The Birth of Window Art

My good friend Val will be moving into her new house soon and I am really excited for her. We have been eagerly sharing ideas and finds for tiles, paint colours, flooring, kitchens (you get the picture!) to help her have the home that perfectly reflects her style and personality.  I have been around and involved with fabric, interior design and sewing all my life, both personally and professionally, so when she asked for my advice regarding curtains I was delighted to help.

One happy evening, with wine in hand and music in the background, I set up my laptop in the living room. I was eager to show Val a selection of fabulous images displaying what I believe to be the best examples of curtain styles and headings on the market today. To able to share with her information and explanations of each type of curtain which would ultimately help her choose the curtains for her new home. When I pressed ‘search’ I was stunned, embarrassed almost, by the obscure images shown and the standard of explanation available. I thought searching on the fabulous World Wide Web would supplement my own knowledge and enrich the explanations I had. How wrong I was! Not one individual link I clicked, or website I investigated, provided the standard or depth of information that I wanted to share with my friend.

We didn’t let this discovery dull our otherwise fun evening or, you’ll be pleased to hear, halt our consumption of the very pleasant Pinot Noir. It did instead inspire me to offer my own explanation which I hope will provide valuable information and inspiration for everyone (including the lovely Val). Oh, and painting toe nails after sharing a fine bottle of the glorious grape juice is absolutely a form of creative expression!

Curtains, according to the dictionary, are: (noun) a piece of material suspended at the top to form a screen, typically movable sideways along a rail and found as one of a pair at a window. So, basically, a moveable screen used to shield us from the outside world and provide warmth and protection from the elements. But being the creative and unique individuals we are we have, since the late 16^th century, used curtains as a form of expressing ourselves through design and colour.  To help in this expansion of self-expression and display of wealth, trimmings, dyes, pattern, materials and ultimately different curtain headings were produced and developed. Window art was born!

Some styles and types of curtains have been around for hundreds of years, others are more recent additions and some are modern adaptations of the original traditional designs. The use of different styles and colours of fabric can ultimately take a style of curtain from traditional to contemporary and, with the additional of braids and trims, from contemporary to modern.  I have endeavoured to explain and provide examples of the most popular curtain heading types here (Curtain Styles).

Happily, Val has now chosen her fabric, picked her curtain style and there is a mass of activity surrounding the making and installation of her curtains. Her house is beginning to become her home - a reflection of her style and personality. The small design details added here and there (including on her spectacular curtains) add to the uniqueness and individuality which is, ultimately, her. I’m looking forward to spending many happy evenings with her accompanied by Pinot Noir, nail varnish and an abundance of laughter.