What are the latest styles?

The one question that I am asked the most is "What are the latest styles?"

For draperies, I always suggest either pinch pleated or roll pleated draperies. Roll pleated panels are basically for a more relaxed, contemporary look. Pinch pleats are a little more formal. What is out of style, are those tab top panels that everyone could buy at Ikea and that looked like they came from Ikea! Those are great for a college dorm room but for a home....NO! Pinch pleated sheers are still a huge hit and are timeless because they never go out of style. No one does rod pocket sheers anymore. They are not easy to open unless you have a tieback and even then, it's outdated. Priscilla sheers that cross over each other and tie back, are so outdated, even my Grandmother wouldn't have them anymore.

Now, I can not stress this enough...rod pocket valances that gathered on the 2" or 4" rods are GONE! If you still like a gathered valance, I always suggest that they are done with velcro and mounted properly on a velcro board. The most popular valance now is a box pleated valance because it is tailored and not ruffled.

Roman blinds are very popular and most likely will be for a long time. They are tailored and make a beautiful valance when they are up but block out your neighbours when they are down. They are not the least expensive to have because they are a lot of work to make but you get a valance and a blind for the same price. Wallpaper borders are not being used anymore. As a matter of fact, wallpaper is being used less and less now and so are those faux finish paint styles. Basic matt or semi gloss paint is much more popular now. It is easier on the bank account too.

Everyone is probably looking around their houses and saying "Oh, Oh, I'm out of style". These, of course, are just suggestions and people have very specific tastes but when you ask a designer "what is the latest style", you must be prepared to hear the answers...even if it hurts.





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Wood paneling...what to do?

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I live in a 25 year old home just outside of Waterdown, Ontario. The town is called Carlisle and it is in the country. I have many clients in Carlisle, Freelton, Waterdown, and lots in Burlington. Some of my clients with older homes have wood paneling from the 70's and sometimes the 80's. We had the same problem. What to do? What to do? You could rip out all of the paneling and hope that there is drywall underneath. That would be perfect. If there is no drywall, you have to put up new dry wall. That is very expensive and very messy. You could paint over the paneling but that ends up looking very "I've just painted over wood paneling".
What we ended up doing was:
-filling in all of the lines of the paneling with dry wall compound
-sanding it down (you'll probably need one more coat because drywall compound shrinks)
-priming it and painting it.

My husband and I were very pleased with the outcome. I'm not going to lie and say that it was easy, it wasn't. It takes a lot of time because you have to wait for the drywall compound to dry and then sand it (very dusty), do it all over again, prime it and then paint. It took us about 3 weeks to finish. In the end, it cost only about $100.00. The time and effort was worth it because it brought the look out of the 70's and up to date.

Feels like autumn

Every year, business gets a little slower in the summer and every year it picks up again the day the kids go back to school. I can set my clock to it. Mom's and Dad's must rub their hands together and excitedly plan their days when the kids are not around asking "what can we do today?" This year, however, it started early. Maybe because it feels like autumn already. The days are much cooler and the nights are downright cold.
I have found, from experience, that this time of year is the busiest for decorating. People want their homes to look cosy and welcoming for family and friends at Thanksgiving and then, of course, for Christmas. I would advise that you don't delay in getting your decorator in as soon as possible because the last thing you want to hear is that you are too late. Most custom orders take 6 to 10 weeks to complete (if not more) so asking a designer in at the beginning of December is a decorating no no. Don't put it off, you don't know if the fabric that you wanted is on back order for 6 weeks or that the sofa that you are having re-upholstered will take 10 weeks. It's better to get it done early and sit back and wait for your company to admire your beautiful new home. You also don't want to make a mistake by being too stressed by a time limit. If you are on a tight budget, getting a new valance for your window and some matching throw cushions might be just the thing to freshen up a tired looking room. A new paint colour will make your room looking completely different and only cost a fraction of what new draperies or furniture would cost. You can always add drapery or furniture later as your budget allows. Decorating should be fun. If you are not sure of where to get started, ask a professional to help you. That is what we are there for.

technorati tags:waterdown, burlington, carlisle, oakville, drapery, blinds, upholstery, furniture, interior, design, decorating, elaine, basaran

Let's get started

O.K. so this is my first post and I wanted to be clever and witty and oh so designerish..
but all I could think of was, what do I write about? There is a lot of pressure when you think that a handful of people could read this. I'll just start off writing about me. Me, me, me!
I have been working as a designer for about 14 years. I started fresh out of school working for a woman who was pretty much absent from her business because her husband was very ill. I was left to run the whole design business on my own. Talk about sink or swim! Well luckily, I swam. That was the best experience I could have had. What you learn in school and what happens in the real world, is a totally different thing. I loved the pressure and I loved being on my own.
I also learned in school, that you either have an eye for design or you don't. Some of the other students in my class tried so hard to make something work but could never get it right. Not to toot my own horn but... I was always the poor student that had the beautiful apartment. People couldn't believe the things that I could do on a very low budget. When you have the eye, it doesn't seem like a chore.
I started my own business in 1995 and It was the best thing I could have done. My clients are amazing and I love what I do. I am going to use this blog as a way to give people my suggestions about different design ideas or thoughts. Some will be helpful, some just downright silly but hopefully, always entertaining. I hope you join me from time to time.