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Design Solutions

A compilation of inquiries e-mailed to my attention get answers and suggestions.

by Sharon L. Anderson

Question: Can you advise me or point me in the right direction? My client has a three-section window, 15 feet high. It slants almost like a triangle with a 12-foot, six-inch base and a 15-foot, six-inch top. It is a custom plate-glass window I cannot reach without an extension ladder. I am looking for roll-ups or verticals or any kind of blind that I can open and close that would fit an angled window like this. I hope you can help me figure out the best way to block the brutal sun. Answer: You can begin by reading the current and previous issues of D&WC where you will find a list of suppliers that offer the window coverings you want for these hard-to-fit windows. Remote control units also are available to ease the operation of the treatment. Be sure to check with each manufacturer as to the width proportions for a custom-size blind. A few suggested applications would be soft shades, Duette[TM] honeycomb pleated shades or Silhouette[TM] window shadings from Hunter Douglas. Question: I have a customer with a double window on the north wall which is very close to a single window on an east wall. Should this be handled with one window treatment or separately? This is a formal living room. The space is well lit and my client wants the most natural light. Any suggestions? Answer: In reference to your double window dilemma, is there room to mount a treatment outside? If so, you could design the window treatment as one. If the single window isn't too far away, I would definitely use the same type of treatment on both. A photograph of the window would help. Please send one if you have it. I would be able to see the walls and window a bit more clearly. Another suggestion would be to design tie-back draperies or soft shades, depending on where the window is located on the wall. Any further questions, please e-mail me again. Question: My client wants to buy a sofa in hunter green with matching chairs in raspberry. I thought raspberry throw pillows on the sofa would help to blend the two colors. Would dark green on the walls be too much green? The room has a cathedral ceiling and skylight. The house is a split level and the room contains the staircase to the third floor which also would have to be painted the same color. Please give me some feedback. Answer: Using deep shades of green on the walls can be done gracefully depending on a few aspects of the room. First, a room must be large enough so that it doesn't appear smaller. Have you thought of using a wall wash or a faux finish that contained some of the shades of green in the sofa? Another suggestion would be a combination of the raspberry and hunter green. If wallpaper is an option you are considering, try pulling all the colors together plus some neutrals. This decision will tie together all of your selections. A good rule to design by is to repeat a color at least three times in a room. Something else to keep in mind when considering a deep green sofa and wall is whether the colors will compete with each other. The solution for this is to offer a contrast by pulling in neutrals on one or the other. Look through photographs and try to secure the color your client is looking for and then you will be better able to visualize the contrast and color scheme you and your client are comfortable with. Interest also will be created by showing texture in your selections. Please feel free to e-mail me at: designsolutions@dwcdesignet.com. Editor's Note: This is a continuing series of articles written by Sharon L. Anderson which will answer some of the many questions we receive at Draperies & Window Coverings, as well as questions Anderson has encountered in her own business. If you have a question you would like Anderson to address, please send it to: Design Solutions, c/o Draperies & Window Coverings, 666 Dundee Rd., Ste 807, Northbrook, IL 60062-7913; fax: (847) 498-0231; e-mail: DesignSolutions@DWCdesignet.com. Sharon L. Anderson, Associate Member, Interior Design Educator's Council (IDEC), has more than 14 years experience as a commercial and residential design professional. She has taught numerous courses at colleges and universities throughout Southern California and is a published author and frequent public speaker.