Window Treatment Trends for 2014-2015: Pretty, Painterly, Layered and Embellished
Painterly watercolor effects, embellished fabrics, dressmaker details, a flourish of florals, pastel palettes and layered looks are defining today’s trendsetting window coverings.
Each of these style elements is contributing to an overall direction in trends in window treatments toward Modern Romantic design. Romantic vintage looks are interpreted in a fresh, updated way that creates a new perspective on timeless design.
That’s the forecast from Jackie Von Tobel, author of The Design Directory of Window Treatments and considered the nation’s authority on window treatments, and Deb Barrett, also a trend forecaster and window treatment designer. The Hadley Court team had the good fortune to sit down with Jackie and Deb at the recent High Point Furniture Market to learn about trends in soft furnishings. Soft furnishings include window treatments, bedding, rugs, pillows and upholstery.
Jackie and Deb are collaborating on an exciting new interactiveeducational website, Soft Design Lab to provide soft furnishings trend forecasting and valuable resources to professional interior designers and decorators such as product information and ideas, webinars, how-to tutorials and e-books.
Listen to their video interview about Window Treatment Design Trends 2014-2015 by clicking on this picture of them, here, which will take you to their video.
“Window treatments are pretty again,” said Deb. “We’re seeing romantic stylized looks, a movement to floral patterns verses the graphics and fretworks that have dominated, lots of layering, texture, dressmaker details and even a bit of Hollywood Glamour, High Victoriana and Art Deco,” she said. “We’re just kind of lightening up, coming up for air. The brighter economic and social outlook is driving more delicate, light and airy looks.”
The strong emergence of floral patterns is taking two distinct directions. One direction is exemplified in the four photos above. Here, the floral motifs are filtered and altered to create new perspectives on traditional patterns, creating a painterly and hand-crafted feel.
In the third and fourth photos, the happy sunflower curtains or the lush pink roses are from BluebellGray and are literally watercolor florals-painted by hand! The founder of BluebellGray, Fi Douglas, is a graduate of the prestigious Glasgow School of Art. Her love of color and all things floral combined with a desire to create unique painterly pieces, set the vision for BluebellGray. There, each design is painted by hand in the Glasgow studio before being printed onto natural cottons and linens using state of the art printing technology.
Not all floral patterns in the Modern Romantic style take this painterly direction, however. On the other hand, floral patterns are large scaled and bold, with floral motifs set against “dark backgrounds such as ink blues, teal and midnight instead of the light cream or taupe backgrounds of the recent past,” said Jackie and Deb.
As part of the soft romantic direction, we will see washed, dusty pastel palettes such as in these embellished curtain rods and finials from Byran&Byran.
“When is the last time you saw pink or pale blue curtain rods and finials at a window carved with delicate floral motifs?” asked Deb. Noting that the rods were introduced at the Decorex design show in London this fall, Deb added, “These rods say, ‘Modern Romance’ to me. This is a fresh artisan and washed look.”
Layering is also playing a leading role in the Modern Romantic movement. “For years we’ve seen these straight panels hung on a rod—how boring!” said Deb. “Now we are starting to see layering ranging from simple treatments like a sheer and over-drape to soft and shaped valances with sheers and drapes.
This kitchen window treatment installation by Deb Barrett in an historic brownstone in Chicago is a good example of creative layering treatments:
“Usually, you wouldn’t think of using sheers and draperies in a kitchen. But today, you can think of layering on windows you wouldn’t have before.” The leaf pattern in the woven jacquard Sunbrella fabric used in the kitchen draperies exemplifies the floral motifs permeating the Modern Romantic movement. Deb pointed out that the sheers and curtains are hung under a crown molding that was custom built to create a pocket for the draperies.
Besides being unabashedly pretty in pink, this window treatment captures the Modern Romantic movement with its dressmaker ruffles and a feeling of depth and layering with the lace sheers and the smocked draperies that are Italian-strung to give a classical look. The plush velveteen fabric adds to the drama and Victorian vibe. The toile pattern on the bed skirt and headboard is also on-trend. “Toiles are coming back,” said Jackie and Deb.
Lush layering at its best is exemplified in the grand window treatment above by renowned interior designer Barry Darr Dixon {previously featured on Hadley Court in a video interview on Gracious Living, here } who used a modern romantic floral edge band at the bottom of this beautifully layered window treatment.
Adding textural and tactile interest to today’s window treatments are embellished and laser-cut fabrics. These kinds of effects, along with techniques like beading, embroidery and appliques are adding dimension to surfaces of window treatments.
“How much more gorgeous can you get than a leather that is dyed pink and laser cut and embossed with gold?” asked Deb, referring to the fabric above, from Carbipel.
At Hadley Court, we love the new perspective on timeless design provided by the up-and-coming Modern Romantic style for window treatments. What about you? Let us know in your comments what you think about this style and how it might fit into your home….
Kim Darden Shaver
for
Leslie Hendrix Wood
Founder, Editor In Chief of Hadley Court
Gracious Living. Timeless Design. Family Traditions.
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All photos by Deb Barrett or otherwise credited in the blog.