Everett, Wash.
Published: Thursday, November 1, 2007

Window dressing

Drapery treatments can go far beyond mere blinds

By Sarah Jackson
Herald Writer

 When it comes to window treatments these days, there's really no limit to what you can do.

Blinds of all sorts are a popular window-covering option in the Northwest, to be sure.

But it's fabric, often hung over or around blinds, that can truly open the door to customization when you're looking to dress your windows.

Just ask Lani Helle of Snohomish.

She's put together her own window treatments for years.

It was a must when she and her husband, Greg, moved into their new home about 10 years ago.

Most of the windows were naked. To make matters more challenging, many of them had wood framing only on the bottom sill, which made for an almost unfinished look.

The Helles' first concern, however, was privacy, so they started with blinds from Hunter Douglas called Silhouettes.

Unlike typical horizontal blinds, Silhouettes feature fabric suspended between two sheer fabric facings. That allows for more light and privacy options, including a transparent position, in which a thin fabric lets in light but allows insiders to see out.

"They're so nice," Helle said. "This way, you can leave them open all day."

Of course, the blinds didn't solve the dilemma of their seemingly unfinished window frames.

Helle sewed some of her own window treatments, but "they never really felt like they drew the room together," she said.

Enter Kelly DuByne, the 39-year-old owner and founder of Distinctive Interior Designs of Lake Stevens.

DuByne, who has been in business for 12 years now, stepped in to take Helles' window treatments and color scheme to the next level.

In addition to accent walls in rosy and terra cotta hues, DuByne brought in a variety of window treatments to coordinate with the family's existing furniture, including an ideal design for their bay window.

Multiple panels cover the lack of window trim. Four traditional pleated swags swoop across the top. And at each end of the bay window, a tailored piece of fabric reveals a slight ruffle with a rich accent fabric on the reverse side.

"I love to use more than one fabric on a window treatment," DuByne said. "It's tricky. Barb is so great."

Barb is Barb Munson, owner of Barb's Custom Draperies of Lake Stevens.

Munson, using detailed drawings and measurements from DuByne, is the craftswoman behind the final product. Installers, hired by DuByne, put them up.

Munson, who had sewn for the past 37 years, also offers custom window treatment design.

Not wanting to copy the same design for the adjacent living room window in Helles' home, DuByne came up with a contemporary twist: Instead of running the swags all the way to ceiling, DuByne designed pleated swags open at the top and turned up slightly between sections to reveal another accent fabric.

"This is one I've never done before," DuByne said. "I just like to make them different."

Using antique bronze hardware, including a sturdy rod, rings and fleur-de-lis finials, DuByne echoed the unique design in the nearby dining room, but used slightly different fabrics.

Helle said it was a dream having a guide to pick out fabrics and wall colors for a richer look.

"I just felt like I didn't have any fresh ideas," Helle said. "It's so dramatic for how the room feels. It's extremely different now. I like the idea that it's custom to our home."

Indeed, Helle's home seems more complete with the lavish window treatments.

Another treatment

Draperies and window treatments in Mark and Ann Haga's rural Monroe home, all accented by colorful walls, aren't anything like those in the Helle home.

But they, too, go far beyond the typical rods and tab-top panels sold at retail stores.

In the Haga dining room, rich red walls invite. But it's the balloon-style Roman shades that intrigue. Where vertical blinds once clattered in front of their sliding-glass doors, elegant fabric now hangs under a tapestry-covered cornice board.

"This is, I think, my very favorite window treatment," DuByne said. "It's like a tuxedo."

Each side of the window treatment can be lowered to the floor to create straight, clean lines, or they can be drawn up partially for a romantic, buoyant look. Its shades can also be raised entirely out of view under the rigid form of the cornice board.

"I wasn't really into flouncy," Ann Haga said. "But we wanted something that had some structure."

DuByne urges clients to think beyond classic drapes.

"I do very few drapes that pull across," she said. "I think sometimes people think that's all there is to do."

Ann Haga hired DuByne because she just wasn't satisfied with the "tract home America" window coverings she found in stores.

Choosing custom fabrics was particularly fun, she said.

With DuByne making trips to the Seattle Design Center, she was always wowed. Unfortunately, she was instinctively drawn to the finer things.

"She brought me all these fabric samples," Haga said. "Without knowing, I went for the most expensive ones."

DuByne, who graduated with a degree in communications, found her true passion after college and went back to school at Bellevue Community College to study design.

"I'm a big believer in using your space. Curtain design seemed to come naturally to me," she said. "I love doing curtain design and color."



Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com

What it costs

There's a good reason not everyone buys custom window treatments. They simply aren't as cheap as ready-made curtains.

But clients of Kelly DuByne, the owner and founder of Distinctive Interior Designs of Lake Stevens, said going custom was worth it because the window coverings fit perfectly and will last longer.

Though DuByne tempts her customers with beautiful fabrics, in the end, she wants to help them stay on budget.

"I love it when people say, 'Let's work together, but I need to save up,'" she said.

Mark and Ann Haga, who live in rural Monroe, had to keep costs under control when they set out to dress their windows and walls.

After consulting with DuByne on colors, they did their own painting: the rich red in the dining room, the peachy walls in the kitchen and the light green living room.

When it came time for privacy window coverings, they started with Hunter Douglas blinds called Silhouettes and then followed up with more elaborate fabric coverings for their casements. Their project cost about $10,000, definitely an "above average" project in terms of price, DuByne said.

That included high-end Silhouettes for six windows, some of them quite large, as well as fabric window treatments, including some high-end fabrics.

Here's a breakdown of what it cost to create one-of-a-kind window coverings for three rooms in the Haga home. Installation cost an additional $8 to $15 per window. Design fees cost an additional $65 per hour.



Dining room

$850 (cornice board)

$2,168 (balloon-style Roman shades, $1,084 each)

Total: $3,018

Breakfast nook

$1,800 (Silhouettes for three windows)

$1,700 (fabric awnings for three windows)

Total: $3,500

Kitchen sink

$400 Silhouettes for one small window

$500 (pleated shade with a bow)

Total: $900

Living room

$622 (Silhouettes for one small window)

$385 (valance for one small window)

$883 (Silhouettes for one large window)

$590 (valance for one large window)

Total: $2,480

Grand total: $9,898

Sarah Jackson
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA