(1) Source (2) Source (3) Source
However I started to reconsider making a huge investment in drapery. Costs were slowly adding up between the nursery, strollers, furniture and more, and spending a small fortune on drapes seemed silly - especially if we could get creative and find a happy medium. It took me a good 9 months to come to that conclusion.
So, this is where we're at right now with the drapes.
What I'm doing is using pre-made Ikea drapes and I'll be adding ribbon detail to the sides to add some interest much like the inspirational photos. I'm thinking of an a really punchy green or blue for the ribbon. I have tons of ribbon here in my studio, but none that is wide enough to make an impact. Over at Little Green Notebook she did an awesome post on ribbon that you can see here.
So, to complete my vision we're doing the following. (1) Finding a ribbon to detail the drapes with (2) Have to hem the drapes slightly (3) Aubrey is building a valance to hide the black rod that I'm not a fan of. And, if time permits, I may add blackout lining to the back of the drapes, as I've heard that it's helpful for little ones to have dark rooms? (Insight anyone?)
The valance is being built this week to hide the bar. :) Little baby steps getting this room complete!
Posts
17 comments:
I think this looks really great...and the ribbon detail along with the valance will give it that custom feel you want. Your nursery is so fabulous!
I think you made a great choice! Adding the ribbon will be a great addition! I'm doing that to my son's drapes too!
Great idea Lindsay! I think it's going to look fantastic. Have you thought about doing more than one colour ribbon? It may make it thicker and give it the impact that you want? Regardless of what you do, I can't wait to see the end result!
Blackout curtains are a great idea for napping and getting your baby to sleep when it's still light out during summer evenings. When our daughter turned around 6 months she became much more aware of her surroundings and had trouble sleeping in light rooms. You can have drapes with blackout panels made but custom drapes are quite costly. We ended up getting drapes from Pottery Barn Kids that their blackout panels could be attached to. You could do something like the Audrey chenille panel (http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/audry-chenille-dot-panel/?pkey=dwindow-panels) and cost of drapes would be $200 plus $200 for the blackout panels. Or they sell a sailcloth panel (http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/sailcloth-blackout-panel/?pkey=dwindow-panels) with a liner sewn in for approx $100 for two panels. The white would be pretty similar to what you have and you can still personalize it. One tip - you can often find these panels on ebay for less money and they get delivered right to your door! FYI, I did lots of research into the best option for health (many blackout blinds are made with vinyl which off-gases like crazy) and these ones were best. I also put them out in the sun for a few weeks before using them and that speeds up any off gassing (because all blackout panels are made with plastic, this is a good idea). So you might want to buy them in the summer if this is what you decide. Sorry for the novel!
When we moved to our new house, I quickly realized that the room our then two-year old daughter would use was south facing and got full sun right at afternoon nap time. A neighbor gave me the best children's room decorating advice ever when she told me to go to the local window treatment outlet tomorrow and buy room darkening shades. From a decorating standpoint let me say that I can't stand cellular shades. From a parenting standpoint I wouldn't give them up for anything. Like you, I made a valance, and the (cordless for safety) room darkening cellular shades are completely hidden under the valance when they are up. The curtains can still be light and floaty, but when you want it dark you simply pull down the hidden shade. As for the curtain trim, mjtrim.com has a nice 60mm greek key trim that I used to trim wool curtains for my husband's study this winter. I uploaded photos to the mjtrim site when I reviewed the product. (Now the window corner looks like a shrine to my husband's favorite unfortunate chair, but oh well.) Good luck!
Absolutely go for the blackout liner. Its helpful for daytime naps and gets baby into a routine - they know its nap time when the room is dark! Designer Fabrics has blackout liner and a similar but less-opaque fabric (dim-out liner?) that would both do the job.
For ribbon, try Mokuba. They have lovely stuff.
We have those exact drapes in our bedroom & I was going to send you over to my blog, but I realized we don't have a great detail pic. Anyway, I grabbed some bias tape and had my gram sew it along both sides and it looks fantastic. I went with the 1/2 inch, but if you want more of a pop of color, the 1" would be great. My only complaint about the drapes are, we took them down to wash them and some of the grommets at the top came loose in the wash, so now I do them by hand.
Two suggestions (btw, I'm pretty new to your blog but love it! Thanks for all the good tips and inspiring pictures!):
1-I've had those ikea drapes (in a different color) and made the mistake of hemming before washing. They shrink significantly (and unevenly from panel to panel) so if you haven't already I would strongly recommend washing before you hem!
2-some kind of blackout liner (shade or panel) has been an absolute must for each of my three babies, and I still wouldn't live without it for my 2 and 4 year olds. I will say this: a white blackout panel behind a white curtain is not going to make the room totally blacked out, despite the name. And that's even if you buy high-quality blackout drapes! Maybe a shade would be more effective in that case? Just guessing as I have no experience there. The one downside to actual blackout drapes is that they are stiff. I have navy blue ones in my boys' room and don't mind the stiffness there, but in my little girl's room I wanted a breezier look. So I used a double rod and mounted flowy panels in front and white blackout liners in back($20 the pair at Lowe's--not sure if you have those where you are but it's a home improvement store--and they come with velcro on the inside edges which is a stroke of brilliance as it shuts out those peeking strips of light; I actually hung them by their bottom hem as the top hem had a header). That just might be my favorite solution yet. I'm intrigued by the shade and valance option, though. Most times I don't like valances, but the picture you showed just might change my mind! Can't wait to see what you do!
I'm new to your blog and I love it! Great tips & ideas!
I would highly recommend black out of some kind for help with sleeping babies. Both my kids' curtains have it sewn onto the backs of the panels but in hindsight, this makes washing the curtains difficult. If I had it to do over, I think I'd buy the cordless shades and hide them behind the valance, like EAC had suggested. So there, my secret is out - I`ve never washed my kids`curtains ;)
Blackout curtains are a must. Once they get past the sleepy newborn phase, it can make a huge difference in their sleep quality.
Love your blog, btw! (and the nursery!)
I think your plan is perfect. They will look wonderful.
great plan! they already look amzing in his bedroom and the ribbon will add the custom look you want.
Great idea adding ribbon to pre-made drapes! I say if you're going to splurge on drapery it should be for your own room, or the main living area!
As for blackout lining, be careful when you're buying it. I lined my office drapes with dim-out {not as dark as black out} and the white fabric now looks yellow. Super bummed. So make sure you get really white fabric, or consider a roller blind instead!
hi! i just found your blog and am so glad i did. love your style! i just had custom drapes made and erikas from urban grace was my inspiration. come visit my blog sometime! off to check out what i've been missing on your blog now:)
:) Grace
www.nameisgrace.blogspot.com
While custom drapes will look great, they might not be very baby friendly in a few months when he's pulling up and walking. We have had to remove all or ours or tie them up as our little guy who's 12 months loves to hang his whole body weight from them and yank on them, and actually damaged the wall where the drapery hardware is attached in his room. We have resigned ourselves to blinds because of him, especially since we try to make most of place, and especially his room as friendly for him to explore as possible.
If you're on a budget have your guests light sparklers as you depart. (US). Out of town guests will feel especially welcome if you give them special attention at the reception.
Feel free to visit my web-site - wedding website addresses
If all players are wrong the murderer gets away and
everyone loses. I won't spoil your surprises and give away any more details. That is the new craze in on the internet gaming, and numerous girls and teens are possessing a blast.
My site: alliance & Leicester
Post a Comment
I love comments. If you disagree with something I've said, or would like to add something thoughtful to the discussion, I'd love to hear it! Please refrain from rudeness. Points can be made in thoughtful, considerate ways.