We have just returned from a fabulous day at Decorex International 2013 in the grounds of Kensington Palace (though we could easily have spent another whole day as there were so many great exhibitors). Decorex is THE exhibition of the year for “Luxury Design” and is primarily focused on trade customers, but does admit consumers on the final day of the show. Next year’s dates are not yet available but if you would like us to keep you informed, please let us know.  Whilst in London we also took the opportunity to visit Focus/13 at Chelsea Design Centre, so as you can imagine a very busy day indeed!

Let’s start with fabrics on this weblog. With lots of companies launching new collections there was a huge amount to see and there was real air of energy and optimism amongst the exhibitors.  Over the next few weeks and months we will be updating the weblog with some of the exciting new companies we have found and indeed the new collections being launched by some of our old favourites.

One theme that definitely came through strongly again was embroidered fabrics.  GP&J Baker have launched a number of new books with some fabulously embroidered designs.  So hard to chose one or  two special ones to show you but these two ranges caught our eye.

Jane Churchill has also just launched some new ranges with lots of colour and beautiful patterns, the photographs that we took really don’t do justice to these lovely fabrics, but we just wanted to share them with you as they are so gorgeous.

As you can see from this image, the colours are most definitely bright and exuberant  this season and almost all of the companies were showcasing vibrant colours.  We really liked the Manuel Canovas range shown on this sofa too although you may need sunglasses if you are looking at it every day!

If we had to narrow it down to a particular colour of the season it would be that wonderful bright, rich, warm and fun ORANGE , in fabrics, wall coverings, furniture and accessories.  A great colour as we hurtle towards darker evenings and autumn.

Over the next few weeks and months the new books that we have ordered will be making their way to our showroom, along with new lamps, side tables and furniture so do pop in if you fancy updating a room or even a piece of furniture with some new cushions or throws.

We love making fabric headboards for our clients, we can create them in so many different styles, fabrics, shapes and sizes.  A brilliant way to add a touch of luxury to your room.  We normally recommend that the headboards are fixed to the wall rather than the bed itself – so much easier to make the bed or to pull the bed out.  We have simple brackets which are attached to the wall and to the headboard allowing for it to be removed quickly and easily for cleaning or decorating.  Don’t forget though, the same rule about about flame retarding the fabric applies.

Clients often ask me if the bed would slide across the room if they sat up in bed and leaned against the headboard – highly unlikely  given the weight of quality modern  beds, though the thought does make me smile. Worst job ever is pulling out the bed to clean beneath, definitely not to be tackled on your own as a physio friend  specialising in bad backs once told me.

A stunning fabric by Colefax in a simple but classic style.

Wool is ideal for this task as it is naturally flame retardant and adds an element of fun. Trimmed with a row of antique brasss studs for the final touch. The fabric is by Moon, English wools at their best.

For this version I was asked to create that Boutique hotel look, we used two fabrics by Zinc for that wow factor.

And completely the opposite in every way, a country look with a delicate printed linen fabric by Kate Forman

Two examples for the keen DIYer. The one on the left has an embroidered linen panel in fabric by Jane Churchill, attached right around the headboard so that it is removable for cleaning – very practical – and could even be done over one you may have already. The second one uses applique and buttons to make something really unique in oddments of plain fabric.

  If you would like further details of any of the fabrics or examples we have shown, please just contact us – we are always happy to help.

In an earlier post I described how we had used a Romo linara fabric in one neutral and two bright colours to make a bordered curtain – but never actually showed the finished room –  well here it is.

Blinds are in a Harlequin fabric, chairs in a coordinating check will be added in due course to complete the room.

A lovely barn conversion with a bedroom offering a few challenges.

1. The window on the left went right to the wall leaving no space for a finial.
2.  Some boxing in at the base of the wall on the left hand side meant floor length curtains could be tricky.
3.  The head of the window was low
4.  The window came close to a neighbours boundary so something was required at the window for privacy.
5.  The client wanted impact without fuss and interesting detail.

The first part of the plan was to use an operational Roman blind mounted almost at the top of the wall and for the large mirror to leave enough space for the Roman blind, the Walcott pole and the dress curtain on the left hand side of the window. A polyester linen sheer on a Silent Gliss 1090 track was installed for privacy.

Add dress curtains in a silk/linen mix by Wemyss Houles with a lovely detailed heading. The bottom hem of the curtain was cut and shaped around the boxing. The room instantly looks taller and with the huge mirror in place looks much larger too.

The quilting and the bedspread were made to our exact specification by Cliq designs.

These turquoise studs which have been pushed through a double pleated heading are perfect with the design of the bedspread fabric. Walcott have such a stunning range of curtain hardware and have lots of really innovative ideas for curtain hanging systems.

The exquisite velvet headboard was made by our wonderful upholsterer Stephen Ball.

And even the handles for the wardrobes fitted in beautifully with the scheme!!!

Most importantly , our client was thrilled with the end result.

This week I had a flying visit to Decorex and Focus and I came home inspired and so pleased that I had made the effort to go. It is almost an annual pilgrimage For those of you who don’t know what Decorex and Focus are please allow me to explain. I do hate it when people “in the know” expect the rest of the world ” to know” as well.

For designers, retailers and specifiers -in other words the trade, there is a wonderful venue in London called Chelsea Harbour. In effect it is like a very smart shopping mall with each of the shops being a trade showroom showing everything that the companies have to offer, be it lighting (Besselink and Jones, Porta Romana, Bella Figura to mention but a few), fabrics, furniture, bathroom fittings etc etc. Be warned they all tend to be middle to very high in the price range but it is very inspirational. The companies do not allow you to buy direct from them but will always give you small samples and point you in the direction of your nearest stockist.

Twice a year (in March and September) to coincide with the launch of new ranges there is almost a party atmosphere at Chelsea Harbour when all the representatives converge on London and people like myself arrive to join the party and see what will be appearing in our showrooms, and therefore our homes, next. This is Focus.

In late September, to coincide with this, there is also an exhibition in a vast, and very smart marquee. For the last few years this has been held in the grounds of Chelsea hospital, the home of the wonderful Chelsea Pensioners, though I understand next year they are moving venue. This is Decorex which gives companies who do not have a London showroom, and also newer companies just trying to get a foothold in the marketplace, to show their products. Believe me though it is still in very luxurious surroundings. These events are mostly restricted to the trade but both venues do have general public sessions which are usually advertised in the top homes magazines a month or so before.

As there are two venues there are also a stream of courtesy executive mini buses and chauffeured Range Rovers to take you between them and one or two showrooms such as Osborne and little and Designers Guild on the Kings Road. So all in all, hard work on the feet but very pleasurable and inspirational.

Having given that very long winded explanation I thought I would show you some of the photographs I took to give you a glimpse of what is on offer this season. For me the exciting thing is that fabrics have come alive again, rooms are adaptable and fun, perhaps celebrating emerging from the recession which has been so difficult for everyone???

 We really loved this recent project which was for customers  from London with a young family.  They have a Victorian semi with a large bay window on the front of the house and at the opposite end of the large sitting/family room, tall French doors leading onto the garden.

The fabric the client fell in love with for the Roman blinds in the bay,was a colourful appliqued fabric by Harlequin and she asked us to design something colourful and unusual, for curtains on the french doors.  We used a combination of three colours of  Romo Linara – one of our favourite fabrics for these occasions.  Well priced, a good colour range and easy to work with.  Hard wearing too for upholstery or loose covers.

We cut and joined the main fabric then cut out the coloured sections as shown below;

The next step was to lay the strips onto the main curtain and machine stitch them into position, as the fabric frays a little we made certain we cut exactly with the grain of the fabric and used a strip of narrow iron on Bondaweb on the back of the fabric to hold it in position. The last stage of this process is to use a close together zig zag stitch to hold all the layers in place and complete the “appliqué” process.  From this point we made the curtain up as normal with interlining and a pinch pleated heading.  I am hoping to be able to add a picture of the completed curtains when I have the opportunity to visit.

In the meantime here is one last photograph taken in haste on the shipping date so I am afraid it isn’t arranged in a very artistic fashion.  The checked fabric was used for a chair and footstool the sofas were of a neutral colour.

Sometimes new customers call me in to look at a new project and apologise because it may still be a building site or they don’t really know what they want because the property is sufficiently advanced for them to get a true “feel” of the way the rooms will be when completed.

Believe me this is the best time to start – if for no other reason than I can talk to the builders about where tracks, poles and blinds are potentially going to be fitted. With the “dot and dab” type walls, which are truly wonderful for insulation, the insertion of wood behind the insulated board is critical if any great weight is to be put onto fixing brackets.  Even if you fix through the boards onto the stone or brickwork beneath with very long screws the cantilever effect in the comparatively soft board is asking for trouble.

There is a really simple way around this problem though and in my experience builders are quite happy to work with us on this one because it saves them hassle later.

If you have a window similar to the one shown below you are going to need three fixings for the two end brackets and the centre bracket.

The pieces of wood or “noggins” (isn’t that a wonderful word) should be larger than any potential bracket you may use, about 30mm thick if possible and screwed directly onto the wall.  Make sure you allow sufficient distance past the edge of the windows for the end brackets.  The builder then cuts back the insulation at the back of the insulated board to fit over the noggins so the finished surface is flush with the rest of the wall. Easy if done at this stage !!!

If the window  is very large, and you want to use a smaller diameter, more modern style of pole,  you will need to use quite a number of brackets across the window with passing rings and special passing brackets and of course this means that you will also need to put more wooden sections behind the board or for ease I usually suggest one long piece of wood as shown in the diagram below. Depending on the brackets you could use a more narrower piece of wood.

Passing Ring  &  Passing Bracket

 
Hope that helps.

My next weblog will hopefully show you pictures of a wonderful new fabric range that is aimed at children but has other uses too.  It is gorgeous and there were plenty of oohs and aahs when our lovely agent Russell brought them in to show us today.

This has got to be my most unusual request from a customer. We were fortunate to work with a very lovely client with a beautiful holiday cottage in our area. One day she came into our showroom with her husband who had a large sticking plaster on his head.  She had a request, for us to make a removable, cleanable, padded cover to cover a beam that was in a very tricky position at the top of the stairs.  Most people had learned to duck but her husband was quiet tall and had collided with the beam on a number of occasions, the latest being that morning. The following pictures show the solution !

Starting work with two layers of polyester and a layer of woollen wadding

Rear View of fitted "beam cover"

After 44 years my industry still makes me smile!

Our training courses are back and we are very excited about it !!!

It has been a few years now since we held courses and we are still asked about them.  So with much consultation with “the team” here, we are hosting a selection of days full of professional information and inspiring ideas for students of all levels, they are also infomal and fun. Whether you want to make curtains and blinds professionally or just want to make curtains to be really proud of for your own home, our courses are perfect for you. For the basic curtain day all we ask is that you can hand sew to a reasonable level and can use a basic sewing machine – you can leave the rest to us.

Initially we are running just three days but if you can’t make these dates, there will be more to follow as workroom commitments allow. Courses are for a maximum of 6 people, why not come with a friend or give a course as a gift to someone special.

Our workroom

From Stables to showroom/workroom in 150 years

Street view

Basic Curtain making 

This course will start from the absolute basics so if curtain making is something you have always wanted to try or you have tried and aren’t happy with the results – this course is the one for you.

• Measuring your window
• Choosing the correct fabric and style
• Calculating fabric quantities
• Cutting
• Matching patterns
• Making up a sample curtain
• Simple headings

This course is for those who wish to take their curtain making further and builds upon the skills from our beginners course or previous experience.  Interlined curtains are perfect for adding that luxurious touch to any room as well as being an amazing asset to keeping out the cold.

• Types of suitable fabrics
• Which weight of interlining to use
• making up an interlined sample curtain
• Calculating and forming hand pleated headings
• Fitting and dressing curtains

 Roman Blind Making

Roman blinds can look stunning in any manner of design styles. Their simplicity works with both modern and traditional and is a useful way of using a costly fabric without breaking the budget.

• Measuring
• Selecting fabric
• Calculations,
• Blind systems
• Cutting and placing the pattern
• Making up a sample blind
• Fitting

email enquiries@whitemoreandthwaytes.co.uk

Hope to see you on a course – just ring for dates

Kind regards

Maureen