Tag Archives: curtains

Completed Curtains

Leave a comment

It is over 4 months since we made our first enquiries to get some screens and curtains. You can read about the initial contact and see the curtain fabric sample here. There have been a couple of significant delays. The fabric I chose for the curtains was not in stock and secondly, we changed our minds about the screens for the existing large doors in the front lounge as we decided to change the doors and therefore, the type of screens required.

The new doors were installed about a week ago.

The old ones being removed.

The new doors with the curtains drawn back. The configuration of the doors are the same, however, they are aluminium framed rather timber framed. This means they a much easier to slide, screens were simpler to fit and of course, there will be no constant maintenance of the timber. This is a significant issue as they face north and receive the full force of sun as well as wind and rain. Finally, I was actually surprised at how much more light is let in due to the narrower framing.

Here is a view with the curtains drawn.

And a close-up of the fabric.

I have made curtains before but I was not prepared to tackle a job on this scale. I was very happy to leave it to the professionals to make and hang these.

There is one more job to be done before these room is totally finished. There is a small window in the other corner which we having replaced with louvres to maximise the ventilation. That will installed later next month then I will order a new blind. I am thinking of choosing a plain colour – possibly a darker blue as seen in the curtains.

New Curtains

Leave a comment

Aside from the pantry and walk-in wardrobe alterations we also needed to consider some screens for the front of the house.

Last Friday a gentleman came to measure and quote for a security screen for the front door and look at options for screening the French doors in the sewing room as well as the large sliding doors which open from the lounge onto the front terrace.

While the weather is cool more than it is hot here, we still wanted to have the option of being able to open up these rooms without assorted insects entering uninvited.

We were also interested in alternative options to the plain grey roller blinds that are currently in the lounge. They are not practical for a number of reasons and also make the room look rather stark and industrial.

So, we have decided to remove the blinds and install curtains instead. Today we went to the showroom in Bendigo to choose the fabric for the curtains.

This is the room (albeit a bit dark) with the existing blinds.

This photo shows the colour of the sofa and chairs along with the wall.

Here is the fabric I have chosen for the curtains against the sofa and the wall.

I am looking forward to the difference it will make to this room.

Easily Distracted

2 Comments

Today was one of those days where one thing led to another.

After putting a load of washing in the machine I decided to put the recently delivered carton of wine away in the wardrobe in the third bedroom. Yes, that is our wine cellar at the moment.

One thing led to another and I put away the deflated air mattress from when we had houseguests several weeks ago. I put the folded blankets away in the drawers in the base of the guest bed and discovered some curtains I had stashed in there. They are the semi-sheer ones which were previously in the family room. I replaced them when we first arrived as provide neither privacy nor thermal comfort.

There are 8 narrow drops and I decided that I should probably give them away rather than hoarding them, however, GMan suggested that they could possibly be used in the 2 guest bedrooms. They are really a decorative addition as there are already honeycomb blinds. The rods were already in place as the previous owners had taken their curtains with them and just left the blinds.

So, I unpicked the hems and one side seam of each drop, sewed two drops together and rehemmed them to the correct length. I have finished the set for one spare room and am working on the ones for the other room. By sewing two drops together they are wide enough to draw across if desired but in the meantime they definitely create a more finished look to the room.

More Progress

Leave a comment

Since my last post we have continued to make progress in setting up our new home. A huge achievement has been to pass all of the unpacked boxes and packing materials to other people for reuse.

Meanwhile, I have continued to successfully trawl Facebook Marketplace to source items I need.

Today we picked up this dining table and chairs. We plan to sand, paint and update them at some stage but at the moment we don’t have any workspace in the shed – and it is too cold to consider working out there. I think that will be a project for the warmer weather.

Hanging the artwork above the table was another achievement for today.

The curtains were a new buy as I decided that the semi-sheer ones that were already hung were not really suitable as we approach winter. The creases have not really dropped out yet but once they do we will adjust the position of the curtain rail to suit the length of the curtains.

A couple of days ago we picked up this desk to use in my sewing room.

I am working on finding homes for everything in the kitchen and the office and will share a bit more about those spaces in upcoming posts.

Windows – Cleaning and Curtains

5 Comments

When we moved into this house 6 years ago there were no curtains.  There are still no curtains.

Since we moved we have had all of the windows replaced and redecorated all of the rooms except for the bathroom.  We live on a local road in a rural area with no immediate neighbours.  The native shrubs planted on the verge provide quite a good screen and privacy is not an issue.

I have half-heartedly debated the need for curtains and until recently my laziness has won.  However, a couple of months ago I was actually contemplating getting blinds/curtains to suit the living room as well as 2 of the bedrooms and the study.  Sanity prevailed and I realised that I would be spending money on soft furnishings that would make the rooms look smaller, need maintenance and were really not required.  What was I thinking?

We have stunning views of our gardens and surrounding vegetation which are far better than the fanciest window treatments so we are going to keep the windows ‘au naturale’.

The only exception is the living room where it would be nice to draw something across the wide expanse of glass during the winter evenings.  Now I have to try to decide what is the most suitable covering.  There are floor to ceiling louvres at the end of the room as well as other louvres immediately above a low bookcase and yet more near the fireplace.  Whatever I choose needs to be simple and streamlined to stay in keeping with the style of the house and be safe near the fireplace.  I would love to hear your experiences and suggestions.

2011-11-30 01These are the louvres at the end of the living room.  It is very obvious that they definitely need cleaning which is  the only downside of no window coverings.  Today I have done the kitchen windows as well as the laundry and toilet windows.  I hope to finish the rest of the house on the weekend.

2011-11-30 02A view like this makes washing up almost fun.

2011-11-30 03I need to work out a schedule for cleaning windows and I think that I need to do the kitchen and living room every 2-3 months.  The bedroom ones can probably go a little longer.  How often do you clean your windows?  Do you do all of the windows or do you completely clean room by room?