A Collected Home, Beautifully Finished
Custom Drapery, Roman Shades & Woven Woods for a Chattanooga-Area Home
After more than 30 years in the Chattanooga-area home where they raised their family, this retired couple knew they were ready for an update, but they didn’t want to lose the character that made their home feel like theirs.
The answer wasn’t a complete redesign. Instead, we created custom window treatments room by room, using linen and linen-blend draperies, airy Roman shades, woven wood shades, velvet drapery and custom hardware to complement a lifetime of beautifully collected furnishings.
And there was plenty of character worth preserving.
Our client has been an antiques dealer for many years, and the rooms reflect a lifetime of collecting: beautiful antiques alongside newer furnishings, rich color, meaningful pieces, and a truly exceptional vintage chandelier in the dining room.
Our goal wasn’t to reinvent this home. It was to add a layer it had been missing for more than three decades: beautifully designed custom window treatments that would enhance everything already there.
The Great Room: Custom Linen-Blend Draperies
The expansive great room called for something with presence, but not something that would compete with the furnishings.
Beginning with a hand-drawn concept sketch, we designed tall, operable drapery panels in a linen-blend fabric, installed on simple custom iron hardware.
The height of the panels draws the eye upward, emphasizing the room’s soaring proportions, while the soft folds of fabric create an elegant backdrop across the large expanse of windows and doors.
With four separate panels spanning the room, careful measurement and planning were essential. Every proportion, return and placement was considered before fabrication and installation.
The finished treatment looks wonderfully simple, and that is precisely the point. Thoughtful planning and expert installation allow all of the work behind the scenes to disappear.
The result: effortless sophistication.
The Sitting Room: Linen Draperies & Batiste Roman Shades
In the sitting room, with its unforgettable green velvet sofa and mix of collected furnishings, the approach became lighter and softer.
Linen drapery panels frame the windows, while Roman shades fabricated from an unlined batiste gently diffuse the natural light.
Rather than obscuring the windows or changing the character of the room, the treatments soften the sunlight and add another subtle layer of texture. Custom brass hardware provides warmth and refinement without becoming a focal point.
The room still feels bright and airy, just more finished.
The Dining Room: Custom Draperies That Complement the Collection
The same combination of linen panels, unlined batiste Roman shades and custom brass hardware continues into the dining room, creating a visual connection between the spaces.
Here, however, the window treatments have another important role: providing a quiet backdrop for their antiques.
At the center is a magnificent vintage chandelier, one of the finest we’ve encountered. Rather than competing with such a special piece, the window treatments frame the room with softness and elegance, allowing the chandelier and collected furnishings to command the attention they deserve.
It’s an important principle of good window treatment design: the treatment doesn’t always need to be the star. Sometimes its job is to make everything around it look even better.
The Primary Bedroom: Woven Wood Shades & Velvet Draperies
The primary bedroom called for an entirely different mood.
Deep green envelops the room, and instead of breaking up the color story, we embraced it. Classic woven wood shades introduce organic texture, layered with rich velvet draperies in a complementary green.
The draperies extend to the floor with a luxurious puddle, continuing the room’s color-drenched effect and adding softness against the saturated walls and architectural details.
The Finished Home
Although every room called for its own solution, the treatments share a common purpose.
They weren’t designed to announce themselves.
Instead, they complement the homeowner’s carefully collected furnishings—old and new—while adding softness, proportion, texture and polish. Each treatment feels as though it belongs to the home and, perhaps most importantly, belongs to the people who have loved it for more than 30 years.
As our client shared:
“We were so amazed at how each room warmed up with just the right window treatments, especially since we went over 30 years without! … These beautiful window treatments exceeded our expectations!”
Sometimes transforming a home doesn’t mean starting over.
Sometimes it means recognizing what’s already wonderful, and adding the thoughtful details that allow it to shine.
Project Details
Custom linen-blend drapery • Linen drapery panels • Unlined batiste Roman shades • Woven wood shades • Velvet drapery • Custom iron hardware • Custom brass hardware • Professional fabrication & installation