Since green was a bold choice, at least for us, we paired the kiwi green with crisp whites, soft silvers and dark browns that added subtlety and glamour. We used the kiwi green fabric on the chair and added some much needed accessories around the room in varying shades of green to carry the colour around the room. I feel that the changes we made in this room give the room hotel appeal.
But the piece de resistance was our final addition, the window treatment. This window treatment started with two panels of two-toned silver-grey fabric. These were very simple to create using a simple single stitch on the sewing machine. I made it a point to keep the folds of the fabric on the bottom as large as possible to allow a nice fall. Upon first installation, these panels did not look finished. There were three elements that I did not like:
1. 1. It was a simple rod pocket panel. There was no wow factor. (Excuse the valance in front, this was the only picture I could find of the before)
2. They did not reach the floor. The too-short length made the room look smaller and congested and quite unappealing. I have read enough design articles to know that drapes must be installed above the window frame to draw the eye up, adding height to your room as well as graze the ground.
3. Finally, the colours did not match all that well with that gorgeous headboard we created.
3. Finally, the colours did not match all that well with that gorgeous headboard we created.
But how could I change it with so little time left before my guests arrived? Luckily, a mere two days
before they arrived, I came across a custom-built cornice that was being given away on Kijiji (Pictured as above). I looked for some inspiration pictures and decided that this was just the thing to take the room to a new level. We brought it home and got to work.
We made another trip to the local Fabric Land and bought this soft-silver upholstery fabric for the cornice. Since this fabric was 16$ per meter plus 20% off, I decided that the cornice would have to be covered using two adjoined strips of fabric rather than one to maximize the use of fabric. My husband cut to fit the large cornice panel.We retrofitted the panel to the wall with the window as it made more impact as a wall treatment rather than a simple window dressing.
Next was reupholster which turned out to be quite the hassle. It was difficult to accommodate the curve on the cornice panel. Tension from folding around the curved edges created obvious creases throughout the fabric. Little did we know but upholstering a curved suface is quite simple but you must cut the fabric to the shape of the wood. This was a lesson learned the hard way after hours of trials and failures. Overall, the cornice is well-made as I found out during disassembly, complete with a wood base, batting, and multiple layers of fabric to add a softer look.
Installation was basic, with simple wood screws into studs to hold the panel in place. The cornice panel works to hide the previously installed curtain rod and broken finials.
The five-inch strips of soft-silver fabric framing were added to the original panels in two stages. These two stages took a pain-staking 8 hours to complete. Mainly becayse of two sewing errors, where I sewed onto the back rather than the front of the panels. The first stage was to adjoin two strips of 3.5 feet each and 5 inches width to cover the full seven feet of panel. This was done to save on fabric. The second stage consisted of attaching the seven foot strip to the silver-grey panels from before. I am so impressed by the final look that we were able to achieve. I added extra length to the curtains and added extra height with the cornice. Furthermore the cornice adds dimension and style to the window treatment. This whole look adds one more layer of elegance and formality to the space.
I believe that these last minute changes were essential for the room to make a dramatic statement.
As I reflect back on this project and others throughout my house, I can’t help but feel accomplishment as well as more love for my husband than I have ever felt. This room was truly a collaboration between my husband and I. He was there for every part, we both got our hands dirty and added our own taste into the mix. My design therapy has worked to blossom our marriage into more than we could have ever achieved by just being a couple. Working together, creating together has been such a blessing and adds another layer to our wonderful marriage. Aside from the fact that this was a job well done, I am far from done. We still have to hang our 1970s chandelier which we spray painted, finish the round frame above the bed by installing a mirror inside and finally complete the bedding with another green accent, perhaps a throw or some pretty green cushions. A few more wall hangings, in front of the bed or on the side are also in the works. The MCAT is glaring at me from across the street so until that ship has sailed, I cannot start any new projects in this room.
As I reflect back on this project and others throughout my house, I can’t help but feel accomplishment as well as more love for my husband than I have ever felt. This room was truly a collaboration between my husband and I. He was there for every part, we both got our hands dirty and added our own taste into the mix. My design therapy has worked to blossom our marriage into more than we could have ever achieved by just being a couple. Working together, creating together has been such a blessing and adds another layer to our wonderful marriage. Aside from the fact that this was a job well done, I am far from done. We still have to hang our 1970s chandelier which we spray painted, finish the round frame above the bed by installing a mirror inside and finally complete the bedding with another green accent, perhaps a throw or some pretty green cushions. A few more wall hangings, in front of the bed or on the side are also in the works. The MCAT is glaring at me from across the street so until that ship has sailed, I cannot start any new projects in this room.
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