Retro Renovation » curtains

Marimekko shower curtains and towel sets from Crate & Barrel

pam kueber — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:00:56 +0000

This site is first and foremost about resources, so I am gettin’ all the Marimekko linens from Crate & Barrel into the database. Crate & Barrel currently offers authentic 1958 and 1960 shower curtain designs, with four possible colorways (some seem to be original, some are modern interpretations). The 1958 Lehtimaji design shown at left is teal/indigo. The smaller 1960 Tamara print is available in red, olive, and linen. When it comes to bathroom linens I am into matchy-matchy, so it’s exciting that these four designs also have matching towels and washcloths. Hey. You spend a goodly amount of time in your bathroom. It’s a sanctuary. Invest in good towels that make you happy happy happy every time you touch them. Nicely done, Marimekko by Crate and Barrel.

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Alexander Girard bedding and shower curtains at Urban Outfitters

pam kueber — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:16 +0000

Urban Outfitters features bedding, shower curtains, cloth curtains and wall art, all based on archival designs by Alexander Girard. I particularly like the shower curtains, and they are now on sale from $20-$25. The quilts — which also have matching shams — are pretty groovy, too. Urban Outfitters – Alexander Girard.

First spotted by SparklyThings.

Marimekko shower curtains and towel sets from Crate & Barrel This site is first and foremost about resources, so I...
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15 cafe curtain designs and ideas

pam kueber — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:00:30 +0000

I have two large brochures of mid-century window treatment designs, published by Conso, the Consolidated Trimming Corporation. The booklets are not dated, but based on the furnishing and other hints, I put them early to mid-50s. Following up on the mega-post last week about fabrics for kitchen curtains, I scanned the brochures for design ideas. Above: Very classic… A picture window flanked by two double-hungs gets an austrian style cornice at the top, and pinch pleat cafe curtains below. The orange trim is terrific.

Above: I bet this is the exact same window. The cafe curtains here are called scalloped pinch pleats. The instructions are next:

Above: I will find out this week how to post this as a PDF so that you can get to these instructions enlarged. If you need a sewing machine – they are super easy to find at estate sales.

Above: These look to be scalloped pinch pleats as well. The functional idea with cafe curtains, is that you let light come in on top, but still have privacy via the cafes at the bottom.

Above: More cafes in this guest room / office combo. I’m calling it that, because that couch-like sitting area surely must be a mattress, with the idea that it can provide seating when it’s not being used by guests. Notice with these curtains that the fabric and trim are “reversed” top to bottom. Kind of clever.

Above: These cafe curtains were made out of Morgan Jones kitchen towels. Towels also were used to make pot holders and a toaster cover. Great idea. I think a toaster cover made from some leftover valence fabric might be in my future…

Above: These are great, too. Small cafe shades give the room a little softness. They are topped by a shade – repeated on the door.

Above: Here are instructions to make your own valence,. Plus – several designs to consider.

Above: “Tall” cafes installed under sheers. Honestly, I’m not sure how crazy I am about this look. This booklet is from a company pushing its products, so I think there are some experimental ideas going on.

Above: A nice drawing showing how a cornice / valence can be covered in the same fabric as used for a bedspread. A very nice design effect. Another classic designer trick: In a living room, cover at least one chair in the same fabric as your draperies.

Above: Lovely.

Above: Umm, not liking this too much… Short cafe above bench. Long cafes to the right and left. I think that this window would have looked better treated as one unit, like the very first image in this post.

Above: This window is actually quite interesting. There are glass shelves behind the curtains. Kind of cool.

Above: This is the third time (at least) that I’ve used this image on the blog. I love how they’ve used window treatments to unify the windows. This is GENIUS.

Above: Finally, here’s another “problem solving” page. The idea was to make the window treatment look good from the outside as well as the inside. Honestly, I don’t think it they were successful. That said, I like this image because it brings us full circle to illustrating that: Cafe curtains can provide lots of utility in controlling light – and adding some design flair at the same time.

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11 window treatments for midcentury homes

pam kueber — Thu, 07 May 2009 07:59:45 +0000

WITH SO MUCH RESEARCH on resources for a retro renovation accumulating, I’ve started pulling together mega-posts. So following my recent window treatment blitz, here are my 11 main posts on vintage style curtains, drapes, pinch pleats, blinds and roller shades. (I’ll also transform this into a new Fast & Easy page.)

Window treatments are something that scare a lot of people… we always procrastinate on this… Me, too. They’re intimidating. Yet, once you follow through with a plan, great window treatments can make a huge difference in pulling the room together — giving it that last little bit of design polish. I am very pro-window treatments, even for homes where big windows that bring in the outdoors are a big selling feature. They dress the window, can block out the heat or cold, and are great at night to block out the abyss. Keep that bogeyman away! Good feng shui!

Still intimidated? Another rule of my thumb: If it’s expensive, choose conservatively. If it’s less expensive, take a risk – try something bold or out of your comfort zone. For example: New 2″ aluminum blinds made to measure can be costly. So choose a color that’s neutral. But, it’s not too hard to find vintage barkcloth pinch pleats to fit or rework to fit over the horizontal blinds. So have some fun with that barkcloth. If it doesn’t work, you’re not out too much. (Guess what: The first valence I made for my kitchen was totally wrong. I only got the Melinamade atomic stuff on my second try!) On the other hand, if you are having someone make custom pinch pleats for a big room — that can cost thousands. I have to admit, I’d be pretty conservative on a purchase like that…

What are the other options for windows? I’ve gone through my archives and here are my classic posts, researched to help you to create authentic, midcentury-style window treatments:

2″ horizontal blinds… in aluminum… a classic window treatment for your midcentury home. There is just something about the scale of these 2″ blinds that suits the profile of our homes and their windows. I have horizontal blinds in my kitchen, and one bathroom… and could easily see them on other windows as well. I’m a big fan of Hunter-Douglas. Pricey — but I’ve always experienced great quality — and we open and close these guys every single day, so quality counts.
Vintage valences… If you use horizontal blinds on a wide window, you might want to hide the assembly under a vintage pinch pleat valence like this. If you watch and wait, you can find these on ebay at great prices.
Homemade valences… I made the valence in my kitchen myself with just one yard of expensive barkcloth by (1) piecing the fabric together including creating a few carefully positioned pleats to hide the seams and also give the piece some design flair (2) stapling the assembly to an 8-foot-long piece of 1″x2″ piece of wood from the hardware store and (3) then screwing the whole thing to the ceiling, attaching to studs. Ok, it will be hard to remove and clean but it’s not near the stove – so far so good 2+ years in.
Pinch-pleat draperies… Embrace your inner traverse rod. I am a pinch pleat proselytizer. Pinch pleats can be found vintage – that’s how I got mine, really big ones, too. You can piece vintage panels together. Or, you can make your own from scratch.
Spray paint your traverse rod… Tip: You can spray paint your traverse rod to blend with your wall color. Just extend the traverse rod to the proper length (including stackback) first to minimize scratching after the paint is on.
Reproduction barkcloth… You know I love Full Swing textiles barkcloth, if you can swing the cost. This fabric would be great for pinch pleat draperies in virtually any room. If you’re looking for a repro barkcloth that’s lower in cost, readers have suggested several other sources in the Comment section.
Vintage barkcloth… You can also watch for vintage barkcloth on ebay. Mind you, you need a lot to make full-length pinch pleat draperies – you might find enough online to make two pairs of sash-length drapes for a bedroom…
Online fabricators… Reader California Kathy shared these sources for pinch pleats with us. The second site mentioned might work well for custom-sized sheers — which I love to see underneath printed or woven-fabric pinch pleats.
Roller shades… Roller shades are also an authentic choice for any number of windows – I have them in two bedrooms. You can also put a cloth valence over these, if you like.
How make your own fabric roller shades – It’s not too hard and readers have good suggestions, too.
And woven wood shades…Woven wood shades can still be found new, or vintage. Pom poms – like the ones below in a fantastic time capsule home – optional, of course!

Other posts with design ideas and inspiration:

2″ metal horizontal blinds: The perfect window treatment for midcentury home When I went to order window treatments for my...
3 ways to recreate a vintage style roller shade ARE YOU LOOKING FOR an authentic midcentury window treatment...
15 cafe curtain designs and ideas I have two large brochures of mid-century window treatment...

For mis-matched windows: How about cafe curtains with a valence?

pam kueber — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:00:20 +0000

Do you have a dining area with one window smaller than the other? Perhaps this solution — from a 1959 Consolidated Trimming Company’s “1,001 tips” booklet — will help. And if you’re looking for good solid cafe rods, the line available from Rejuvenation look pretty nice.

Read on for a close-up of the booklet’s explanation…

15 cafe curtain designs and ideas I have two large brochures of mid-century window treatment...
10 ideas for cheery 40s or 50s kitchen curtains Stephanie asked for suggestions for window treatments for her...
1959 instructions to make your own fabric roller shades IT *LOOKS* PRETTY EASY to make your own fabric...

Shower curtains for Amy’s retro bathroom

pam kueber — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:00:04 +0000

When we looked at Amy’s vintage 1964 aqua bathroom recently, I promised I’d make some additional decorating suggestions. One thing reader Sara suggested was playing up the tub/shower at the end of the room with a great shower curtain. Excellent suggestion!

I’ve always been a fan of Calico Corners – so asked their PR department to suggest some fabrics that would work well for a shower curtain and window valence. The came up with some great patterns that would work beautifully in Amy’s bathroom – and which would allow her to keep the vintage aqua tile while still bringing the bathroom into the present with modern-day textiles. Interestingly: Jan Jessup of Calico Corners points out right off the top that turquoise is in!

Jan Jessup from Calico Corners writes:

“I took a look at the vintage bathrooms — and would you believe, that shade of turquoise is in style again! I think you need a fabric that is as assertive as the tile, in order to carry off the look. I have three patterns to suggest, and they all happen to come from the same designer, Thomas Paul, who has a very distinctive hand. Here are links to the fabrics:

DAHLIA, color Aegean (use this if you want to bring in some additional colors) – $20.99/yard. [Pam adds: My favorite of the bunch - I think bringing in additional colors would make Amy happy. You could match the rugs to the taupe leaves...and for sure add an accent to play off the chartreuse. I also think the taupe and chartreuse harmonize with the gold of your fabulous liner tile.]

SILHOUETTE, color Turquoise (an unusual stylized pattern, very graphic) – $23.99/yard. Note: SILHOUETTE has three other colors that could work, if you wanted to downplay the turquoise: Ebony, Amethyst and Kiwi–they can also be viewed at this same link.

AVIARY, color Robin (flowers with stylized birds, also very graphic) – $23.99/yard. Note: there is also an Earth (brown) color of AVIARY that would tie into the accent tile, if the owners want to downplay the aqua color.

….All of these fabrics are in our store in Louisville (not Lexington, I’m sorry)–or we can send small 6″ swatches for a quick color check. Homeowners can also purchase a large 18″ x 27″ sample, if desired, at a discounted price once they narrow down the candidates, before stepping up to cut yardage. If none of the above fabrics appeal to the homeowners, there are three other patterns on our website that may be candidates. These are all more multi-colored. You can type the following into the Search box at the top right and go right to them:

LAMBADA in Robin’s Egg – $18.99/yard (tropical floral)

ROWLILY in Palm Beach – $25.99/yard (tropical floral)

PROMENADE in Blue Sky – $27.99/yard (multi-color stripe)

Hope this is helpful…

Best,

Jan

Thanks, Jan! I want to especially what Jan said about “assertiveness” in decorating. If you are working with strong colors, you must take that into account with your complementary and accent colors – be careful, if you go too namby pamby with the soft pastels, they will just fade into nothingness. Blah. Amy actually is right on the mark with strong-ish brown rugs to counter the assertiveness of the tiles – that is certainly a viable direction – as also evidenced by Jan’s suggestion for brown AVIARY as another choice for the shower curtain.

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