It’s simple enough to get custom drapes for an ordinary-sized window, but what if you need drapes as big as a stage?

Most homes don’t need drapes quite that big, however many homes do have large floor-to-ceiling windows that homeowners may wish to cover at night or during the heat of the day. Sometimes a commercial building will need draperies to cover windows, absorb noise or actually cover a stage.

One of our clients fell into this category. A wedding venue needed a large set of elegant draperies to cover or uncover a wall. We were asked to design and order 36 foot draperies, the largest we’ve ever designed.

We created a design the client liked, but it’s important to remember that drapery workrooms, the shops where custom drapes are made by hand, don’t always have enough room to handle so much fabric. They must lay out the fabric as part of the manufacturing process and, in this case, we would need a workroom that had more than 36 feet of continuous table space.

Could we do it? Could we find a quality workroom that could make drapes this big?

As a matter of fact, we could! We have a contract with a Colorado drapery workroom that makes stage draperies and was easily able to handle this order. Because of this relationship, our designer, Theresa Guthals, was the only designer the venue could find who could solve this problem.

Theresa’s network of relationships solved other problems as well. The room had an odd shape and it wasn’t clear how we could set up a pulley system to open and close the drapes. Theresa and installer who is a long-time associate solved the problem together.

You may not need drapes as big as a stage, but contact us if you’d like beautiful window coverings that you’ll be proud to show the world.

Did you know we have robots in the interior design world?

Motorized drapery rods that robotically open and close drapes are one of those modern miracles that make aging easier. They work with any drapes, custom or off-the-shelf, and they manage your privacy and the light in your home with as little input from you as you like.

You’ve seen this in action with other robots. The dishwasher relieves the necessity of standing at the sink. The bread machine does the hard work of kneading for you and the blessed washing machine saves us days of bending and scrubbing clothes.

All of these household robots have made it possible for us to live in our own homes in later stages of life, even with an injury or illness. Before robotics, these tasks overwhelmed people with physical challenges.

Today, we see the same trend in interior design with motorized drapery rods, motorized shades and other window treatments controlled by computers.

The helpfulness of motorization was pointed out to us by a client couple of ours who were moving into a local community for people age 55 and over, Mackenzie Place. A member of the couple had an illness that was expected to result in the need for a wheelchair within a few years.

It’s difficult to open a window covering while in a wheelchair. What if the wheelchair can’t get close enough? What if the window is a bit higher than normal?

We solved the problem with motorized drapery rods. The rods can be programmed to open and close on a schedule or opened with a remote control, just like other kinds of motorized window treatments .

This same solution works for very large windows that no ordinary human can reach. Another client of ours wanted 28 foot sheer draperies for a huge window facing Cheyenne Mountain. Not only were we able to get these made for her despite the fact that few workrooms have the capacity to make 28 foot drapes, but we were able to make them open and close with a motorized drapery rod.

Can robots make your home more accommodating? Call us at 719-238-6044 and we’ll design the perfect window treatments for you!

Have you ever stood on a chair to open a blind on a high window? Or maybe it was easier to suffer with too much or too little light.

A local Colorado Springs church had an extreme version of this problem. They had built a new building with a 38-foot ceiling and installed a custom made stained glass window high off the floor. They enjoyed the uncovered window during most of the year, but they hadn’t thought about how the sun moves with the seasons.

For several weeks twice a year, our strong Colorado Springs sunlight poured in through the window in the afternoon, making it impossible to watch a film or look at the front of the room without squinting.

The church board wanted to fix this, but how could they do it? Covering the window would obscure the artwork. Leaving it uncovered made the room unusable in the spring and fall.

They called us in for a consultation and we recommended a motorized window treatment. Motorization would allow them to open and close the shade with a remote control or even with an app on a mobile device. Hunter Douglas motorized blinds can be programmed to open and close at specific times, opened by an authorized person who is not even in the building or simply adjusted by someone in the room.

Nearly any window treatment can be motorized with the current technology. Motorized blinds, shades and drapes make the comfort of the room accessible to anyone holding the controls, regardless of the treatment’s weight, height or mechanism.

We designed a shade for the room and then coordinated the installation of the shade 30 feet above the floor. It was one of the few installations we’ve done that required a lift!

Today the church can use the room at any time of the year and enjoy the stained glass window without letting it interfere with church programming. Motorization provided an elegant solution to their extreme problem and the room is back in business, all year.

We can create the best solution for your high windows too. Call us today and leave your chairs at the table, where they belong.

Do you think about how to reduce the glare of our Colorado Springs sunlight in your home whenever you go to sit in your living room? Have you taken to wearing sunglasses when you’re enjoying the room in the afternoon?

We can make your home a lot more comfortable with the right custom window treatment.

Many of our clients can tell you stories about this, like the client who had bought a beautiful home on a golf course. Golf courses make a beautiful view, but homeowners normally have some concerns about privacy and the strong sunlight that streams into the room during the day.

This particular client had looked at many options, but hadn’t found the right thing. Shades would provide privacy and sunlight, but they would also block the view of the pretty golf course. Shutters took up too much room in the house. Ordinary blinds left the occupants with a view, but the sun still heated up the room.

The homeowners came to us and we started asking questions. We learned they wanted a window covering that reduced the glare and afforded some privacy during the day, but could also be used to darken the room if they wanted to use the television or electronics.

We recommended they use a sheer blind from Hunter Douglas, like Silhouette or Pirouette. These blinds allow the homeowner to darken the room or screen the view. They reduce the glare and provide some privacy when open, but also can be shut to look like shades.

The client came to our studio and chose Pirouette sheers. We designed the color and fabric to enhance the beauty of the room. The homeowner requested the addition of motorized controls. Today they can open and close the window treatments automatically with a programmed schedule or with the touch of a button.

We can offer you beautiful options to make your home more comfortable. Contact us to design the best window treatments for your home.

Custom window shades are popular in Colorado Springs because shades serve many functions. They can be used for privacy. They can screen out the glare of our high altitude sunshine. They can keep the 90-degree heat out of your 72-degree house.

How can you tell which kind of shade would be best for your home? Sometimes, the shades in your neighbor’s house might not be right for yours. An interior designer can help you sort through the different types and match them up to your needs.

A client of ours illustrated this idea. She had been shopping for cellular shades, the kind that have a honeycomb shape. Cellular shades are often used to block light or insulate a window against extreme outdoor temperatures. Hunter Douglas offers many styles of cellular shades, including the energy efficient Architella shade.

We always begin a consultation by asking questions so that we can give the client options that meet the needs of the home. This client’s home was on a five-acre lot and the conversation revealed that she had no neighbors, and consequently no need for privacy shades. The client particularly enjoyed the west-facing home’s view of the mountains, though the glare bothered her in the afternoon.

She knew she wanted custom window shades, but did she really need cellular shades? No. They would have blocked her mountain view for half of the day. We suggested solar screen shades, such as Hunter Douglas’s Silhouette shades for windows or Luminette shades for sliding doors ].

Solar shades screen out glare without blocking the view. They come in a variety of colors, fabrics and materials. Pikes Peak Interiors knows all about the different kinds of shades and can help you choose the right one for your home.

The solar shades made our client happy and we were happy to design something that allowed her to gaze out at the mountains in the afternoon without putting on sunglasses. Contact us and we can create the perfect custom window treatment for your home too.