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15 cafe curtain designs and ideas

Posted by: • August 17, 2009

early-american-kitchen

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. Heck yeah there is more →

10 ideas for cheery 40s or 50s kitchen curtains

Posted by: • August 14, 2009

warm bisquit bedding pom pom trim

Stephanie asked for suggestions for window treatments for her 50s kitchen, so I dived into the world wide web for a few hours and came up with a shopping list of some new vendors never featured before. They offer fabrics and hardware for suitable cheery, nostalgic window treatments. Above: pom poms from Warm Bisquit Bedding…more of their products below. Heck yeah there is more →

The history and repair of window awnings

Posted by: • July 14, 2009

vintage-aluminum-awningsvintage window awning
New declaration: We all need aluminum awnings. The are wonderfully decorative. They are authentic retro. They will help your pinch pleats resist sun rot. And if you have any heat beating down on your house – they can cut your air conditioning costs dramatically – they’re green! I’ll be doing more research on this topic around where to get authentic midcentury style aluminum awnings today. Meanwhile, the National Park Service has a detailed Preservation Brief all about window awnings, including how to care for vintage ones still on your home. Its focus is principally on historic commercial structures, but it’s still quite useful and interesting. For example, here’s what they say about awnings in the 1950s:

Widely available by the 1950s, aluminum awnings were touted as longer-lasting and lower-maintenance than traditional awnings. Though used on small-scale commercial structures, they were especially popular with homeowners. Aluminum awnings were made with slats called “pans” arranged horizontally or vertically. For variety and to match the building to which they were applied, different colored slats could be arranged to create stripes or other decorative patterns. While aluminum awnings were usually fixed, in the 1960s several operable roller awnings were developed, including one with the trade name Flexalum Roll-Up.

Here’s the link to the NPS Brief. Meanwhile, stay tuned for research on where-to-buy. And of course, I’ll take any help you have to share!

11 window treatments for midcentury homes

Posted by: • May 7, 2009

barkcloth-valance

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.)

Heck yeah there is more →

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

Posted by: • May 6, 2009

vintage-cafe-curtainsDo 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… Heck yeah there is more →

2″ metal horizontal blinds: The perfect window treatment for midcentury home

Posted by: • April 18, 2009

When I went to order window treatments for my kitchen, Colleen from my local hardware store took one look and recommended 2″ aluminum blinds. “It’s what we rip out of every other 50s home,” she reassured.

Heck yeah there is more →