A Glossary of Decorative Window Treatments

by Jan Gunn Interior Architecture and Design

There are many types of treatments that can decorate the top of a window.

Swags and Jabots
The most formal, traditional, and elegant windows are often draped with swags and jabots at the top of the window.  A single swag might be draped across the top of a shorter window, or multiple swags might be draped across the top of a longer window or a group of windows.  The soft, gathered swoops of the swag might be accentuated with passementerie (gimp, cord, beads, fringe or braid), or crowned at each point along the top with fabric rosettes or another detail.  The jabots, which are the tails that cascade down on each side, frame the window with S-shaped or zigzag folds.  Often, the jabots are lined with contrasting fabric, or are edged with passementerie for greater emphasis.

Valences
Valences are the soft fabric treatments at the top of a window.  Valances serve the practical purpose of concealing the mechanical hardware on the window treatments.  Valances can extend the height of a window, filling the awkward space below the ceiling and above the window.  The height of the valances should be in proportion with the window height and the ceiling height.  A good guideline is to start with a standard valance height of 14 inches, and to adjust the proportions from there.  If the window is wide, making the valences larger will make the ceiling look lower.   If the room is long and narrow, making the valences wider than the windows, so that the curtains pull all the way back to the window jambs, will make the room look wider.

Cornices
Like valances, cornices conceal the drapery hardware, and provide a decorative element at the top of windows that gives them a more finished appearance.  While valances are soft, essentially a short curtain, cornices are hard.  Cornices are usually made from wood that is painted or covered with fabric, or from fabric that is stiffened with buckram.  Buckram is a coarse cotton that has been stiffened with glue or sizing.  Cornices are usually rectangular, although they might also have a shaped edge, which adds a more architectural element.

Lambrequins
Like cornices, lambrequins are often made from a firm board covered with fabric.  In addition to a shaped edge, lambrequins have "tails" that extend partway down the sides of the window.

Pleats
There are many types of pleats, so depending on the style, the effect can be either formal or casual. Essentially, the pleats add fullness to the drapery panels.  A good guideline is for the total width of the fabric to be 2 1/2 to 3 times greater than the width of the area to be covered.

photographs and drawings courtesy of Southern Accents Magazine

A Drapery Treatise

by Jan Gunn Interior Architecture and Design

Fabric
Fabric is the single most important element in a drapery's overall appearance, construction and style.  It is essential to choose a fabric that will drape well, that will hold its shape, and is the right weight for the desired style.  In a period or traditional room, it is often nice to also use an under drapery, which adds another layer of pattern or texture.  Or, you could use a faux under drapery, attached to each side panel.

Linings

Although sunlight filtering through unlined curtains can be pretty, most draperies, with the exception of sheers, should be lined to protect the fabric, to block light when desired, to help retain the shape, and to extend the life.  Use a lightweight lining for draperies that puddle at the bottom.  For a billowy look, use a lightweight lining and only attach it at the sides, and not at the bottom, so it will fill with air and move. Specialty linings, such as blackout lining, provide complete darkness when desired.

Sheers without lining

Silk draperies with cotton lining

Interlinings
It is important that the weight of the interlining be suitable for the weight of the face fabric and the style of the drapery.  Designers of thick, luxurious draperies often use bump, which is a heavier, blanket-like cotton or flannel interlining that also provides insulation.  An interior designer can advise you regarding the fabric, lining, and interlining that is best suited to your style of draperies.

White linen draperies with heavier cotton interlining

Tiebacks
When should you use tiebacks or holdbacks, and when should drapery panels hang straight?  It depends on the overall look you're trying to achieve, how much of the window and the view you want to see, and the amount of space available on either side of the window for the drapery panels to stack when they are open. Tiebacks are often used in more formal or traditional settings, or conversely, for country-style draperies.  Straight panels look right in a cleaner, more modern setting.  Both new and old houses often have very pretty windows that homeowners don't want to obscure, so tiebacks can be used to reveal more of the glass.

Tiebacks in the same fabric as the draperies

A tassel tieback

A metal holdback

photographs and fabric chart courtesy of Window Fashions Magazine

A Kohler Retreat

by Jan Gunn Interior Architecture and Design

 

I've just returned from a three day adventure to the Village of Kohler, Wisconsin, the home of Kohler Plumbing.  
I was one of about 18 California designers treated to an informative tour of the Kohler facilities.

We visited the cast iron factory (that produces tubs, sinks and various commercial machinery parts) and the vitreous china factory (that produces toilets and sinks).  
I found both tours fascinating.

We even saw the casting process, in which molten iron is poured into various forms. 
That wasn't too surprising, but the real surprise is how the end items are colorized. 
The iron piece is heated to 2700 degrees, and then a coat of powder is applied with a device that looks like a flour strainer. 
The powder that falls on the iron piece doesn't have any color initially, but as the piece cools, the color comes up!

Casting itself is also interesting to observe, apart from the powder coating aspect. 
As you might imagine, it takes a negative form to manufacture the vitreous china end product, and to get it a positive "pattern" is pressed into loose sand, which then is the basis for the negative form.

Our group was also shown sneak previews of new products, but no photos were allowed!  

 

Kohler's three story design center was filled with vignettes of bathrooms and kitchens created by designers from all over the country.  
Kohler owns the upscale plumbing company Kallista, as well as the modestly priced Sterling line. 

Our Carriage House Hotel was beautiful and furnished in Baker and McGuire furniture, companies that are also part of the Kohler corporate family (along with Ann Sacks).  
We were offered a marvelous massage at Kohler's world class spa, which boasted every pampering amenity one could imagine.  
They treated us especially well when meal times arrived.  The beef Wellington hors d' oeuvres were unforgettable!

photos by Kohler

A Kohler Toilet Primer

by Jan Gunn Interior Architecture and Design

Kohler makes four types of toilets.

We are all familiar with the single flush gravity feed toilet.  In addition, Kohler now makes a dual flush gravity feed toilet that uses only 0.8 gallons of water for liquid waste and 1.6 gallons for solid waste.  Most residences would use one or the other of these toilets.  For a "never plug" toilet necessary in commercial applications they have two additional options.  The Pressure Lite toilet uses the street water pressure to activate a sealed canister which acts as a power booster to eliminate waste.  The Power Lite toilet has an even more aggressive system.  An electric motor pressurizes a canister to activate the flush.  This type of toilet has a very sleek, "tank-less" look as exemplified by the Hatbox toilet.

Portrait toilet, standard gravity feed  

Persuade toilet, dual flush gravity feed

Wellworth toilet, Pressure Lite flush system

Hatbox toilet, Power Lite flush system












photos by Kohler

Measuring Up to the Job

by Shannon Kirby

It seems in every one of our projects we are asked many questions about the "right" height or placement of lighting and art.  There really isn't one specific answer but I do follow guidelines so things are comfortable and pleasing to the eye.  Please use these as a starting point not just the hard and fast rules.

Chandeliers look best 33-36" above the table no matter the ceiling height.

The formula to begin to know what minimum size of fixture is best for your space is to take the width of the room in feet times 2 and convert this number to inches.


Wall sconces should be no less than 68" off the floor.  If they are in a hallway and have shades be sure they are high enough so the light doesn't shine directly in someones eyes.

Fireplace mantels vary widely as do the recommendations of where to add sconces.  The 68" above the floor is a good place to start.  If your fireplace is very wide they should be hung over both ends not in the wall spaces beyond the mantel.


Bedrooms pose their own set of issues.  The height of the swing arm light in the photograph is a good starting point.  The headboard height will really determine where it should be hung.  You will have to sit on the bed too to make sure it isn't shining in your eyes.


The base of the wall lamp should be a minimum of 8" from the headboard.

If you want to place fragile things above your bed be sure to use museum glue or even a glue gun so there is no  chance of something falling on your head.

If you hang art or a mirror above your bed be sure to use earthquake hangers which securely hold the wire through an "s" channel.

Hanging art is very personal and what is best to remember is the overall shape of a group of art.  In a living room if your sofa is low and long I would suggest you hang them low and in a row horizontally.  Hang 10" above a sofa so elbows and heads don't hit.  Sit in your room and look at the placement and height of the art- it should be easy to see without stretching your neck.  Hallways are where people walk so they should be at eye level but not hung by someone 6 ft 6 inches tall!

Mirrors above a fireplace are popular but can be tricky.  They should begin 8" above the mantel.  If you cannot see yourself in the mirror and only see the ceiling when standing in front of the fireplace I would suggest hanging something else.  If it looks too small over the fireplace it is!  Now it is possible to angle the mirror down into the room by increasing the length of the wire to the desired pitch but don't angle too much or you will see everyone's feet.

If you want to do a group it is best to lay it out on the floor first.  Once you have an arrangement you like you can use sheets of wrapping paper or other long paper on a roll to outline each piece and where to hanger should be.  Then just  tape the paper on the wall, hammer in the hangers where you marked, remove the paper and hang your art!



photos from House Beautiful 11/2001

2010 Art Exhibits in San Francisco...Richard Diebenkorn

By innerspace
Two San Francisco art galleries are presenting landmark exhibitions of paintings by Richard Diebenkorn and Helen Frankenthaler during April, May, and June 2010.


Richard Diebenkorn | Paintings and Drawings from the Collection of Christopher Diebenkorn at the Paul Thiebaud Gallery opens on April 20, 2010 and runs until June 26, 2010.


Instead of the gestural techniques of the Abstract Expressionist and Color Field painting movements of the 1950's, Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993) developed a more controlled style, where the geometric lines accumulated during the drawing and painting process remain visible.


In addition to other modern artists and his academic colleagues, Diebenkorn's residential location influenced his work. Here are some highlights from the show, which not only features abstract works from Diebenkorn's earlier Sausalito (1947-1949), Albuquerque (1950-1952), Urbana (1952-1953), and Berkeley (1953-1966) periods, but also from his later Santa Monica (1966-1988), and Healdsburg (1988-1993) periods. 

Sausalito...

Richard Diebenkorn | Untitled | 1948 | Watercolor, Ink and Paper Tape on Paper | 20 1/4 x 14 7/8 Inches

photo Paul Thiebaud Gallery


Albuquerque...

Richard Diebenkorn | Untitled | 1951 | Gouache on Paper | 40 5/8 x 36 Inches

photo Paul Thiebaud Gallery
 

Urbana...

Richard Diebenkorn | Untitled (Urbana) | 1952 | Ink and Gouache on Paper | 13 1/2 x 11 1/2 Inches

photo Paul Thiebaud Gallery

Berkeley...

Richard Diebenkorn | Cityscape #4 | 1963 | Oil on Canvas | 47 x 53 3/4 Inches

photo Paul Thiebaud Gallery

Santa Monica...

Richard Diebenkorn | Invented Landscape | 1977 | Gouache and Crayon on Paper | 16 3/4 x 13 7/8 Inches

photo Paul Thiebaud Gallery

Healdsburg...

Richard Diebenkorn | Untitled #10 | 1991 | Crayon, Graphite, Synthetic Polymer, and Pasted Paper on Paper | 22 x 39 5/8 Inches

photo Paul Thiebaud Gallery

The exhibition also features representational figural drawings, still life drawings, landscapes, and cityscapes from the different phases of Diebenkorn's career. 

Which style and 'location' do you prefer? 

2010 Art Exhibits in San Francisco...Helen Frankenthaler

By innerspace
Two San Francisco art galleries are presenting landmark exhibitions of paintings by Helen Frankenthaler and Richard Diebenkorn during April, May, and June 2010.

Helen Frankenthaler | Paintings 1961-1973 at the John Berggruen Gallery opened on April 1, 2010 and runs through May 22, 2010.

Helen Frankenthaler (b.1928), who was influenced by the techniques of Abstract Expressionist painters such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko, led the Color Field painting movement in New York during the 1950's.  She developed a gestural painting technique that, by pouring paint over an unprimed instead of a primed canvas, allowed the paint to penetrate and stain the surface.

Here are some highlights from the show, which features rarely exhibited paintings from the collections of the artist and other private collectors. 

Helen Frankenthaler | Provincetown l | 1961 | Oil on Canvas | 92x101 Inches

Photo John Berggruen Gallery | San Francisco CA 

Helen Frankenthaler | Pivitol Square | 1962 | Oil on Canvas | 56x62 Inches 
Photo John Berggruen Gallery | San Francisco CA 
Some of the earliest paintings in the exhibition include Provincetown l from 1961 and Pivitol Square from 1962.

Helen Frankenthaler | Gulf Stream | 1963 | Oil and Acrylic on Canvas | 86x65 Inches

Photo John Berggruen Gallery | San Francisco CA

Helen Frankenthaler | Mountain Pool | 1963 | Acrylic on Canvas | 48x78 Inches

Photo John Berggruen Ballery | San Francisco CA

Helen Frankenthaler | Orange Underline | 1963 | Acrylic on Canvas | 55x71 Inches
Photo John Berggruen Gallery | San Francisco CA

 Helen Frankenthaler | Interior Landscape | 1964 | Acrylic on Canvas | 104x92 Inches
Photo John Berggruen Gallery | San Francisco CA  

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art loaned Interior Landscape from 1964 to the Berggruen Gallery for the exhibition.

 Helen Frankenthaler | Coalition | 1968 | Acrylic on Canvas | 83x75 Inches

Photo John Berggruen Gallery | San Francisco CA
According to art scholar, Barbara Rose, Coalition from 1968 is 'Among the finest paintings produced anywhere in the late sixties'.
 

Helen Frankenthaler | Moveable Blue | 1973 | Acrylic on Canvas | 70x243 Inches

Photo John Berggruen Gallery | San Francisco CA 
But,  Harold Rosenberg, a New York art critic and proponent of the Abstract Expressionist movement, described Frankenthaler's post-1960's work as 'Mere interior decoration'.

What do you think?