Wednesday, December 30, 2009
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
It is short and sweet for this one. It may be just a wives tale, but add a bit of black to your room. It does not have to be large; try a lampshade, a candy box on an end table, even a picture frame on the wall. You will be ever so surprised that is just makes everything else pop that little bit more. Try it, yes…. you will like it!
Take a look at the living rooms section, go right to the end and then work up, Mary used this tip in her living room with the cornice décor. Great job.
http://www.windowbonnets.com/html/living_rooms.htmlCheers,JanWindow Bonnetshttp://www.windowbonnets.com/
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
Decorating is all about color and that topic can take volumes to cover, but what I want to get across today is Color Schemes. This is the color palette used in a home. These colors help define your personal style. They can be contrasting (pink and red), complementary (red and green), analogous (yellow & green) or monochromatic (various shades of one color, such as light and dark green). Trying to decide on the right color scheme can be daunting so take a look at your color wheel and just seek out your favorite colors. Complementary and analogous schemes are described below. There are more, of course, but these are the most effective and provide a great place to start. Read on...Complementary ColorsThese color schemes such as red and green, blue and yellow, or purple and orange are colors that appear opposite to each other on the color wheel. Most often they are used in a living or dining room. These color schemes lend themselves to more formal settings and are more visually challenging. A cool color is paired with a warm color, a clear separation but a great effect. Analogous ColorsAnalogous colors appear next to each other on the color wheel, such as yellow and green, blue and
violet, or red and orange. Both colors are either warm or cool. Typically they are soothing colors and evoke a more casual feel. Use them in rooms for rest and relaxation, such as the bedroom, family room, den, home office, spa, or sunporch. And here's an added tip, once you have a room set, try adding a bit of the ultimate enhancer--Black. Set a black box in the room, picture frame, lampshade or anything else you can think of. It will please and amaze you.Your cornices can reflect these selections, complementary or analogous, just relax, think about the room as formal or casual, which favorite color "feels" right for the setting and go for it. The best part is with a Window Bonnets cornice you can always take it down and redecorate in literally minutes for just pennies compared to a wood cornice.Cheers,JanWindow Bonnetshttp://www.windowbonnets.com/
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
Ever look into a room and wonder why it just really seems to look great? Most likely it is because the designer or decorator has used the 60/30/10 rule regarding color. Simply put 60% is the hue, the dominant color unifiying the room, 30% provides the visual interest, and the last 10% provides that "bling", i.e. the room sparkle or that visual kick in the rear that makes your eyes widen and that smile come across your face. How and why this rule seems to work is anyone's guess. Possibly the dominant color makes you feel grounded, the interest lifts you to say "Okkkk, this works" and that final bit takes you by surprise, makes you smile maybe even exclaim "Wow!" At any rate, how we can translate this for those of us who are not designers, decorators or color experts but just want our homes to look good, feel good and get comments from our guests. From the folks at hgtv.com, they have the perfect metaphor, try this and see what you think:"60% of a dominant color
30% of a secondary color
10% of an accent color
When you think about it, this color breakdown is similar to a man's business suit:
60% of the outfit's color is the slacks and jacket
30% of the outfit's color is the shirt
10% of the outfit's color is the tie
Translated to a room setting, it typically means:
60% of the room's color is the walls
30% of the room's color is the upholstery
10% of the room's color is, say, an accent piece or a floral arrangement"
Now if you put our cornices in perspective to this design tip, use the cornice to bring in the uphostery with an accent color. Or use the cornice top and bottom to bring in the walls or flooring and the center of the cornice to add the "bling." If you have concerns, 9 times out of 10 if you go with fabrics and colors that just make you feel good, you will have won the decorating battle and created a great look. Afterall you want to feel good in the room. Use those fun trims like beads and tassels to zing the bling into your cornice and thus the room. The possibilities are endless.
So relax, take a look around the room. Take the couch throw pillow along, a sample of the tile, a paint chip of the walls, even a scrap of the upholstery fabric and head off to the local fabric store and see what will make your perfect cornice decor.
Let me know how it works out....
Cheers
Jan
Window Bonnets
http://www.windowbonnets.com/
Check out our gallery of homes.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
What fabric should I use? I get this question quite often. Officially, ANY fabric will do, cottons, silks, jacquards, corduroy, twills, linens, upholstery, drapery, chinelles (not sure of that spelling) you find it, then it can be used. But . . .Sometimes I know the question is really, "What is the best fabric to use?" or "What is the easiest fabric to use?" To that I can absolutely say, any fabric that is a medium weight or a bit on the stiffer side will be easy to tuck, easy to cut, easy to work with in general and hides any imperfections in the styrofoam and the glued seams.However I am a realist and just as sure as I tell you a medium weight you will find a beautiful scarf-like fabric that you want to use. Well, no problem. Typically with that type of fabric, I would suggest gathering the fabric so you have a bit of a bunch to tuck into the groove or even pleating if you are so inclined, but if that is still not tight enough, my recommendation would be to take a trip to your local hardware store. In my neck of the woods, the Ace hardware stores are on every other corner. At any rate, go there and look for some string/rope that is a bit thicker than the tuck grove. Then cut a piece the length of your cornice and tuck that in for a nice tight fit for your fabric. Also do not be afraid to use the same fabric for all three contours of your cornice. It looks great! Covering the back is a personal preference. You can use the same fabric as the bottom contour or just use a matching solid color. All you really want to do is cover the white of the styrofoam in case the lower part of the back side of the cornice is visible from the outside.Hope that helps. If you have any pictures of your creations, I am always open to using them on the website. Why not let all your friends see your home on the web!!Happy decorating!
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
Just last week we started our we started our first Annual Half Yearly Sale! Our normal prices have been discounted 15% and if your order is over $200, you receive free shipping to any where in the Continental US. Even in this economy we have had solid sales months for the past 12 months and that is saying something indeed. Many people have decided that rather than trying to sell their homes and buy something new, redecorating is a very attractive option. Making your own window cornices can dramatically change your room. Our cornices provide color in a moderate size, so if you have that great lake or moutain view, this cornice will only enhance and not decrease that view. Use the colors from your room, pickup an accent color, use the fabric from your couch, what ever you choose it will be dymamic with just a little bit of work. Check what some of our users have created at these links:http://www.windowbonnets.com/html/design_gallery.html, the Design Gallery page
http://www.windowbonnets.com/html/living_rooms.html, the Living Rooms gallery page
http://www.windowbonnets.com/html/family_rooms.html, the Family Rooms gallery page
http://www.windowbonnets.com/html/kitchen___dining.html, the Kitchen/Dining Rooms gallery page
http://www.windowbonnets.com/html/bedrooms.html, the Bedrooms gallery page
http://www.windowbonnets.com/html/bay_windows.html, the Bay windows gallery pageI am sure there is a design there that will spark your creative juices and get you going.Dave, here in Lake Havasu City, chose to complete his "western" themed home. His family room dining area is show here.
Now that is an inspiration........ now go out, order your cornice and be creative! Cheers,Jan
