Pam's Place Needs Some Punch
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 8:18PM 
Hi,
I'm a first time homeowner and I'm very overwhelmed with making decisions! I have one wall with three large windows and I'm not sure what kind of window treatments would look best (or color). It's a small condo, and really the only windows for the living room/dining room. Valance? White blinds? Long panels? I've attached photos for you. The walls are an olive green "olive branch" from Benjamin Moore. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for your help
- Pam
Hi Pam,
It looks to me like you are trying to play it safe. Brown leather mixed with brown leather and accented with brown furniture. Then you have a green wall color.
A few things you need:
1. Pattern.
2. Texture.
3. Variety.
4. Unifiers.
Your window treatments are a good place to start. I would do floor length drapery panels. From the ceiling to the floor. You will want a patterned material. The one I found for you is from Beacon Hill.
Notice how it has the green in it, as well as the brown in it. If all of your furniture is going to be brown, we want to make it more unified by finding a fabric with both green and brown.
Now take down your blinds. I am so sick of stupid white mini blinds. They are as bad as the ceiling fan.
Replace your mini-blinds with woven woods. I would choose a color close to the color of your sofa. This will bring the leather in more as a color. If your room were large, and you had many elements, you could have a leather sofa without having to bring the color into the pallet. It can act more as a pair of blue jeans, where you wear any shirt with it, and it matches. But, because you have limited space for more furnishings, we need to bring brown into the pallet.
Your drapes will be different than above, as you need four panels, since the windows are further apart. Make sure your drapes are lined and weighted. Just because they might not be functioning, lining helps to have them hang nicely.
Can you have just one pattern in the room? No. A minimum of three. Add a pattern in the rug, and another in throw pillows. These additions will also increase texture and variety. By the way- your current rug is WAY too small. Is it a 5 x 9? Go up to at least an 8 x 10. Show your chair a little love by letting him sit on the rug as well.
The rug can be simple, but it should still be a pattern, not a solid color. The rug above was found on Homedecorators.com
Add at least five pillows to the mix, all different, incorporating the colors in your drapes. Look for textural variety, as well as variety in size and shape. The pillow above is from Pottery Barn.
OK- now I let you keep your brown furniture. ( Although I would move or sell the chair and add two chairs in a fabric. ) But the table is putting me to sleep. I say- paint it. Select a nice blue from your drapes, and paint the table blue. Make sure to unify the look by having some blue in your pillows.
There you go. I know you only asked me about window treatments, but that is not how to decorate. Even when finances don't allow you to do everything at once; in order to make good choices, design the room as a whole, then start implementing it one element at a time.
Reader Comments (10)
Love that look! Love the coffee table in blue too.
Hurray, a new post!!! Love the coffee table.
The windows are going to look wonderful with the woven woods and drapery panels and the room will feel so much better once the new rug and pillows are added with the blue table. Nice!
I am starting to feel the same about my white shutters as you do with the mini white blinds. One of these days I'm going
to toss them.
What great advice Christine!! You always blow me away!
Perfect advice!
I also like the bright coffee table as an unexpected element to the room. Very cool!
Your advice is so good! In her defense, it's so hard to find furniture that is affordable but incorporates any interest at all, either with shape or color.
I think it's genius to tell her to paint the coffee table! And I love that PB pillow.
I love the ideas you presented to her. Simple but effective. Fun to find someone who shares my name in your post today! I have those mini blinds too, but don't think that the property manager wants us to take them down. So I've got to get creative, I think.
Thanks so much for your advice. I was really struggling there with the window treatments and almost played it safe and went with a tan panel-the blinds will definitely be coming down. I found a very similar fabric to the one you suggested, Croscill Home Williamsburg/Porcelain-which i purchased 12 yards of and 'm going to sew grommet panels. The couch is temporary for now until I can afford a new one (which i may come back to you for some help with!) I will soon be on the market for some kind of TV stand/console (in case you have any advice.) I rolled up the rug and am on a hunt for a new one, I like the one you recommended, just hoping to luck out at Home Goods for something similar and cheaper. As soon as the window treatments are done I'll send a new photo. Thanks again for your help!!
columbia jacket
columbia sportswear jacket
cheap columbia jacket
Woven blinds can make any kind of window attractive and stylish. They can also complement any kind of wall color if used wisely. I also like the idea of painting the coffee table. It would add elegance to the room and would make the table a great focal point.
Winfred Eibach