“I want to see out, but I don’t want anyone to see in,” commented a client. “Can you design a window covering that works like a one-way mirror?”

We don’t know of any fabric that shows your reflection on one side and is sheer on the other, but we do have textiles that will do almost everything else. Read on to learn about some effects you can get from your drapery fabric.

Blackout Fabric

Do you need to sleep past sunrise? We can design almost any drapery to block out the sun and keep the room dark until you open the drapes. How do we do it? We use a blackout lining that prevents light from seeping through. Blackout drapes are often heavy and can be used to insulate your windows too. What could be better for sleep than a window covering that keeps the bedroom dark and cool?

Sheers

Suppose you want the opposite of a blackout drape. Can we make something beautiful and custom that will let light in? We sure can! You might be reluctant since the ready-made sheers sold in stores are no more than 54 inches wide and have ugly seams, but we know how to have them made right. Unlike factory-made sheer curtains, sheer custom drapes are made to be seamless and can be more than 110 inches wide. You can choose from a wide variety of solid and patterned sheers, and your custom drapes, unlike store-bought sheers, will be full and fit beautifully over your windows.

Iridescent

Do you like a little glamour in your home? Iridescent drapes are like haute couture fashion for windows. They reflect a rainbow of colors and can be subtle or dramatic, with solid or patterned fabric. We’ll add embellishments that enhance the look of the room and add to your enjoyment of these glamorous window coverings.

We can design custom drapes in fabric to suit almost every taste and need. But what about our client who wanted the one-way mirror effect? We were able to offer screen shades, a product that lets you see outside during the day without letting people see inside. Combined with beautiful drapery to block the view from outside to inside during the night, it was the perfect solution.

We can design the right drapes for your needs too. Contact us today!

Are you wondering how to budget for custom drapes? How much do they cost? What are you going to pay for?

Designers recommend budgeting 3-5% of the value of the home for your custom window treatments. This might seem like a lot when you do the math, but consider that the window treatments are going to fit perfectly, be just what you want and be installed correctly.

Drapes include many separate parts that have to work together.

Fabric

Fabric choices run the gamut from simple muslin to brocade with a raised pattern and gold thread. The cost of the fabric is determined by the type and by the amount needed. Our interior designer, Theresa, works with you to determine how much fabric will be needed to clear the window and to ensure the drapes open correctly.

Lining

Drapes are typically lined and you can choose the type of lining. The lining makes the drape look finished and it can screen out light. A blackout lining used for a bedroom is more expensive than a thinner lining used for rooms that don’t need to be darkened.

Hardware

Hardware, such as curtain rods, finials and rings will make up about 40% of the cost of the project. Don’t be tempted to use cheap hardware. The drapes may not hang or open correctly if the proper hardware isn’t used and they won’t stay up if the cheaper hardware fails.

Labor

When you order custom drapes with Pikes Peak Interiors, we send them to a local drapery workroom where experienced craftsmen and women make your drapes by hand. The cost will depend on how complex the drapery design is.

Installation

We want your custom drapes to be as beautiful as you imagined and to last as long as you’d like to keep them. Pikes Peak Interiors uses experienced local installers who do the job right.

High Windows

Installers require more equipment and expertise to put window treatments on high windows and this can cost a bit more than a standard installation.

When you work with Theresa, she shows you what the drapes will look like before you order them and you can be assured that they are worth the cost before you ever place the order. Contact us today to learn more.

You’ve worked with a designer, had the most perfect custom drapes made for your home and they were precisely installed. They complement the room just as you imagined and you love them.

Now what? How can you keep them looking their best?

Properly maintained, custom drapes can last for 15 or 20 years. Since most people want to update the look of their homes before that much time has elapsed, you could say they last as long as the homeowner wants them to, but only if they are kept clean.

Drapes are vulnerable to dust and water. Dust collects everywhere over time and water makes it difficult to remove. If you were to leave your windows open during a rainstorm, for example, water will land on the drapes and sink the dust into the fabric. This leaves water stains.

How can you keep them looking beautiful? You might think that you’ll need to go through an arduous process of taking them down and having them dry cleaned every year, but this is not true. In fact, dry cleaning often ruins drapes by shrinking the fabric and leaving the lining peeking out at the bottom.

Custom drapes can’t be put in the washer either. They are not made to be washed with water.

The best way to keep them clean is actually much simpler than any of these methods. You don’t have to take them down. Just vacuum them with a soft brush once or twice a year. Depending on your windows, this may require a ladder, but it’s much simpler than trying to take them down. The vacuum will remove the dust that dulls the color and leave them looking new again.

What about the valances and cornices? These can also be vacuumed or you may be able to find a carpet cleaner who can steam clean a cornice.

Custom drapes are complicated to make and hang, but simple to keep clean. Contact us today and we’ll design the perfect drapes for your home.

Picture this. You’ve just remodeled your home in true Colorado Springs fashion. The lines are clean, the colors are simple and all of the bric-a-brac has been sold off. Your living room reminds you of a cabin in the mountains and everything is just as you want it, except that the sun streams in the windows at midday and blinds you. You’d like to order drapes, but you’ve opted to leave them uncovered because custom drapes will look too fussy in your Colorado cabin home.

Wait. Is that true?

Luckily, it’s not. The idea that custom drapes must include cat-attracting fringes, ruffles and sweeping scarves is a myth. The beauty of having custom drapes made is that you can have them made any way you want.

Fabric

Custom drapes can be made from any kind of fabric, elaborate or simple. Your drapes can be made from a woven, organic, textured fabric, with or without a print. Matte fabrics don’t reflect light and look simpler than shiny or reflective fabric. Custom drapes can also be made with less fullness, which makes them look lighter. This goes a long way towards keeping the clean-lined look of the room.

Grommet Drapery

First of all, let’s explain what a grommet is. The grommet of a drape is what reinforces the holes needed to string it onto the rod. Grommet drapery is made with holes in the top of the drapery and the rod goes through the holes. The drapes are meant to be stationary and are easier to maintain than heavier drapes that open and close.

Board Mounted Valances

A valance goes above the window and draws the eyes up. We can add a board-mounted valance above your window that uses geometric shapes for visual interest, rather than swags or scarves. A valance like this looks good by itself or with drapes or shades.

Roman Shades

Any kind of shade looks simple, but Roman shades are popular these days. A Roman shade is made of fabric and loops up in an attractive way when opened. They don’t disappear onto a roller when you open them. Plain shades can also provide privacy and darkening. They look best when combined with a valance that makes the window look finished when the shades are open.

As you can see, you have a lot of options when looking for a simple way to cover windows in a modern-looking home. Contact us today to learn more!

The Pebble Controller can move a single window covering or a whole group!

Picture this: You’re away from home for a few hours and the sun begins to set. Your $4 outlet timer from the hardware store clicks and the lamp it’s attached to comes on. Your errand takes longer than you thought and the house is empty. The street gets dark. Cars slowly drive by, every one of them looking through your big front windows into the house, wondering what they might see.

The automation that little timer provides could be so much more. Smart Home technology can do everything from turn your lights on to shut off the television, on a timer or through your phone, even if you’re not there.

Guess what else it can do.

That’s right. It can close the window coverings.

Hunter-Douglas offers a system called Powerview that uses the Logitech Harmony Hub  to connect multiple Smart devices together. You connect your phone or tablet to the Harmony Hub and then connect Hunter-Douglas’s Powerview shades and blinds to it. The Harmony Hub works with thousands of other devices you might want to control remotely as well, making the shades part of the larger Smart Home system. 

For example, you might add motorized drapery rods that can also be controlled by the Harmony Hub, making it possible to close all of your window coverings at dusk.

Once the system is connected, you can schedule your shades and blinds to move wherever you want through the Powerview app or with a Pebble controller. In addition to acting as a traditional remote control, the Pebble controller lets you control schedule individual windows or adjust groups of window coverings with one touch of the button. It can also schedule the groups.

Smart Home technology can give you a little extra peace of mind in a busy world. Schedule the system to turn on the light and close the blinds at the same time and no one can peer into your living room as they drive by your home at night. Contact us to talk about fitting your home with a smart system.