Woven wood and fabric shades, valances, and drapes. Window treatments that are different, but coordinate, in my living/dining/kitchen space.

Choosing the Right Window Treatments

For a long time, we lived without any window treatments in our new-build home.

They are a big decision. And also a big expense.

Here are some of the things that influenced my window treatment choices for our living/dining/kitchen space.

Privacy

Fortunately I wasn’t in any rush from a privacy standpoint. Most of our windows face the water, and I don’t worry about someone sitting out there in a boat at night peering in.

That would be super creepy.

And a lot of effort on their part.

If you do have immediate privacy concerns, I would go with a cheap neutral window treatment until you decide what you really want and can budget for it.

It’s all about the view

Speaking of windows and water, that is, of course, what this house is really all about — walls of windows to take in the panoramic harbor and ocean views.

I knew I had to be very careful choosing window treatments so as not to detract from all of that.

As I lived in the house, though, I knew that I definitely wanted some kind of dressing on the windows. At night, all those windows that open to expansive views during the day turn into large gaping black holes. Especially during the winter, when the sun sets so early, I wanted to be able to tuck in and get cozy.

But whatever I chose needed to fold up neatly during the day to frame, not interfere with or distract from, the view.

Design element

I also waited on window treatments in order to see what direction the interior design of the home took. I let the view out the windows drive the design, and not the window treatments hanging in them.

But I also wanted them to serve a design purpose. To add another layer of texture, color or patten to the home.

You know I hate to waste a design opportunity!

Open Floor Plan Space

When I did finally commit, I did it in stages.

Since our living/dining/kitchen is basically one open space (with just the stone fireplace between the dining and living areas) this allowed me to carefully choose window treatments to define each space individually, but also coordinate with each other.

Woven wood and fabric shades, valances, and drapes — in the end I chose a mix of everything!

No surprise, right?! Let’s get to the details!

The Dining Area

The dining area was the first room to get window treatments.

The decision was an easy one for me.

I prefer a tidy tailored window treatment. Nothing too overdone.

I do love how drapes frame a window, but for me they need to pull back completely and not cover any of the window. With furniture on either side of the dining room window, I knew that was not possible.

And because there is a bench with plants under the window, we also wouldn’t be able to pull them closed. Definitely a deal breaker!

So a classic roman shade it was!

A dining room does not usually have a lot of upholstered furnishings, so I knew I wanted to go with fabric to add softness to the space.

And since when the shades are closed at night, they would be a major design element in the room, I wanted a pattern that I really loved.

Kravet’s Sissinghurst in the Eau de Nil colorway, with its large floral design in soft shades of blues and tans, was love at first sight. I knew it would be perfect!

I was fortunate to have a local seamstress to sew these custom shades for me.

She is old school, so doesn’t use the newer cordless or remote mechanisms, which I think suits our new-build old-soul cottage perfectly.

I used large vintage wooden boat cleats to secure the cords when they are open. It is one of my favorite design details!

Links

If you don’t have a local window treatment fabricator, for your convenience, I am linking some companies that offer custom fabric roman shades. They might or might not take customer’s own fabric.

Budget Blinds did a great job on roman shades for the den with fabric I selected.

I love my Twopages drapes (see below), but I haven’t seen their shades in person.

Otherwise, I cannot vouch personally for these companies. You will have to do your own research.

Budget Blinds

Twopages Curtains

Blinds.com

The Shade Store

I also know that there are Etsy shops that sell custom roman shades. Search on “custom roman shades”.

Good luck!

Kitchen

I didn’t feel the need for a full shade or curtain at my smallish kitchen windows.

Because the kitchen is fully open to the dining area, I went with the same Sissinghurst fabric for simple valances which I designed.

Easy!

Pro tip:

Using the same fabric on a different style of window treatment is an easy way to define, but still coordinate, spaces in an open concept.

Living Room

Bright and airy during the day!
And cozy at night!

The next room I tackled was the living room.

This room boasts the same large windows and wide water views as the dining area.

But there is a lot more going on in this room, with its upholstered furniture and wall decor. More pattern and color.

And I change this space up seasonally.

So the window treatments needed to be more of a blank slate.

Instead of introducing a new design element, I wanted them to sit quietly with both the room and the views. But still add some interest.

I chose a woven bamboo shade in a caramel color that goes with the wood furniture, pine beams, and floor. They add a nice boost of texture and warmth to the room.

And they “speak” to the darker tan colors in the living room shades.

You can get these kinds of woven wood shades from many places at all different price points and in a wide variety of finishes.

My shades are custom-size Designer Reserve Woven Wood in the Deluxe finish from Select Blinds. They are cordless and have a light filtering liner.

I have had them for several years now and am very happy with their quality and look. They say that you can install them yourself, but I had a professional do it. I am glad I did.

Here is the link to my shades or you can find them through my Pinterest account!

Pro tip:

Select Blinds will send you free samples, which I highly recommend. It is important to see the exact material in your space. This is not a throw pillow that you can return if it doesn’t work.

Fireside Seating Area

I am so excited today to be sharing with you the new custom drapes I received recently from Twopages Curtains!

Window coverings for this area of the house were not part of my original plan. But after enjoying the shades-closed vibe of the dining and living areas, I decided I wanted that same cozy feeling when sitting by the fire on winter nights.

This time I decided drapes would be the perfect solution. There is nothing to the front or sides of the french door and flanking full-length windows. Long drapes running from edge to edge of the wall would frame the view and create a beautiful focal point when you walk through the front door.

I chose a warm “oatmeal” linen. It picks up similar tones in the bamboo shades and the dining room shade fabric. And it is an almost perfect match with the pine beams and all my pine furniture.

A wide blue and white border ties into all the blues in all three spaces. (And also the ocean out the windows!)

I chose purposefully so that when you are sitting in either the dining or living areas, the new drapes look right with both spaces. The different window treatments help to define each space, while also tying them all together.

Crisp French pleats give the drapes both fullness and a nice tailored appearance.

A simple French rod (also known as a return rod, since it wraps around to meet the wall) and brass rings complete the look. I love the clean lines of this rod and how its burnished brass finish is the same color as the pine ceiling beams.

I really couldn’t be happier!

Here are the details:

PATTI Premium Belgian Linen Flax Curtains in the OATMEAL color with a TRIPLE TAILOR PLEAT, PRIVACY LINING, and S13 TRIM.

Link directly to the drapes, curtain rod, and rings below and also through my Pinterest!

Pro tip:

Twopages has a huge selection of fabrics. Again, I highly recommend ordering samples! I spent hours examining the fabrics online and when I received the samples some of them were very different from what I was expecting.

Their curtains are fully customizable and they also sell shades.

Links

Twopages Curtains Patti Drapes

Pinterest Board

This Week Into Next

Wow, it was a week…

Snow

It got off to a great start, with the loveliest snow on Sunday. We got almost a foot!

I enjoyed the day at home, cooking and sewing. Watching the snow fall, with the fire going.

Monday was a bluebird day, and I went snowshoeing. It was spectacular!

Rain

And then Tuesday things took a turn for the worse.

You might have seen on the news that Maine was hit by a huge storm Tuesday night into Wednesday that resulted in widespread and severe coastal flooding.

I woke on Wednesday morning, after a restless night listening to winds slam the house, to our lower lawn flooded and covered in big piles of seaweed. As the morning progressed and the tide rose and surged, I watched as more and more debris was deposited onto our property. Remnants of a log cabin that was washed off an island in our harbor. A broken adirondack chair. A door. Logs. More seaweed. A large wooden platform. Plenty of trash. A lamp. And two huge sections of docks, with the railings still intact.

Local roads were washed out. Rocks were tossed onto people’s lawns. And in some places, whole buildings floated away.

Fortunately (and purposely) our home is sturdy and sits back and up from the water, so it suffered no damage from the wind or water. And I never felt unsafe.

But cleanup of our property will be huge — and expensive. By Wednesday evening I was feeling pretty overwhelmed.

Thursday morning, though, dawned bright. Someone came out to talk about cleanup. I started to track down the owners of the two docks.

And, as always, you settle into the new reality.

Next

As I write, we are preparing for another storm. One which some are saying will have even higher waters. This is the reality of living on the coast that I am only just now experiencing. (Though people who have lived here much longer than I are saying this is the worst they have ever seen.)

So, as you are reading this post, please send positive thoughts to my little part of the world.

It has been a rough few months for our community and for Maine.

Stay safe and be well

Molly

Highlighting coastal decor and lifestyle, Maddie and Cisco, and the way life should be...

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