How Do You Know You Can Trust Your Window Treatment Designer?
Part One of Nancy and Byron’s Salem Home Transformation
Choosing a designer to design custom window treatments is a big decision to make - because it’s never just about the windows. It’s also about the feeling you want to have every time you walk into a room. Windows are huge focal points of style and design in any space, and the window treatments that cover them need to integrate with your overall style.
So, you need to know you have a window fashion designer in your home who will listen closely to your ideas. You also need to know they can take those ideas, elevate them, and turn them into something truly special. These are designs you’re going to live with for many years, and you want the atmosphere they create to be a joyful one.
In the end, trust isn’t built in a day, and it definitely isn’t fully formed after your first conversation with a designer. Even if you love someone’s portfolio and their general approach to the work, it takes time to feel sure you’re in good hands.
Our recent journey with our clients, Nancy and Byron, is an excellent example of how trust can grow between homeowners and designers, leading to stunning transformations.
Step by step, Nancy and Byron graciously offered us more and more trust, and you’ll see the results for yourself in the photos below. In fact, this project was so impactful that we realized it needed two blogs to tell the story! The “sequel” is coming soon.
In this two-part story, you’ll see how our clients’ trust was earned one step at a time, and how their journey can help you fulfill the vision for your home.
Step One: The Design Discovery Call
It was mid-September, and Nancy called me with many questions. She had found our website and felt we could be a good match for the refresh she wanted to accomplish in her bedroom.
However, I could tell she was hesitant because she had not heard of Adrette before. She said she was very impressed with our website, portfolio, and client stories, but of course, she wanted to meet the people behind the pictures she’d seen.
She explained that she and her husband Byron built their home on the outskirts of Salem 20 years ago and had a designer help them with their furnishings. After all these years, their primary bedroom needed a "refresh."
Her first question was, "Would we recover her existing cornice boards that they had made when their home was built?"
She also wanted to replace the custom-made bedding that was created for their room and now needed an updated look.
This might seem like pretty harmless questions, but they’re really an initial “trust test” for a designer. How they answer questions like these matters.
For example, many designers would bristle at the idea of using existing cornice boards for their new design. However, our real job is to listen to a client’s vision. There was something about the look of those cornices that was important to Nancy and Byron, so why wouldn’t we look for a way to understand why? Nancy needed to know I was hearing what was important about her vision for the room.
I asked her to send me photos of her existing cornice boards and bedding. By seeing the images, I knew that we would be able to help her.
This brings us to “trust test #2.” Many designers will launch into their qualifications and resume on a discovery call before taking time to listen to the client. They’ll talk about themselves before trying to understand the homeowner’s goals. As we said above, you need to know you’re going to be heard.
Now that Nancy had talked about her vision for the room, it was a good time to help her understand our approach and how we could help.
I shared with Nancy Adrette's history and business philosophy. I also shared about my design experience and custom window fashion expertise. I also mentioned that we have been working with designers of several high-end furniture stores in the Portland Metro area for the past 35 years, and she seemed impressed.
Nancy explained that the cornice boards on the windows hid Hunter Douglas Vignette shades that, when raised, showcased a spectacular view of The Cascade mountain range. She felt they would like to keep the shades (if possible) because they were motorized and still looked great.
Ah-ha! Now, the real reasons for Nancy’s love of the cornice boards were clear. They were an elegant solution for hiding a feature they loved about the room. (And homeowners LOVE their motorized shades. Who wouldn’t?) Thank goodness I hadn’t shut down her idea right away.
I gave her a ballpark estimate on an investment range for this project, and she was comfortable with it, so we moved to the next step, a design consultation. I asked her to send me additional photos of her bedroom so I could get a feel of their artwork and any upholstered pieces in the room.
We could probably call this “trust test #3.” You should expect a designer to dig deep and ask about the interior design that surrounds your windows. As we mentioned above, a good window treatment design integrates with the rest of the room.
Nancy explained that she liked cool colors and wanted to paint the walls and change out the carpeting. We also found out that, like the window shades, there were more pieces we would have to work around and coordinate with, such as a contemporary, Asian-inspired painting.
All of this was critical information that would inform Nancy’s design. By the time we ended the call, I understood the basics of her vision, and she knew she was working with someone who cared about bringing her vision to life.
Step Two: The On-Site Design Consultation
Prepping for an on-site design consultation is a joyful treasure hunt. I get to go into Portland’s finest fabric showrooms and search for rare and excellent materials for clients.
In my search for Nancy and Byron’s design consultation, I found many fabulous fabrics that could work in their bedroom. I was excited to make the trip to Salem, meet Nancy and her husband in person, and share my findings with them.
However, every time I make my first visit to a client’s home, I know another key “trust test” is at hand. Talking on the phone or Zoom is one thing. Entering their home and meeting face to face is quite another. A lot of trust is won or lost in how a consultation like this is approached.
Nancy and Byron were both lovely and welcoming, and Nancy and I went to work. Seeing their home in person, I fell in love with the grand views of the Cascade mountains, which could be enjoyed in nearly every room in the house.
Nancy’s bedroom BEFORE the design transformation.
The large bedroom also included a club chair and ottoman covered in a black and gold stripe. And as it turned out, we would address them later.
Our focus shifted to the original subjects of the design project: the window cornice boards and the custom bedding. I began laying out the fabric groups I had selected, inviting Nancy to join me in the decision-making process.
This, of course, is a really fun part of the process. This is where the homeowner gets to play with possibilities and imagine life in a transformed room.
We both immediately gravitated towards a floral Scalamandre embroidered linen as the focal point for the bed and the room. With its neutral background, the vines and leaves in soft golden tones, and the flowers in a splash of soft powder blue, we agreed it would be perfect for two king-size pillow shams.
We found a gold-colored velvet for the three back Euro shams, which served as a stunning contrast to their dark wooden headboard. Then, we chose a Kravet linen blend in a soft cream color for the bedspread. Together, we decided that the quilting pattern should be a wide channel pattern. The final touch to the bed was a mineral-toned silk fabric in a small pattern design for a bolster pillow.
The next question was, "What will we cover the cornice boards with?"
We were looking through the fabric books I had brought with me, and our eyes landed on a metallic-textured fabric from Kravet. It had just the right amount of sheen and an Asian feel that complemented the artwork across the room. The only challenge was that it was an unstable open-weave, and it would need to be backed by a fabric that would support it.
In the end, we were both happy with the fabric selections and excited about the design.
Step Three: The Details of Design
Designs are meant to be refined, down to the last detail. With custom window treatments, it’s never as simple as ordering a product and waiting for it to be shipped. Fabrics are fickle things. Their colors can change from lot to lot, and they can behave in unpredictable ways.
So, it’s crucial to test the materials being used for a design and confirm that all the details of the design are coming to life as planned. This is another hallmark you should look for from a trustworthy window treatment designer.
After my initial visit to Nancy and Byron’s home in Salem, I returned to the office in Portland, ordered larger samples of the fabrics, and reserved each with a "cutting for approval" to ensure the dye lots were correct. We also ordered two quilted samples in our chosen fabric for the bedspread, one with a 4" channel and the other with a 6" channel.
I told Nancy that I wanted to come to her home again and review the details of each sample with her before I released the fabrics to our artisan workroom for fabrication. I could feel she was relieved because I knew how overwhelming the first visit could be with all the decisions we had made.
On the second visit, we decided on the 6" channel for the quilted bedspread (because the design is simpler and not so busy), along with a reversible sham and tailored corners to make it easier for the couple to make the bed.
For the cornice board fabric, I had two samples of the fabric knit-backed, one with a black backing and one with a white backing, so that we could see each of these in the room. It is so essential to see fabrics in the home's natural lighting!
We also discussed whether to run the fabric with the texture running horizontally, which meant there would be visible seams, or to “railroad” the fabric. This meant the texture would run vertically by railroading it with no visible seams. Our choice was the no seams option with black fabric backing it.
We took one more look at the fabrics in the room and were so excited that this room was getting the new look it deserved. Fabrics have an energy to them, and when it's right, you can feel it.
Step Four: Fabrication and Installation
After a few weeks, the fabrics started to arrive, so our drapery installer went to Salem and picked up the existing cornice boards. They were the first items to be completed and reinstalled.
Installation is one of the most critical moments in the custom window treatment process. That’s why we only use experienced craftsmen for our installations.
After the bedding and pillows were ready, I took them to Salem. As Nancy and I placed them on the bed, we both felt they were even more beautiful than we had imagined.
When Trust Is Built, the Next Question Becomes, “What’s Next!?”
Sometimes clients hire us for massive, complete transformations of a home, but often, starting small is a great way to go.
Starting with a focused project in one room is a great way to make sure you fully trust your designer. You also get to see how impactful simple changes can be. Often, by the end of these projects, you’ll find yourself inspired and ask yourself, “What’s next!?”
By the time we had finished the windows and custom bedding in Nancy and Byron’s bedroom, another project was staring us in the face - the club chair and ottoman in the room. Reupholstering key furniture pieces in a room can truly pull everything together in a powerful way.
Looking at the club chair and ottoman, I asked Nancy what she wanted to do with these two pieces, and she said, "Yes, they needed to be recovered." The chair and ottoman had been custom-built when the house was new, so they were of high quality and well worth the investment to reupholster them.
In anticipation of this, I brought several fabric samples with me. After looking through them together, we decided to use the same velvet fabric we selected for the three Euro shams on the bed. We also found a perfect damask fabric in metallic bronze and metallic blue tones for a lumbar pillow on the chair.
When I was getting ready to leave, Nancy said, “Now, let's look at the living room and dining room!”
A trusted relationship had opened up all kinds of excitement and momentum about what was possible, and we were grateful we could continue the journey. We’ll share what happened in the other rooms in part two!
Find a Trusted Partner for Custom Window Treatment, Custom Bedding, and Custom Upholstery Transformations in Oregon.
Schedule a free design discovery call at our website. We’ll listen carefully to your goals and vision for your home and help you understand how to make them a reality. We can’t wait to meet you and help you make confident decisions that create warm, inspiring living spaces in your home.