SK Designs is celebrating 22 years in business! 

 

I know it has been a verrrry long time since I posted, but now is the perfect time to provide some updates and new photos! 

 

We are very excited to be celebrating 22 years of serving the greater Houston area with beautiful custom window treatments and bedding, as well as blinds, shutters and shades!

 

Coincidentally, a colleague of mine interviewed me for her weekly podcasts.  Ceil DiGuglielmo owns a customer drapery business in Warrington, Pennsylvania, and she began interviewing industry professionals about a year ago.  I met Ceil several years ago when I presented a seminar to her area's WCAA (Window Coverings Association of America) design & workroom group. 
 

You can learn how SK Designs began and how things have changed for us in the past 22 years here:  http://tinyurl.com/skdpodcast

Last year I showed a couple of photos of a sorority house project I had worked on in 2015, but could not show the completed photos because I planned to enter the project in an industry contest.

I can show the photos now, because the contest has been completed, and the project won First Place in Decorative Hardware and Trimmings at the IWCE (International Window Coverings Expo) which was held earlier this year in Charlotte, NC.

I was unable to attend the conference and awards ceremony, but some wonderful colleagues took photos of the screen at the ceremony so I could see what had happened!


It was exciting news; this project was near and dear to my heart and included some beautiful hand-sewn details, such as Swarovski pearl details, wave tucks, and a laser cut silk replica of the sorority's crest.  The crest was comprised of many small fabric pieces which were carefully applied by hand to the roman shade in the main living room of the Gamma Phi Beta house in San Marcos, Texas (Texas State University.

Here is the original rendering I proposed for the project:

 The embellished detailing still makes me swoon! 

The leading edges of the drapery panels featured the wave tucks with the pearl detailing.  This detail was also included on the bottom hem of the roman shade.










The crest shows all of the tiny pieces which were laser cut by It's Oksana in Chicago, Illinois.  The carnations were made of numerous delicate pieces of pink silk, the stems and leaves also comprised of several pieces, and the lantern's embossed look was also made of several dark brown silk pieces, all hand applied very carefully (see photo at right). (Photos by Brandy Stoesz Photography)

Here is the full project photo:

 

 We have been busy with many other projects since our last posting; here are a few of my favorites!

 

The memory pillows above were made from a dear father's shirts for his daughters.



Beautiful silk drapery panels in this dining room are perfect and the stationary roman shades above the side windows help unify the height of the three windows even though the side windows are lower on the wall than the front arched window.



Embroidered drapery panels are carefully planned to allow them to be pleated to pattern; the symmetry is so pretty in this new home's study. (photo by Brandy Stoesz Photography)



This stunning family room's architectural details and beams are softened with stationary drapery panels on a custom curved rod which follows the arch of the windows. (Photo by Brandy Stoesz Photography)

 

At right, these embroidered drapery panels are pleated
to pattern and break on the floor for softness. (Photo by Brandy Stoesz Photography)

I hope you've enjoyed catching up on some of our latest projects and news and that you like the new lighter blog background.

I look forward to showcasing some of our favorite projects from the last 22 years in upcoming blog posts.

Susan Kostelecky