Modern Furniture

Good construction, all by itself, can make a simple drapery look expensive. I know a designer that makes plain, unpatterned curtains in a neutral color—but when he gives them an 18-inch weighted hem, a quiet grandeur emerges. (Ask for headed-chain weights when the curtains are made.) Have the drapery lined and interlined.  It will look rich and heavy and it makes the sound in the room very peaceful and soft.

Tip: Hang the draperies high so you get the full effect of fabric sluicing down to an aristocratic hem.

To underscore a gorgeous window treatment, try to install downlights in the ceiling—a bigger project (involving electrical work and, sometimes, plastering) than you may desire. The low-budget version? Plant an uplight, available at any lighting store, at the foot of the draperies, concealing the fixture behind a piece of furniture. This looks especially good with sheers, though be aware that outsiders can see through lighted sheers at night. (Translation: Restrict this effect to the living room.)

Tip: Buy an incandescent uplight Halogen bulbs can be a fire hazard if placed near fabric or furnishings.

Sheer drapery can be downright ravishing when treated like a bridal veil. For maximum effect contrast sheer organza with a stark, architectural rod, as follows:

Run a white-painted wood dowel across the entire window wall, mounting the dowel directly to the ceiling so it looks more like an urban-loft pipe fitting than a curtain rod. (A good window-treatment or decorating store can supply the ceiling-mount hardware.) Now, buy a length of white organza that is twice the height of the wall plus 18 extra inches, and slightly wider than the window. (Sheer fabrics run wide, to spare you from visible seams.)

Here’s the bridal-veil part: Dress up the organza by having it piped on all four edges with white silk cord. Now toss it over the rod like a giant scarf, so the back just kisses the floor and the front puddles. Tie the front of the curtain in a big, loose knot slightly below eye level. The result is ravishing.

For an elegant but economical window treatment you can try to install matchstick blinds in a window frame and hung a pair of heavy starched white linen panels in front. Sunlight could slip through the matchstick blinds, hut when the linen drapery was drawn, the bedroom had privacy.

Neither the blinds nor the linen was costly-but both looked it because of one key detail: give the floor-length linen curtains an ultra-deep hem. A hem should be of 14 inches if your ceiling feels low, 20 inches if it’s high, or anywhere between that looks right to your eye.

Unlike the filmy white veils always seen in modern bedrooms, sheer draperies in the living room can lean toward the exotic or substantial. Invest in something with texture or color: a puckered, bubbly synthetic, a sheer bronze metallic fabric, or a translucent burgundy silk. No dressmaker details required: have the sheers hemmed with chain weights (a string of tiny metal beads), and hang as simply as possible.
Tip: Sheers, because they lack a protective opaque lining, can have a slow hut ultimately fatal reaction to sun. Your sheers may need replacing in a couple of years, especially if you face south.