Wednesday, March 17, 2010
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
When you have reviewed all of your window treatment ideas and have determined that you want to decorate with cornice boards to solve that difficult bay window situation …try the magic bending piece available through http://www.windowbonnets.com/.
I feel this is the easiest bay window solution on the market. Just follow these steps to see how easy it is:
Measure from the bend in the wall to the edge of the window on both outside windows ( 1 to 2 & 3 to 4). Measure the center section from bend to bend (2 to 3). Add these measurements together to determine the length of the cornice you will need.
Subtract 32 inches from the total (the length of the two bender pieces you will need). The difference is the length of the kit you will need to order.
Once you have received your materials, take the bending pieces and insert a bracket in each piece about one inch in from both edges. Place the piece up to the wall in the desired location and bend the piece until the brackets are flat against the wall, mark the position for the screws. Mount both brackets for each bender piece. Now measure from the outer edge of each bender piece to where it will end on the other side of the window (basically 2 to 1 and 3 to 4). Then measure the distance between the two benders for the center section. Those are the lengths to build so your cornice will fit perfectly on its bender pieces and end where you design to.
Now pull the bend pieces off the brackets and assemble your cornice treating the bend pieces as straight pieces.
Decorate.
Mount the remaining brackets and hang your cornice starting with the bend pieces in the exact location you had them mounted in before. The fit and angles will be perfect.
Stand back and admire your creative and easy bay window solution. Cheers,
Jan
Window Bonnets
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
Tucknology is the modern no-effort magic way to make cornice boards with no sewing, gluing or stapling your fabrics to the boards to complete the unique window treatment ideas you have in mind.
If you elect to use the Window Bonnets cornice kit, it’s so simple. The only talent you need is to be able to cut a strip of fabric lay it out on your cornice board base and use the magic tuck tool to complete the project. 
The cornice board form has precut grooves for the three pieces of fabric needed. Just use the tool to tuck the material into the groove and you are done. This works the same whether you want a smooth look, gathered look, pleated look or any combination.
You can enhance the look of your cornice by adding cords, beads, tassels, etc. that have the small bit of fabric attached to them (available at any fabric store). Just use your tuck tool and the precut grooves along with your tucknology skills to tuck the fabric part of the cord to the board. You can even use the back tuck groove for sheer curtains etc… its magic no rods or sewing!
That is Tucknology, no sewing, no special skills yet professional results.
Try Tucknology you will like it and it is a lot of fun!
Cheers
Dave & Jan Klatt
Window Bonnets
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
Southwest decorating is very simple and can be in-depth or as little as simple accents. It is especially popular in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and parts of California.
Southwest decorating is in general characterized by the use of earth tone colors, rough textures, hand crafted and rustic objects, objects that reflect the sometimes rugged life style and sometimes brightly colored fabrics or leather.
Many people use Native American themes, desert themes or the traditional cowboy theme.
A LOT
An example of a complete household decorated in the Southwest décor is Dave’s cowboy house. The picture above is his family/dining/kitchen area. Dave started by painting the interior walls with an adobe finish and accents. He utilized his passion for the cowboy theme through the entire house. He started by using the Window Bonnets http://www.windowbonnets.com/, do-it-yourself cornice kits throughout. Dave selected a horse pattern for the office, desert cactus and leather accents for the bedrooms and southwest patterns for the living room/den. See the pictures below to see his handy work). Dave did all of the tucking and aligning of the fabrics himself!.... fantastic job! The rest of the house is decorated with Native American pots and blankets, rustic saddles, cowboy hats and branding irons, etc. 
A Little
An example of A Little is pictured below. This lady simply added a natural leather piece drapped over the top of her cornice using the back tuck groove. This small accent completely changed the flavor of the room and gives you a true southwest feel.
A lot completely changes a home while a little can change the feeling and give you just accent.
Southwest décor items and fabrics can be found in many different places but the easiest is the internet. Just type in what you are looking for and you will find it.
Happy decorating. Go Southwest
Dave & Jan Klatt
Window Bonnets
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
Our cornice kits are pre-formed with three contours, the top and bottom are approximately 1/4 the total height of the cornice board with the center being about half. Although the contours or rolls are not super pronounced, I have been asked more than once if we make a "single" contour cornice board. We did try it, but the corners were problematic enough that we felt the success rate for the general public would be relatively low. Our goals in general with the cornice kit was to create a
n easy to assembly, fun to decorate, quick to hang, professional results cornice. The single contour seems to create more frustration than fun. However like all things what is one persons frustration is another's fun challenge. So I introduce you to Rose. A woman who wanted that "single" contour look using a big bold red and multicolored circle pattern! And so take a look at her success. A beautiful kitchen and family room area.
I asked Rose about how she came to this fabric and look, "We wanted a fun room and I always wanted a red and white kitchen so this is a fabric we both could agree on. We both just love the results and have had many compliments already. I’m lucky to be able to enjoy them every day.
She was certainly successful in creating that "single" contour look so I thought it best to let her tell you how she accomplished this... "I used a Barrow Home Decorating Fabric which I purchased on 50% off at JoAnn Fabrics. It was a heavy fabric (reversible) so tucking became a challenge in corners. I tried to clip away as much bulk as possible in those locations to make tucking easier."
"As far as smoothing the fabric, it is best to press your fabric prior to use. Then I laid it flat on a hard surface, put the cornice on top, started tucking in the center (top and bottom both) making sure to pull taunt when tucking and pulling taunt toward each end to smooth. On the circles, you needed to be aware of how the pattern was centered on the cornice and keep it straight. I accomplished this by watching the placement of the circles on the back as I was tucking. Keeping them tucked at the same point on the back kept them straight on the front."
"And most important of all, have some patience, walk away if you get too frustrated, and return to it when you are fresh."
Rose did wonderfully well on her cornices and took our multi-contour cornice form and created her own unique single contour look. She used our 12" high cornice kit throughout her home and you can see the rest of her cornices in our Gallery of Homes-kitchen, dining and family rooms.
In fact, in the kitchen / dining room section is another design that creates that single contour look. Look for the chicken pattern fabric!.
Cheers,
Jan
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
When deciding on colors, first decide what you want to change, paint, fabrics, wood finishes, rugs etc. and shop around, you will be surprised at the selection, variety and abundant availability to find what suits your desires. Local stores and the internet are good starting places. Many will supply free samples so you can see how they actually compliment your room or not.
Before buying try the samples in your room and let them stay in place for a few days to see if they reflect what you are looking for. Check out how they look in the different light situations the room will go through during the day. What direction does the room face?This can have dramatic effect on what the color will really look like in the room. If the light comes from the north, darker colors will often appear darker while a southern exposure will provide a lighter color appearance. You may need to adjust the shade of the color to adjust for the lighting situation.
Best piece of advice: Try Before You Buy
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
There are a lot of ways to go here. You can use historical, area or seasonal color themes that have been proven. Remember your room is a reflection of you and who you are.
Southwest or New England themes, it doesn’t matter if you like it.
As the seasons change so do our moods. Design your basic room but do it in a way that will make it easy to create change to meet the changing conditions. Decorating and color themes are fun and change is sometimes very welcome. One of the easiest ways to make simple changes is with simple window décor ideas that are easy to incorporate. New curtains or blinds are somewhat easy but can be expensive. An even easier solution would be a flexible window cornice (or some call a valance). Our solution is a Window Bonnet; check them out for some very interesting, inexpensive and creative solutions supplied by actual users not staged advertisements. This is a cornice kit with no sewing and can be changed easily for every season or holiday with very little effort, just cut a piece of fabric and tuck.
Fall and winter colors should be used to promote a calm, warm and restful feel (mustard, russet, browns and yellows) while spring colors will create a vibrant uplifting and fresh feeling (pinks, pastels lilac, etc) and set the mood for the season.
Jan Klatt
Window Bonnets
www.windowbonnets.com
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
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By Owner, Window Bonnets
What is the feeling of the room? You should utilize colors that fit your emotional desires for the room. If you are looking for a restful room, such as a bed room or family room use colors with a darker color which relates to the restfulness mood (brown, greens, blues). If the room has an active mood utilize colors such as reds and yellows to create the perfect atmosphere and feeling you get when the room is in use.
It’s your room and the colors you select should reflect your emotions and the feeling you want to display. Emotion decorating is an important part of who you are and what you want your rooms to represent. Remember you live in the rooms and they should be you and who you are. There is no right or wrong.
Cheers,
Jan
Window Bonnets
