The Benefits of Bottom Up Shades, Roman Shades & Valances
Recently, two of our clients came to us with the same design dilemma ~ they wanted to see the trees outside their wonderful, big windows but they did not want to see the parked cars below. The perfect solution? A “bottom up” shade.
A bottom up shade is anchored to the window sill and pulls up from there. As you pull the shade up, the bottom view becomes completely hidden. You decide how much of the top view you want to leave unobstructed. Usually, the shade mechanism is concealed with a valance at the very top. There are two small strings that show when the window is exposed. The bottom up shade slides along these strings when it is pulled up and down.
You may have seen a bottom up shade like the one pictured here. But did you know that bottom up Roman shades (yes, they look just like Roman shades but they pull up from the bottom) can be custom made in any fabric you like by most window covering fabricators either online or in your community? By using your own fabric, you will end up with the perfect match for your room.
Do you have a window covering design dilemma? Tell us about it in the comment section or on our Facebook page. We may feature your design dilemma in one of our upcoming blog posts.
Pasadena Showcase House Design Trends You Can Use
The Pasadena Showcase House of Design is in its 47th year and has donated over $17 million to musical arts and youth education programs in the greater Los Angeles area. Over 40,000 attendees are expected this year to see the newly refurbished English Country Manor built in 1927 by renowned architect Paul Williams. People come to admire the home’s architecture, walk in the gardens, and get new design ideas from the decorated rooms. After the tour, we made some take-away notes that may help you decorate your home.
Design Trend ~ Renovate & Reuse
Many of the bathrooms in this year’s design house were not gutted. Instead, the designers cleaned, polished, and reused original tile, hardware, and fixtures. Unexpected items like oil paintings, luxurious fabric window coverings, and antique furnishings were placed in the bathrooms.
Going up the stairs, the original leather rope hand rail was mounted to the wall. Original cork flooring cut to resemble stone tiles was used throughout the downstairs. Kitchen sub-floors were polished and used as is. Original glass knobs were used on the kitchen cabinets.
It made us realize that so often, in older homes, owners feel the need to gut most of the rooms. In this showcase house, designers did a nice job of working with existing materials and adding luxurious details that added greater elegance to the spaces.
Design Trend ~ Pattern Play
Bold patterns on walls, windows, and ceilings are making a come back. We saw a lot of wallpaper, fabric, and hand painting on these surfaces. In one room, a light colored grass cloth wallpaper was used inside a dark wood coffered ceiling. It added texture and interest while lightening the dark ceiling. We liked the effect.
Some of the rooms were done in bold floral patterns and reminded us of the 70′s. Other rooms had strong geometric shapes and reminded us of the 60′s. The retro feel also played out in accessories throughout the house.
Design Trend ~ Mix Master
The showcase house designers mixed contemporary and traditional design elements in their rooms. Most of the light fixtures throughout the house were contemporary. We saw drum shades, clean lined sconces, and contemporary chandeliers mixed in with English and Asian antiques. Much of the upholstered furniture had cleaner, contemporary lines.
The message here is that if you like traditional style but you don’t want your home to look like your mother’s, mix in contemporary elements. Adding contemporary light fixtures is an easy way to make your space feel more up-to-date. You can also add contemporary art to traditional furnishings and get an updated look. Master the mix by playing around with unusual combinations for an evolved style.
Kitchen Upgrades For Aging In Place, Cabinet Accessories, & Storage
in Bathrooms, Decks & Patios, Fireplaces, Kitchen, Remodeling & Home Improvement Projects
The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show is the world’s largest international trade event focused exclusively on all aspects of kitchens and baths. This year, thousands of industry professionals descended on Las Vegas to learn about the latest products and design trends. We wanted to share some of the highlights.
The results of a comprehensive study by Kraft Maid Cabinetry, Merrillat, Quality Cabinets, and DeNova revealed that aging in place is desirable among today’s baby boomers. Better lighting, easier to grasp cabinet hardware, and universal design upgrades are being requested by this group.
The study also found that having a desk or wine storage in the kitchen is less important than having room for Fido’s dog food and water bowls. This is a frequent request from our clients so we weren’t surprised.
Also noted — kitchen cabinet accessories are very important to today’s homeowners which may explain the crowds at the Rev-A-Shelf booth. You’ll love Rev-A-Shelf’s pull-out pantry system that rotates for easy accessibility.
Designers also crowded around the Napoleon gas fireplace displays. Never has a convention floor seen so much fire power! If you don’t have a fireplace outside, you’ll want to check into their new patio products. The torch shown below is by Napoleon. It is a gas torch that throws off heat. Perfect for a small outdoor space.
Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen or bathroom? There’s a lot to consider. You may want some designer advice to help you think through the process and avoid costly mistakes.
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