Way back when I was in college, my roommates and I all headed to Kmart to buy these cheap poofy valances that picked up on some color from our Laura Ashley duvet covers. We'd push them along these extendable hanging rods and stuff them with newspaper for extra poofy-ness. Thank goodness my roommates, the design world and even Kmart have come a long way with window treatments since then. There are so many gorgeous options for wowing with these narrow design elements – lovely prints, curved shapes, boxy tailoring, tufting, ribbon borders ... here's a sampling of today's fresh valance designs.
Often a valance will add the only print and the only fabric to be found in a kitchen. This valance brings just the right amount of pattern and color to a sophisticated all-white kitchen.
This sun porch's ladylike scalloped valance looks like it could have been designed by Dorothy Draper herself. In fact, it was custom designed by interior designer Renée Hallberg. If custom is not in the cards for you, Hallberg recommends adding a colored tape border to ready-made valances to get a custom look.
Here is a clever way to use valances as part of an optical illusion: Extend them over the tops of the windows to the ceiling. This extends the eye up and makes your windows and your ceilings appear taller. The buttons along these tufted valances also add rhythm to the room.
A box valance with simple border trim has an architectural look that enhances these gridded steel windows. The window treatments soften the look overall, but maintain a tailored look thanks to their clean lines. It makes sense that the designer, Betsy Burnham, used to work in menswear for The Gap!
Find more inspiration from Kansas City architects and designers and more design professionals at Houzz.
1 comment:
OmG! I just had a flashback to stuffing big poufy Waverly fabric valances with newspaper!
Thanks for a trip down memory lane!
laura@imnotatrophywife.com
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