That "Ball Gown" Look for Your Draperies

You just need a designer to achieve that elegant nonchalance in your draperies. They have to hang just so, and they have to graze the floor just so, and they must have that thick, crunchy feel, like a heavy satin duchesse ball gown. You know they were pressed, but now they look like they might have danced all night long. That's when you know your draperies are perfect!

gorgeous citron draperies in front of twelve-foot French doors

special custom hardware is essential for proper

installation and hanging for draperies

draperies are lined and include wands for

opening and closing

You can't do this yourself. Forget Pottery Barn and what they would like for you to think, and heaven forbid you seek elegant nonchalance at the "I" place (you know...lots of white melamine furniture, bright colors, great swedish meatball lunch counter!)

No, to navigate the calamitous waters of custom draperies, you must have a designer who possesses the wisdom to:

1. know fabric: how yard$ and yard$ of it will look hanging in front of your windows

2. decide just how high to hang your drapery hardware, how wide to hang the draperies, and how long they should be.

3. understand the mood you want in your room

4. never, ever let you hang a big old paisley pattern that will look hideous with your big old floral sofa, no matter what they tell you about mixing patterns in the magazines

That's it!

Oh, and yes, your designer must also know how much fabric and lining you need, how much hardware and where to get it, the style of header you will need and how to install it all. And where to get them made up for you.

You will feel like Cinderella (before midnight) every time you walk into your room!

............................

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Now Even I Can Have a Tiny Footprint!

*not my actual feet, fyi!*

And that's no small thing. My dogs clock in at size 10 and holding! Never mind all the jokes about being a great swimmer...I always wanted smaller feet! Now I can have them!

If I :

change all my light bulbs to cfl's, 

don't run the water while I brush my teeth,  

recycle like mad, 

compost then grow my own veg, 

team up for errand-running, 

turn down the thermostat and wear my woolies, 

bike to the market, 

thumbs down to excessive packaging, 

use things up,

use used things more, 

dine with cloth not paper napkins, 

turn off my computer, 

unplug all things, 

learn about, buy and use green cleaning stuff, 

swim to Europe my next vacation, 

buy locally produced goods and services, 

visit flea markets more, 

fix broken things...

..I will have a smaller (carbon) footprint!

It's really that simple. Just adjust every single aspect of your current reality, and make it work. It's the only choice that makes any sense at all. 

Think how dainty you will look in your next (locally produced?) Manolos!

local glass blower in Sonoma County, makes incredible lights

one of my favorite flea market haunts

make wonderful things out of stuff you find, like this light

bye!

Hotel Triton...Retrofuturistic, Tres Chic, and Green

The winter, even in San Francisco, can wear on a designer. We love color, light, texture. At first we embrace the rains and fogs, with their oh-so-chic palettes of greys, off whites, cool blues, slates. But now, February, some color and a bit of zing is a welcome sight. 

So when I met my client at Cafe de la Presse for a little morning cappuc' & croissant, we wandered next door. If the espresso had not done its work of shaking off our slumbering mood, the lobby of the Hotel Triton would have. Definitely. 

In a dizzying, riveting 360 degree mural surrounding the lobby and rising 30 feet, I.M.Pei's daughter-in-law, Kari Pei rocked the Pantones. Were all the cool people acting nonchalant as they i-Phoned in their next big deal on the banquettes? Yes.

But for me, well, my blood pressure rose a few points. It's like walking straight into a Chihouly and taking a seat for a ride through the looking glass. 

Did my head spin? Yes.

2009...The Designer is Now Invisible

This just in. It is now quite passe to see your designer in your home's interiors. The designer of today must be transparent; her job is to create for you that which cannot be duplicated:  a bespoke home.

Gone are the days when a designer could create his/her own look and have clients dying to get just "that" look. They don't fall for that. No, the client in 2009 is far more sophisticated and craves four things:

1. Refinement: lots of custom touches, including having some artisinal things that are old and slightly worn, unique fabrics, rugs and wallcoverings, pieces made that fit them exclusively and showcase their collections, carefully orchestrated palettes that flow from their inspiration, sumptuous fabrics, textures, art

2. Time: carefree materials, kitchens carefully designed with ergonomic zones in mind, mini-kitchens throughout the home, laundry facilities located where they are needed, homes wired for security, for convenience

3. Comfort: well insulated from noise and temperature extremes; soft landing places, soothing fabrics and finishes, sustainable, non-toxic materials

4. Privacy: slipping in a side door unnoticed to view design proposals works for today's clients; the end goal is not to have your rooms show up all over the media; no one wants their private spaces on view any more 

It's a wise designer who knows in her heart that it is the client's home after all. The designer will not live there, the client will, in a bespoke home like no other. 

And that is very good news. 

Friends in High, Green Places

Liz Goldsmith. She is a renaissance woman. She knows what is good for you and your home long before you do. And she is brilliantly well connected to boot. 

If you like the new look of my blog, it's thanks to her. She took my blog to school...to the graduate class in e-commerce she teaches at Florida State University. That class of very hip, bright and with-it students took their time to study my blog and came up with great ideas and suggestions, some of which I have already incorporated. I am looking forward to a group shot of this remarkable class, in particular Brittany C. Jones and Amanda Conseur. Many thanks!

Then Liz sent me her latest book, Green Cleaning for Dummies, which is the sine qua non on going green in the most basic & healthful way. Get this book now, before you go out and buy one more bottle of bleach. Create a safer, softer, cleaner home environment. Sleep better. Reduce health risks. Make your world smell better. 

Get this book for your cleaning crew, if you are lucky enough to have one. Give it to your office manager at work, give it to your mother, your brother, your doctor, your grocer. Educate yourself and use the information in this book to change your life now and for good.

Then, stay tuned. Elizabeth Goldsmith has another book just published I can't wait to read:  Green Your Home. Also available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders online. 

Use that mouse instead of leaving the house and order both these books today. Your mother (earth) will thank you, your body will love you, your children will breathe easier.