lady blogger ms.
decorno, recently asked one of her timeless classic "yes or no" questions about bamboo shades- which really means she just wants free advice from her decorator friends, but that's ok- we get so much enjoyment from the hilarious, snarky (and occasionally vicious) comments section on her blog, we don't mind doling out a bit of free advice in exchange! ;-) plus, we're glad she is back- we missed our decorno while she was on hiatus.
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| woven wood shades, from a m21 project in progress |
so yes, lady d, bamboo shades are a timeless decorator classique which we all know and love (see the dark mahogany top-down shades we
just installed at a client's in the above photo). woven wood shades (as we call them in the business) are often, but not always, made of bamboo, and can bring an air of casual sophistication to a formal room, or a bit of global chic to more modern decor- but warning, use wisely- pairing them with too much global eclecticism, especially of the chinois variety, can result in your home looking like a pier one or cost plus store. not so chic.
and speaking of pier one or cost plus- do not buy the cheap shades with the little exposed metal hangers up top from either place (unless you are a college student living on top ramen), they look like complete poo-poo, and never go up and down smoothly after you hang them; instead, get proper shades, which fold up or down like a roman shade, with decent hardware up top for the raising/lowering mechanism (usually concealed by a self-valance). my advice is to purchase from a reputable local dealer to save yourself the heartache of measuring incorrectly when ordering online- almost all brick and mortar curtain showrooms sell and install for not much more then an online source. if you are a little DIY savvy and think you can successfully measure and install yourself, try the
shade store or
smith + noble (both of whom, btw, also will send someone to measure and install for an additional fee, so really in this instance it works out the same as buying local from your mom and pop curtain place).
a way to dress up woven wood shades, as we did in the above photo, is to layer curtain panels over them on either side, and if you *really* want to gussy them up, you can layer them under a fabric valance, similar to what is layered over the pale, custom-colored
matchstick (tiny reeds) woven wood shades, in the below photo (from a project m21 worked on with his former employer over a decade ago see? timeless classique!)
now put up your damn shades, already, lady d! your neighbor chad really doesn't mind looking in, but he'd like it to be an elective exercise, not mandatory!
