Creative Ways to Enhance Your Windows

October 21, 2010

Windows are important because they are the connection between your homes interior, and the world outdoors. They let in the sun, they let in the breeze, and they let in the visual beauty of nature and life. The way you decorate them will influence how these elements affect the entire room. Curtains are important and luckily, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to make them look great. You just have to use a little creativity and keep your mind open to the decorative possibilities that your windows present.

A curtain can technically be made from any square piece of hemmed fabric. An old sarong can also be used as an alternative. Simply attach curtain clips to the material, and then hang it from the shower rod.

Alternatively you can purchase inexpensive tab-headed curtains made from a variety of materials including voile, muslin, or fine cotton. These simple curtains can then be turned into stunning home décor accessories by customizing them in a variety of ways.

Tiny pompom’s are one way to give an otherwise drab curtain a sense of fun and frivolity. They are rather easy to stitch in along the leading or base edge, and since they can be purchased in a variety of sizes and colors, you can get creative making patterns trail along the edge of the fabric.

Lengths of ribbon, or braid, can also be stitched along the edge of the curtain to give it a more reserved, formal version of decorative interest. You can use different lengths or colors to create patterns here as well. If you’re feeling bold, try stitching the ribbon across the face of the curtain for an exciting striped effect.

There are a variety of tiny decorative elements that can be either stitched or glued across the surface of your curtains. Shells, buttons, stones, agate, crystals, wooden wheels, mirrors, beads, or silk flower heads can all be added to enhance the beauty of the material. Here’s where you can get creative, arranging items in patterns of swirls or geometric squares, or just alighting them randomly across the face of the piece.

Small mirrors are particularly effective on very light, sheer curtains that let in a lot of illumination. The mixture of the soft fabric filtered sun with the glistening reflections of the mirrors can create an attractive interplay.

Floaty voile curtains can be weighted down by attaching small decorative objects along the bottom edge. Small stones, crystals, or wooden decorative objects can be used to help weigh down those flighty curtains, while also creating a unique fringe.

Another interesting craft project is to sow tiny decorative pockets into your curtains. Take pieces of matched material and cut them into squares. Press the edges under, and then pin them in place. Then machine stitch the tiny squares to the curtain, sealing only the bottom and side edges, leaving the top open. Then you can place a variety of decorative pieces, ornaments, shells feathers, or dried flowers in them.

Windows are important because they connect a room with the rest of the world, bringing natural elements into our homes. The way you dress your curtains can affect the way these windows influence the space. Even drab, plain, boring curtains can be dressed up with a little creativity, adding small touches to the edge and fringe, or going bold and stitching decorative features across the face of the fabric.

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Coffee Colors Throughout the Home

October 18, 2010

Coffee is more than a single color. It is an entire palette, stretching out from dark to light and breaking even those boundaries to pull in ancillary compliments. And yet beyond the mere sight of the color, there is a whole philosophy, an energy that coffee has, which it draws both from its invigorating nature, and its exotic origins. These colors are rich, lush, and brightly contrasting, allowing you to fill your home with both warmth and vigor.

Coffee colors tend to range from dark to light, with one end sporting the midnight browns of a black cup of Joe, and the other displaying the pale perfection found in café au lait. Adding to this charm are the colors of the coffee beans themselves, which are earthy and ruddy looking when first plucked, but which can also take on a burnt oily appearance when roasted.

A good way to find colors which compliment coffee tones is to look at the plant that produces the delectable brew. The coffee plant is a miniature tree, with thick green leaves which droop downward in layers, punctuated by briefly blooming pure white flowers. Bright red berries also dot the foliage of this plant, and these “coffee cherries” are actually where the beans used to make coffee are produced.

This plant is sort of a natural cheat sheet, because all of the colors represented in it actually compliment coffee tones quite well, giving you a pattern template that you can follow in your home. Forest greens will merge with the earth tones hues of coffee quite well, while bits of red can accent the whole, and touches of white provide contrasting clarity.

Coffee beans are transported in distinctive bags made of a material called hopsacking, which has a unique texture, and a rugged natural appeal. If you can find old coffee been bags, they can be used to create coffee themed decorative items, such as liners for trays, or serving dishes. You can also cut the label out of the bag, and sow it into a decorative pillow as a panel, simulating the look of your own fluffy, overstuffed bean bag. If locating authentic hopsacking proves difficult, you can always use hemp or jute, purchased from the local fabric store to simulate the look.

There are a variety of materials that will naturally evoke and or compliment coffee colors. Many hardwoods come stained in tones that will match such a palette, and wicker, and rattan both easily flow in a space where such hues are predominant. Try to match light tones against dark in contrasting layers to create room effects throughout the space.

There are also a variety of coffee themed accessories that can be purchased to make the entire style more overt. Aside from the obvious novelty prints and accessories, you also have posters of some of the exotic locations where coffee is grown, framed pictures of coffee plants, drink coasters printed with coffee images, or maps of exotic destinations.

Coffee is a symbolic substance in our culture. It evokes a sense of rugged individuality, of adventure, and of excitement. At the same time there is something comforting about the brew, it has warmth that can help to beat back the coldest winter morning. By using these colors in a decorative endeavor, you are lending these symbolic qualities to the space itself.

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