Shabby Chic Bedroom

I have been working with a delightful client in my neighborhood and we delivered the final items for her colorful shabby chic bedroom this week.

She has wonderful collections of vintage embroidery and other items throughout her home and it is a wonderful place!  For years I have admired the outside of her home with the picket fence and stone walkway, wonderful shutters and paint colors...so I was very excited when she called me and gave me her address.  I knew immediately which home was hers and I was looking forward to seeing the inside of her home, which did not disappoint!

She had a great bed that she wanted a new matelasse duvet for, as well as a gathered silk dust ruffle and matching king shams, along with a large striped bolster and a scaldino for the foot of the bed.

She provided her own fabrics and I went to work fabricating everything.

The below photo shows the bedding.  I love the scaldino at the foot of the bed with the textured raspberry center fabric.  The side sections are vintage barkcloth.  I added a pleated raspberry ruffle on the ends.

Don't you love the vintage sign above the bed?  And if you look carefully, you will see the cute green interior shutters on the windows, featuring a crescent moon accent.

The neckroll is 40" long - whew!  We used her wide awning striped fabric in green and cream and added a bias flat welt on the ends.

You can't really see the plaid shams at the back of the bed, but they match the dust ruffle fabric.

When I delivered the bedding, she asked if I could slipcover a rocker.  I do offer slipcover services, but generally only for "hard" chairs such as dining room or kitchen or vanity chairs. However, this client was great to work with and I loved the fabrics we were mixing and I knew it would look great in the room.  We used the remaining vintage barkcloth from pinch pleated draperies, which were carefully taken apart and used to their maximum advantage so that we could match patterns on the scaldino and also the slipcover.

It is a fully upholstered chair that rocks gently.  The chair was already slipcovered, so I used the original slipcover for a pattern and made a few modifications.  The upholstery underneath was in perfect shape, so that was not an issue.

We added a small pleated ruffle around the front side of the seat back as well as around the entire bottom hem.  The slipcover is attached to the front arms and the entire underside of the chair with Velcro.

You can see that the seat top (and bottom) matches the seat back pattern repeat, and I railroaded (turned sideways) the leaf pattern on the boxing area of the seat.

Below shows most of the room, showcasing the bed and rocker.

All projects are good projects!  But this was a cheerful, inviting room with great personality. My client also shared with me that her mother rocker her (my client) in the chair when she was a baby, and now she rocks her grandchildren in the same chair...continuing the family bond of love!  That story was bittersweet, since my client's mother passed away just a few weeks ago.  But her rocking chair legacy lives on in the room and with the grandchildren who are rocked in the same chair.  So sweet!

Hope to see you soon!

Susan

Patterns and Ribbons and Fur...oh my!

Last week we installed this fun teen girl's room, complete with a 20 foot curved section of wall with 7 windows, and two separate side windows with window treatments and also bedding.

Here are the many patterned, embroidered, solid, furry fabrics and the trims which were used in this project.  Aren't they fun?

The client's daughter had definite opinions and was fearless about color and mixing fabrics - she has a great eye for mixing patterns and textures and it was fun to work with her and her mother on this project.

The turquoise and white trellis fabric was chosen for the traversing drapery panels.  There were 10 widths of material in the curved wall of windows, and the side windows were treated separately but in a matching fashion.

Here is the rendering showing the curved wall of windows with the trellis fabric panels and the purple embroidered valances:

The valance fabric was solid purple with circle several colors of rattail cord shaped into coils and embroidered into place.  It was colorful and textural.  I was careful to figure the valance fabric cutting lines and placement of the coils so that they did not interfere with the top and bottom hems by causing bulk and unsightly flaring.

Here is part of the finished installed large window treatment:

We added turquoise twist cord across the valance pleats and topped each pleat off with a turquoise satin ribbon bow.

Here is a larger photo of most of the bedroom - sorry it is not clear!  I will take another photo when we return to install some shades in the den in a couple of weeks.

The bedding includes a custom quilted coverlet and a variety of pillows.  The vivid colors and pattern of the comforter's main fabric was accented by quilting stitching around the larger motifs.  The back of the comforter is a solid purple fabric, but we chose a lime green bobbin thread so that the motif stitching is accented on the back for an additional embellished detail.

Two king shams were made using the drapery panel fabric and detail was added using cording
made from the purple comforter backing fabric and a lime green brush fringe.

Three super soft pillows were fabricated using a fluffy furry fabric that is SO incredibly soft!  We mixed hot pink and turquoise furry fabric for these pillows.

For the front neckroll pillow, we mixed a purple crinkle poly fabric with the embroidered valance fabric as a centerpiece, accented with lime green microcording
and turquoise ribbon bows.













This was a fun project and the daughter was thrilled to start the new school year with a
new bedroom to study and sleep in!

Hope you enjoyed the latest project by SK Designs!

Susan

Pretty Pillows

You might remember this client's master bedroom window treatment and bedding project, which I posted last year.

Yesterday I delivered some pillows for the chaise lounge in this large room.  We had just the smallest of pieces left of the fabric which had been used on the bed's scaldino.  Sometimes having fabric constrictions helps decide the style and size of the projects we are working on.  I had juust enough fabric of the patterned gold/red/blue fabric to center the pattern motif on the envelope pillow.  

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During the project's design phase, I had purchased a number of different styles of tassels so that the client and I could determine which looked best on the valance horns as a decorative accent.  While fabricating the valance, we decided that the treatment stood alone on it's own quite well, with the mix of solids and patterned fabric, along with the microcording and the tasseled trim at the hem.  So we elected not to use the tassels on each horn.  Therefore, I had some left over when working on the pillows.  I cut off most of the tassel's cording tie and formed a sweet little bow at the top of the tassel and hand stitched it onto the point of the envelope pillow.  Just the right touch!

The client had provided the bolster pillow form, and we wanted to tie in two or three of the fabrics on this pillow.  My client gave me creative license to do whatever I wanted, so I decided to use the gold silk fabric for the pillow body and made a sort of cummerbund wrap in the embroidered fabric and accent everything with covered buttons and cording - so pretty!

The square pillow received some finishing touches also.  We added the tassel trim which was used on the valance hem, and microcorded the edge between the trim and the pillow for a dressmaker detail to top it all off.

  

I hope you enjoyed this mini Pillow Palooza!

Susan

Bedding and Window Treatment Project

Yesterday we installed a large window treatment project for a long-time client.  Here is the evolution of the project:

My client called saying that she was ready to update her master bedroom's bedding and add window treatments.  You can see from the photo below that the window area is a large expanse which included a 13 foot long main wall and about 4 feet on each side wall.  The right side wall includes a functioning door which would need to remain in use.

 At the time of our original appointment, the walls were a light peach tone.  After all of the fabrics and trims were selected, my client had some remodeling work done and also had the bedroom freshly painted in a neutral taupe tone.

Because the door needed to remain functional, we elected to use the Operable Door Valance system, which I have featured in this blog previously.  We installed the bedding last month and did a "dry fit" of the ODV to make sure the dimensions worked well since we would be adding many linear feet of connecting valances and the measurements and sizing needed to work perfectly.

The photo below shows the bedding, which was planned to coordinate with the existing oriental rug in the room.  We choose rich inky blue matelasse for the coverlet, featuring a self cord and scallopped hem.  Tone on tone Euro pillows add height at the back of the bed and rectangular pillows in an embroidered fabric with contrast twist cord are placed at the front. 

 The foot of the bed features a scaldino, which is a long rectangular fabric piece, filled with layers of heavy interlining for weight and softness, and backed in the same fabric.  The scaldino is trimmed in gold silk cording and features a beautiful Robert Allen red and gold silk tassel trim on the ends, which overhang the sides of the bed and end above the edge of the coverlet so that the trim shows nicely on the ink blue fabric.

The scaldino is made using a gorgeous Schumacher fabric.  This fabric was very expensive but worked perfectly in the project and served to "marry" all of the fabrics together.  We very carefully planned how we would use the fabric, in which direction and which motifs would be centered.  This allowed us to use the same fabric and motif on the back, and you can see the matching patterns on the edge of the scaldino.  We had just enough fabric left over to use a remnant for the centerpiece of a feature pillow which you will see below.

The gathered silk bedskirt is a red Kravet fabric with gold embroidered accent details and is lined and interlined for fullness and softness.

This above photo also shows the ends of the scaldino and the tassel trim accents.  This photo also shows the addition of a gorgeous neckroll pillow that we added at yesterday's installation.  We utilized the medallion motif from the scaldino fabric for the neckroll's centerpiece, added blue silk cording on the centerpiece's sides and rouched gold silk fabric on each end.  Blue silk cording was added on the ends, and self lined gathered gold silk forms the end pieces which are tied with gold and navy tassel ties. 

Doesn't this one pillow add so much to the bed?  It is a wonderful unifier and adds softness and more detail to the project.  I love this pillow!



 Above you can see a closeup of the pillows on the bed - a lovely combination!

For the window treatments, we wanted to break up the long linear wall to provide some movement and shape, so we lifted the center swagged sections.  Here is a rendering of the proposed project, which is shown to scale and in the fabrics and colors chosen for the room:

And here is the completed project:

Backdrop cornices in a solid dark blue fabric add contrast and interest to the overlay valances.  The valances are self lined in the gold silk fabric and interlined for weight and softness.  The gold silk can be seen in the cuffs, inside of the horns and on the cascades on the ends of the treatment.  The main fabric is the embroidered gold/dark red fabric.  We used the solid blue fabric for microcording at the edge of the cuffs and above the tassel trim. 

Many times the tassel trim has a pretty edge on the top and is applied on top of the fabric.  In this case, we felt using that method would add too much gold to the treatment, so I applied the blue microcording to the top of the tassel trim's top edge, thereby covering some of the gold and showing only the fan shape of the edge and the tassels.  The trim was inserted into the seam...and it looks beautiful!  I love the weight that tassel trim adds to the hem of treatments like this.

The photo below shows a perspective of the room with the window treatments and the bedding.  We will be adding a decorative fabric throw and some pillows to the chaise lounge in the next couple of weeks.  As you might notice the chaise and plant are out of place in this photo; there were painters and other contractors at the home yesterday while we were working, so those items had been moved to accomodate their projects.

Hope you enjoy this finished project as much as I did!

Susan

Kids' Rooms + Embroidery = Fun!

I am lucky enough to count many of my clients as my "favorite clients".  My very first client is one of these...we have continued to work together on projects throughout her home since 1995.

We haveredone her childrens' rooms several times, moving from almost-nursery style, to juvenile looks, to youthful styles, to teen rooms.  It is fun to watch the progression of the kids' rooms and the styles, colors and themes that they like and how they change.

This valance was designed and fabricated by a friend of the family.  The homeowner wanted to add some stronger color and style to the treatment and to coordinate with a new quilted Pottery Barn coverlet in a pretty kiwi green color.

The photo is the "before" shot of the pair of windows.

By adding an overlay with custom embroidery and coordinating cording, the bedspread is tied in and the valance (stationary roman shade) has some added weight and detail.

These purchased pillows and shams are nice, but the client wanted to add some personalization and color to coordinate with the valance overlay.

The photo below are the original purchased pillow shams and comforter.

We designed slightly larger Euro sham pillows in a soft shell-pink with  kiwi green embroidery.

The smaller pillows have a 1/2" contrasting flat welt around the edges which is gathered a bit at the corners. The smaller pillows can be used on the bed or the upholstered side chair.  One of the smaller pillows features some floral embroidery also. 

I think it is very fresh and crisp!

The photos below show a young boy's room - he loves basketball, and more specifically, the Houston Rockets.  We used a purchased plaid comforter as our base, and incorporated the Houston Rockets theme.  We ordered these wonderful and large Rockets pennants, and mounted them on a black backdrop, blackout lined to prevent light bleed-through and fading.

Centering the valance is a custom embroidered pennant with the boy's name positioned vertically and a "swooshing" basketball flying through the net.  Contrasting banding and cording mimics the Rockets banners for unity and balance.

Below is the completed room which features some of his sports memorabilia on display.  He was happy with his room, as was his mom.  It was a fun project that I enjoyed working on.  Kids rooms are always great to plan and coordinate, and I love working with themes and incorporating custom embroidery too.

Enjoy!

Susan

Before and After - A Great Bedroom for a Young Girl

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite projects.  This wonderful client's daughter had very clear ideas and opinions of what she wanted for her room's decor.

She had lovely handpainted furniture throughout her bedroom that they did not want to replace, but wanted to update the look for her changing preferences.  We decided to keep slipcover some of the furniture to coordinate with the new look, beginning with the vanity skirt and vanity chair.

The photo below shows the soft pink paint and fabrics on the vanity and chair (before).  The doors below the vanity top open and are functional for storage.

The fabrics the clients selected were a fun chocolate brown, teal, green and white paisley, along with several coordinating solids and smaller scale patterns and textures.

Below is the rendering I presented for the bedding project.

This was such a fun project!  I loved having this young girl select her fabrics and trims and her enthusiasm was infectious!

The photo below shows the vanity skirt in a gathered iridescent polyester topped with a scalloped overlay with chocolate brown covered buttons and a tassel tie in the center.

Below is the "before" photo of the adorable sweetheart vanity chair.  I loved the shape of it and the full skirt.  We only needed to update the colors and fabrics to coordinate with the new look of the room.

The slipcover below has a velcro closure at the back laced-up placket.  The quilted chocolate brown fabric on the upper portion of the chair coordinates well with the gathered crushed pleated skirting.  The heart shape of the upper chair is accented with teal cording.  A green sash circles the "waist" and features a ribbon bow above the scalloped green overlay on the skirt.

Teal cording also accentuates the vertical lines of the back centerpiece, and a bright green double faced satin ribbon laces up the back with a bow at the very top.

The headboard and footboard had been beautifully decoratively painted, but in keeping with the new look for the room, we slipcovered both pieces in a textured solid lime green fabric accented with teal cording.  We selected fabric pattern components and had them custom embroidered in specific sizes and thread colors to tie in with the other fabrics in thsi project.  The smaller emblems are embroidered on the top of the headboard slipcover, following the shape of the headboard.  

The crinkle gathered dust ruffle is perfect in this room!  The paisley fabric used on the comforter was quilted on the fabric pattern design, to accent the paisley and swirl designs.

Pillows were made to coordinate, using striped, swirled and solid fabrics and adding ribbon ties and embroidery on the neckroll, along with a fun Kravet square beaded trim.

A mirror image embroidery design was created for the centerpiece of the footboard slipcover (below).

The photo below shows the completed bedding project - so fresh and cute!

The photo below shows one of the window areas in the room.  Stationary silk panels are topped with a shaped hem and draping valance, accented with lime green microcord above and below the brown band and a wonderful teal and lime green tassel trim.

This was one of my favorite projects and the clients were terrific too!

Hope you enjoyed the "tour" of this project!

Susan

Bright, Beaded & Embroidered

This wonderful pre-teen girl's room is bright, fun and fresh, don't you think?  I love the bright combinations of hot pink and bright orange, accented with crisp whites and a mix of solid fabrics, patterned fabrics and custom embroidery, accented with beaded trim.

The custom padded and gathered headboard has a hot pink center panel with gathered orange fabric around the edges.  Two different colorways of the same fabric are used on the quilted-on-design bedspread, with the bright orange colorway taking center stage.  The wide expanse of windows on the side of the bed have existing shutters; pleated orange woven sheer panels hang underneath the valance with a shaped and corded hem.  A solid hot pink fabric overlay features a custom embroidered initial as an accent and contrast.

Across the room on the angled wall is a set of working French doors.  We added French-blackout lined working roman shades in a fun swirling fabric pattern, which are accented with beaded trim at the hem.  The same type of pleated orange woven sheers flank the doors.  Above is an operable door valance which allows the doors to be opened for access to the outdoors.  Again, the pink fabric overlay features embroidery as an accent.

It is difficult to see in the photo, but there is a single orange bead sewn to the lower swirl of the "J" embroidery on the overlay.  I love unexpected finishing touches on custom treatments.  The same swirled fabric from the roman shades is used as microcording on the overlay.

A coordinating orange cheetah pattern fabric covers the two large shams at the head of the bed.  These shams are accented with a gathered ruffle in the hot pink patterned fabric used on the bedspread.  An additional neckroll accent pillow showcases more embroidery, microcording, contrast fabrics and ribbon ties.

The stitching-on-design pattern is clearly shown in the photo below.

An antique carved wooden chair is used in the room at the student desk.  In order to maintain the integrity of the current upholstery which was in good shape, but coordinate the chair with the new room's furnishings, a custom chair skirt and seat back cover was made.  The back cover was made to highlight the carving and shape at the top of the chair, so the shaping accentuates the lines of the carving.  Contrast microcording and ties marry all of the fabrics together.  The front of the chair slipcover uses the bright pink floral colorway, while the back shows off the bright orange patterned fabric.  The orange cheetah fabric is used for the ties and microcording.  A flirty hot pink gathered skirt contrasts with the orange seat fabric, for a fun combination.

This lampshade had been in use in another room of the house, but was the perfect size for the student desk in the room. 

I removed the bead trim, eyelash fringe, edge banding and zebra fabric.  Since the hot pink trim worked well with the new room colors, I wanted to reuse it in the new lampshade.  The lining of the shade was also in good shape, so I left that in place.

Continuing the use of mixed patterns in the room, I covered half of the lampshade in the bright pink floral and half in the orange floral.  I had exactly the right amount of orange bead trim left on hand from the roman shade hems, so I applied that to the lampshade hem, and the added the pink bead trim on top of that for a double layer of dangling beads. 

I purchased some orange woven ribbon and made small casual loops across the top of the beaded trim banding and added a tiny pink ribbon across the center of the loops.

At the top of the shade, I reused the pink bead trim and covered the top of the ribbon with an orange ribbon sash accented with a braid of the tiny pink ribbon across the center.  Again, the top of the shade features casual ribbon loops for the finishing touch.

Don't you wish you had had such a fun, creative and inspiring room when you were a girl?  I love this room and hope you do too!