A Drapery Hardware Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the warehouse,

production was stirring, meeting install dates for every house.

The embellished stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

Custom Cast Window Treatment by Finestra

In hopes that the installer soon would be there;

Custom painted Finials by Finestra

The children were nestled all snug under their finial topped beds,

While visions of multi-colored tassels danced in their heads,

And Mama in her gray gown (because gray is the new black) and I in my cap,

Had just settled down from a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn their arose such a clattter,

Upholstered Headboard with Finestra finials and poles


I sprang from my upholstered bed to see what was the matter.

Finestra square pole treatment

Away to the window with decorative panels I flew like a flash,


Rowley Swing Door Treatment with Finestra Button Borders

Opened the swing-door treatment and threw up the sash.

The Finestra Moon hold back on the breast of a new-fallen snow

Gave lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a workroom of elves on a sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be the installer, Nick.

Ragsdale Collection Eagle Finial

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted and called them by name;

"Now Designer! now Seamstress! now Upholsterer, and Vixen!

On, Fabricator! on, Architect! on, Artist and Blitzen!

In between the top of the molding! to the top of the wall!

Now, install away! install away! install away all!"

Designing Christmas

Designing Christmas and holiday decor is just as important as designing rooms and interiors throughout the year. Holiday decor follows the same techniques and trends we use every day in the world of design. Coordinating colors, hues and textures tie a room together to create an astounding impression.

Tassels by Finestra Decorative Hardware

Eye-Candy

Holiday design is all about aesthetics. Pulling the theme of your room through to your holiday design is one way to accentuate and create heightened drama. For instance, a wreath designed out of peacock feathers (as shown at the top of page) not only adds texture to a space, but also lends itself well to an avian inspired room theme.

Linear movement within your design visually pulls the eye through the treatment. Accents that are thin or long in shape are part of this year's trend in holiday design. These "linear" embellishments include tassels (as shown above), icicles, ribbon, and crystals.

Star Medallions by Finestra Decorative Hardware
Mary McDonald's Ribbon Tree with Peacock Topper - Veranda

Over-the-top Toppers

The design mantra over the past few years has been "Less is more". That is not the case for Christmas Tree Toppers...More is better! And, re-using the previous year's topper is perfectly apropos. Just add to it, on top of it, around it, etc. Accents in ribbons, wire, feathers, tassels and netting are ways to accentuate the top and most illustrious part of the tree.

Sparkle
Over sized ornaments are key in highlighting your holiday theme. These invariably can add the "sparkle" to your design and follow this year's top design finishes of matte golds, platinum silvers, and natural patinas. Decorative sprays are also a good way to add texture and metallic accents of platinum, matte gold and copper.

Avian Design Inspirations

Birds, Birds, Birds everywhere! The avian design theme has been an emerging trend in home decor and fashion. Historically, birds have been symbols of majesty, mystery, power, immortality, virtue, and even longevity of life.

In the fashion and design world, these symbols of nature translate into fabrics, wall coverings, and even drapery hardware. The bird motif has deeper meaning than just beautiful colors and stark contrasts. They have become symbols of hope, enlightenment, and new beginnings.

Drapery hardware finials by Finestra are a perfect way to tie the avian design theme into a room. Pull the motif out of fabrics, wall coverings or even inspiration from the great outdoors!

Carolina Wren Drapery Hardware by NR Designs

'Tis the Season for Winter White

Winter White creates a classic design statement. Winter whites include softened whites, creams, and shades of gray, gold or beige. These warm colors are layered throughout a design to create depth and tonal drama. Woven fabrics, furs, burlaps, washed wood carvings, and distressed accessories are all

examples of this layered color.

Traditional design displays the warm tones of white and creates the warmth and glow within a space. Cooler tones are used for a more contemporary trend and create crisp and distinct design lines. These cooler tones favor the modern color

pallette of gray, silver, and oyster.

Finestra Decorative Hardware

Elle Decor

Honeycomb Pattern: Building Blocks to Modern Design

Floor Covering

Furniture

The honeycomb design motif has become a modern day marvel in interior design. It stems from the classic bee motif that dates all the way back to Napoleon. Its geometric pattern lends itself well to comtemporary and streamlined design.

Drapery Hardware

Fabrics

Pillows/Bedding

Chest: Paul Marra Design, Finial: Finestra Decorative Hardware,
Fabric: Kravet; Pillow: Photografik

Metallics in Design

Anna French Fabrics

Isabella, Gibbens Ferry and Beauregard Finials from Finestra.

Metallics continue to play an important role in today's design trends. They can offer "Sparkle" and sophistication to any design. Luxe metallics include matte golds, champagne tones, and natural patinas.

Over the past few years these have become the new classics in decorative hardware, furniture, bed linens and lighting.

Chair by Curry & Co.

Light Rings by Beaux-Artes.

Pillows by Carpenter+Company

Metallic Silver finials by Finestra.

Lighting by Metropolitan Lighting

Bronze medallion and finials by Finestra.

Renew Furniture Designs with Decorative Medallions

What a unique way to use medallions!

This "Palm Beach in the 70's" design by Kate Schintzius with M. Design Interiors shows a fabulous way to use medallions on furniture pieces. Medallions can be added to any vintage furniture or heirloom piece as a way to renew old designs.

Beauregard Medallion (offered in 4.88"D, 3.5"D, and 6"D)

reference: Design Sponge Online

Custom Carved Drapery Hardware: The Install

Grand Designs can create challenging installations especially when you are dealing with these statistics:

30ft ceilings

24" crown molding from window to ceiling

855 yards of Dupioni Silk

48 large tassels

6ft custom carved plaques straight and mitered for corner installation

Challenge:

After designing the beautiful custom plaque and its placement, how was it going to be installed? There was concern of the weight of the plaque along with the 30ft drapes that would hang from them. In addition, the large crown molding was from window to ceiling. Luckily we received permission from the homeowners to be able to install into the crown molding. But, we only had about a 3"space to fit any kind bracket or attachment for securing the massive treatment.

Solution:

We used 2"D steel plumbing pipe with flanges that attached to the crown molding and protruded 8" off of the wall. Then, we fastened a 1 1/2" steel pipe with flange onto the plaque and slid it into the 2"D pipe coming off of the wall. A hole was drilled through each pipe to insert a bolt through as a set screw and securely fastened with a large nut.

Installation in progress hoisting the 30ft draperies and plaques in place. It took five of us to guide the long panels from the floor to the scaffolding while winding its way up to the top.

Rear entry to pool shown with one side panel installed.

View from second story balcony of the installation in progress. In order to hide the steel pipe used to attach the carved plaques to the wall, Regina made a sleeve out of silk to hide it. The other option would be to hand finish it to match with the fabric or wall trim.

What a fabulous project to be involved in! From start to finish it was an engineering feat to figure out the scale, design and installation of the beautiful carvings! The result is astounding and an inspiration to any designer or manufacturer like Finestra.

Let's have one more glance at the finished product...

Regina Kindelberger, Designer and Workroom

Over The Top Creations, Inc.

Plaque Design and Manufacturing by Finestra

Designing Custom Carved Drapery Hardware

Luxurious projects call for luxurious details. One way to give your client a truly unique and spectacular design is to use custom, hand-carved drapery hardware.

Regina Kindelberger with Over The Top Designs, Inc. recently had a project of grand scale with spectacular architectural details in an entry room of almost 3,000sq/ft. The large room boasted ceilings of 30ft with huge crown molding and floor to ceiling windows. There were two main obstacles to tackle with the project, its sheer size combined with a challenging installation.

Any standard drapery hardware would be lost in the scale of the room, so she set out for a solution and teamed up with Finestra. After I visited the site, it was clear that this project needed something fantastic!

Every design at Finestra starts with a sketch and is hand carved or sculpted by an artist. After the drawing was approved, our artist hand carved the original piece out of walnut. The dimensions span almost 6ft long and 3ft high!

To get the most value for the original wood carving and mold making, we took 3 more design elements out of the original large plaque. We used the center piece for side panels, and the very center medallion we used as a "napkin ring" tie back that included a ring molded into the back of the medallion that helped hold the fabric in place.

After designing a unique carving for this project, the next challenge was the installation!

Check back for the next Blog Post... Custom Carved Drapery Hardware: The Install