There are the windows, facing the world from your
sanctuary, their bareness challenging you to do something
wonderful about dressing them. But the budget is
practically non-existent. What to do? Hang a sheet to
hide them? Hardly the right solution, unless ....
In these financially difficult times, doing nothing
about making your home a special place isn't the only
answer. Sometimes all it takes to decorate your home is a
bit of creativity about how you look at the raw
materials.
(When I recall my first apartment, a "tub-in-kitchen"
affair in what was then a not-so desirable part of town,
I used whatever was free to decorate my little place. For
example, the shopping bags from a local store were
printed with a wonderful orange paisley pattern. Instead
of lining the garbage pail, they became the wallpaper on
the wall behind my open kitchen shelves. Dishes were
stacked in front of it to maximize the swirls and dots.
Charming, and my only expense was a bit of glue.)
Now, let's address those bare windows by adding a new
pair of stationary fabric panels that will give you a big
decorative effect without much expense.
You
can recreate this elegant,
expensively designed living
room for less by being
creative in material
choices.
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SHEETS ARE HALFWAY THERE
Earlier I mentioned sheets. And why not? You won't
find that much yardage for so little money anywhere else.
And the choice of colors and patterns is practically
endless.
Now let's look at a few ways to approach this design
solution. I'll point you in the direction, and you take
it from here.
Because sheets are already hemmed, even if you can't
sew a button on a shirt, they can provide a ready-made
answer that doesn't need a stitch. And, if you're handy
with a sewing machine, the design options are practically
endless. Usually fabric comes in 54-inch widths, but if
you use a flat king-size sheet you have fabric that's
more than 108 inches wide in one seamless piece. The only
limitation is its length - 110 inches. If you're going to
use a sheet, your windows shouldn't be longer than 100
inches so you won't have a seam running horizontally.
Unless you use more than one color for the length. In
magazines you'll see pictures of window treatments that
are one color for most of the length, then there's a
different color on the bottom portion. This gives the
illusion of height and adds drama.
Another way to add drama is to use different colored
sheets and alternate them vertically for a wide striped
effect. For example, a vertical line of blue, then white,
then blue again. When they're pushed close to each other
on the rod you won't notice that they're not sewn
together.
HARDWARE ADDS INTEREST
Since we're approaching this as a project to add
visual interest, let's maximize the effect with the
hardware that will hold your new drapery panels.
Fabric stores sell a wide variety of rods and
brackets, but if you want to save money and favor the
natural look, a branch from a tree can be a perfect piece
of wood over which to hang the fabric. Attach it to the
wall with an "L" bracket. If this is too rustic a look
for you, PVC pipe from the plumbing department of the
hardware store is another way to go. The store can cut
the pipe to your desired length. If you're using pipe,
you want to hang the fabric so you won't see it, but be
creative about the part you will see; a tennis ball
wrapped with a piece of the fabric and glued onto the end
of the pipe makes a lovely custom finial.
Whatever you use for hardware, to hang the panel from
it simply cut a little hole in the end with the shorter
hem and thread it onto the rod.
Swags are another way to hide the mechanics of the
rods. Use the bottom sheet from the packaged set and
drape it gracefully over the rod.
Though they're certainly not necessary, additional
elegance can be added with tie-backs. These can be
purchased, of course, but for a more personal touch, what
if you use something else? You can braid several old
neckties together and this way you'll have a colorful
pattern and the two sides don't need to match. Or you can
take a piece of nylon nautical rope and tie it with a
sailor's knot. Anchor it onto the wall with an "L" or cup
hook.
Now let's review additional ways to make this project
look like you spent a lot more on it than you did.
Choose fabric colors that enhance the colors that are
already in your room. Alternatively, if you want to go
further with this project for a truly coordinated,
designed look, find a sheet whose color you love. A good
paint store can match the paint perfectly to the fabric
and you can paint the room yourself.
Sheets often come in packages with their own
pillowcases. To maximize the purchase, use them to make
coordinating throw pillows. Fabric stores sell pillow
inserts in a variety of sizes, so purchase a few of these
to create coordinated accessories for your new window
treatments and put them on the sofa or bed. Simply fold
the pillowcase in on itself so it looks tidy and
chic.
Use another sheet, perhaps in a coordinating pattern,
to drape over a small, circular end table. Tuck the
fabric around the bottom on the floor and no one has to
know that they're not expensive, custom sewn tablecloths.
You can buy these end tables in the same store where you
bought the sheets. They're made of particle board and
aren't expensive at all.
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