out on the spot (from elation!) and ordered it instead. I am still pinching myself about my good fortune in finding it before I ordered the other.

You are preaching to the choir about the joys of saving money ... yea for us!

If I had to do it again I would NOT get the George Smith chairs. For what they are I just think they are too expensive and not worth it. But I didn't know then. Again it was a case of me (pre-children) searching and searching for the "right" chair and I found it in London. I felt like "finally!" so I snapped them up.

Of course, I've since seen that style everywhere, inc. Shabby Chic (where I purchased the reasonably-priced and well-constructed sofa), and I kinda kick myself about overspending. Who knew? I do now!

So what's Bennison?

Thank you so much, jenny, for sharing the photos! I appreciate it.

ajsmama -- good luck with your projects, and looking forward to seeing your koinobori!

Bennison is an English fabric house. They make really pretty fabrics (I've not seen them in person, only magazines and online), many of their patterns which I would call an English country / shabby chic type style. There is another poster on here Allison0704, her daughter has some Shabby chic furniture pieces that she is really happy with, and has decorated nicely with.
Anyhoo, below is a photo of one of the Bennison houses (I'd have to go re-read the book to see who, but the book is Ros Byam Shaw's Perfect English)

Thank you for telling me about Bennison! After littles go to bed I'll definitely be checking them out. I love textiles ....

A fabric source I like is Sanderson; the window shade fabrics (above) are from them, as are all the fabrics for my children's rooms. I think you might like some of their lines as well.

As I was sitting on the sofa with the children reading a story I was thinking I must've gotten that (Malloy) fabric on sale because I am pretty sure for my twenty-six yards it was, including tax, less than $2,000. Much less. For some reason fifty-something dollars a yard feels right ... hmm. "Sale" is my second-favorite four-letter word! (ask my kids what's my favorite)