We thought we would start making some new videos to show you how we make our custom silk drapery, custom linen drapery and window treatments here at DrapeStyle.  Over the next few months we’ll be adding videos that we hope you enjoy.  Look forward to your feedback as always!

Making Custom Silk and Linen Drapes at DrapeStyle

If you have spent anytime looking for custom drapery online at places like Restoration Hardware drapery and Smith and Noble you will certainly notice the resurgence of Linen as the fabric of choice. It really is amazing that a fabric that has been around for literally thousands of years would still be as relevant today as it was then. Linen Custom Drapery has been a perennial favorite at DrapeStyle for well over a decade. It’s versatile, comfortable, economical and environmentally sustainable. If you are looking for custom linen drapery please be sure to see our entire collection and compare our Made in the USA Construction and prices.

DrapeStyle is pleased to introduce our new line of Custom Window Treatments and Drapery in Kravet Fabrics.  This gorgeous line of fabrics features exclusive design collaborations by Windsor Smith, Thom Felicia, Lee Jofa and Candice Olson.  Of course each set of drapery will be handmade to order in our California Studio.

See the full line of Kravet Fabrics in our Couture Section.

Lee Jofa - New Shiraz - Pink

At DrapeStyle we have been selling Woven Wood Shades for over a decade and we are happy to be expanding our Online Shade Store product line. Starting in June of 2012 we will be adding over 25 new Woven Shade and Custom Wood Shades. All of our Designer Shades are made of renewable natural woods, grasses and bamboo and are fabricated right here in the USA. Look for pricing of up to Half Off what you would expect to pay elsewhere and most items will ship in 10 days or less!

So people will ask me..”What do you do for a living?” and I always respond with “I manufacture custom drapes”. Almost always the response is “Well you don’t actually make them here in America do you?”.

It really is incredible how American Manufacturing is almost all but extinct. People who actually make things here built the foundation for America. They powered us through World War Two and created generations of skilled artisans.

The industrial revolution propelled the United States to it’s prominence in the World as a true “Super Power”. It brought us wealth and security. It provided our Workers with an “Honest Days Pay for an Honest Days Work”. It help build our value system.

Today we living in the “Electronic Revolution” where nearly everything we do is on some type of “electronic platform”. We are captivated with instant messaging and immediate availability of nearly everything we desire.

Circa 1940 Singer Drapery Tacker

At DrapeStyle we are embracing both the old an the new. We still manufacture our drapery on machines that are older than any Employee we have, and probably older than the combined ages of our Web Developers. I actually love our machines. I don’t spend nearly as much time with them as I do my shiny new iMac or my iPad but I will often walk our onto our production floor and look at some of our old Singers and think that they were the most state of the art equipment of their era. And the reality of it is, they will still be state of the art when my iPad is long obsolete.

Our Design Team couldn’t be happier about the new Schumacher Fabrics we have just introduced at DrapeStyle. Schumacher has long been known for their luxurious fabrics and now we can create your most inspired Schumacher Custom Drapes or Roman Shades from them in as little as 3-4 weeks!

Please keep an eye out for new additions and remember, we make all of our custom drapery right here in our California Studio in any size you can imagine!

Sorry – Been a long break in Blog Updates and this one will not be very long. I wanted to just let everyone know that silk prices continue to climb.

The price that we pay for silk fabrics are directly related to the price of raw silk that is sourced primarily in China. I don’t want to bore you with the entire “silk fabric story” but I’ll give you a little background.

Like many larger drapery manufacturers, DrapeStyle imports the majority of our silk fabrics directly from mills in India. Most of the fabric mills in the US that were producing silks have all but vanished.

The silks that we purchase are woven or “spun” from raw silk that is produced by silk worms in China. You may remember studying the “Silk Road” in high school. The raw silk is shipped to India where it is spun into silk fabrics. From there the fabric is shipped all over the world. This is pretty much the fabric industry in a nutshell.

So here is where we run into some problems. Like any commodity such as corn, wheat or pork for that matter, raw silk is a natural product that is actually produced from silk worms. When the “crop” is good, pricing is low. Unfortunately for all of us who rely on Silk Fabrics the “crop” has been very bad for the last couple of years. The worms aren’t producing and, as a result, our silk pricing has more than doubled in the last 12-14 months.

We certainly hope that the pricing won’t stay this high for long. In the interim we will be bringing in some great new designs in Polyester (not your grandma’s polyester) and Linen.

Thanks for checking in with DrapeStyle!

When you are at work, you want to create a comfortable environment while you and your employees are clocking in 40 hours (or more) weekly. Create a home away from home as you whistle while you work with the right window treatments.

Make your employees and clients or customers feel as if they are in the best business by glamming up your decor with shades. Window treatments are great for lawyer’s offices, doctor’s offices and more to create a comfy environment. Whether you select impressive roman-style shades or even woven wood shades, you will make people who enter your office feel more comfortable and they’ll even view your business as more professional. Remember, first impressions are everything from the way you present yourself and the surroundings around you.

You can also add an extra designer touch to shades by adding drapes. From linen drapes in solids and patterns to the classic look of velvet drapes, you add an amazing professional look to the interior of your office. Even better, you can install drapes that match your company’s colors.

An added bonus of installing window treatments is that they can even help you save on business overhead by reducing the amount of energy you need to keep the office warmer or cooler. With energy costs rising, save money for other aspects of your business! Remember that during the summer, you will need to draw together the treatments that receive the most light from the sun. In the winter you will need to close the treatments at night to retain heat in your business; during the day you will want to keep the treatments closed on windows that do not receive direct sunlight.

By purchasing window treatments with insulation, you can save 33 percent on your energy bill. Best of all, doing so is good for the environment by reducing the need for energy and its production byproducts. Also, the window treatments can block harmful UV rays.

Kids Drapes by DrapeStyle!

With a baby on the way, planning the nursery is a big (and fun) priority for most parents. From the toys to the crib, parents need to make sure that all the elements of the nursery need to blend together to create an aesthetically pleasing room for the baby. Pull the nursery’s look together with your window treatments.

Whether you are having a boy or a girl, remember to create a continuous design by having your window treatments match your crib set. You don not have to use the same pattern for your treatments as the one on the comforter. However, the style should be the same. For example, if you are expecting a girl, you might be envisioning lots of ribbons in her room. Give the nursery a girl’s touch with sheer draperies in pink and white that will bring in beautiful soft light during the day. You can even install drapes in white and pink solids or even girlish stripes in those colors. To further give a girlish feel, install a valance over the window to make a room fit for your little princess.

Expecting a boy? Baby boy decor usually involves teddy bears, sports or trains. Decorate your little man’s room in drapes or sheers in either white or blue. Striped drapes also create a captivating look for any boy’s nursery.

Give your child a world of color by even mixing and matching drapes and sheers together. Consider color themes such as blue and brown or light green for boys. These color themes will go great for rooms that are following a theme of cowboy, nautical, Camelot, nursery rhymes, dragons or pirates. For your little girls, install window treatments in cotton candy pink and brown or even light purple. These colors will go along beautifully with the following themes: princess, fairy tales, fairies or ballerinas.

The big delivery is on its way. Prepare your nursery with beautiful sheer and drapery window treatments from DrapeStyle.

There is no better way to update any room in your home with window treatments. However, before you purchase them it might be the time to bust out the measuring tape to properly determine how long and wide your drapes or shades need to be.

When you begin, remember to measure from where you will be placing your rod first if it has not been placed already. Rods are usually mounted about 2 or 4 inches above the window frame (This could be different if you don’t have much space between the top of the frame and the ceiling of the room). Also, a rod is mounted 1 to 4 inches beyond a window frame’s width. If your window frame is anywhere from 48 to 86 inches wide, your rod is going to need a central bracket to support the rod. Remember that this is your window — use a judgment call on what looks best to you.

If you are planning on placing long, full-length draperies in a room then measure from the base of the rod to the floor. If you have clip rings on your rod, measure from those to the floor. Add an inch or two to the length if you want the drapes to gently touch the floor in the room. In terms of width, measure how wide the window frame is. You will want to add 6 inches to each side of the window frame measurement so your drapes will be long enough. Multiply the width of the window frame by two or even three to create gathered-looking drapes that will add a luxurious feel for your room.

Opting for hanging shades instead of drapes? Shades can add an airy feeling to any room! If you want inset shades, just measure inside the window frame. If you are hanging outset shades, make sure you use a Rule of Twos: 2 inches above the window frame as well as measuring 2 inches at the side of the window frame.

Are you all measured up and ready to order your drapes?

The family room is a great place to spend quality time with your friends, spouse and/or children. It is usually the favorite room in the house where the family can gather to watch television or a movie or just play a board game on a Friday night. So why not create an inviting room by starting off with the window treatments? They will help you create the right mood for the family room whether you want to create a feeling of fun or comfort.

When selecting your window treatments, try to go along with the color of your furniture. For example, if the upholstery on your sofa is a soft chocolate brown, accent it with brown silk drapes and maybe even white sheers to create a balanced flow throughout the room. Also make sure that the drapes compliment the color of the walls. Using the soft chocolate brown example again, draperies in those colors will go great with a gold cream colored wall, creating a beautiful contrast. By selecting long draperies, you help elongate your family room. Just remember that the longer the drapes, the more dignified and formal the look will be.

You can gain more light in the family room by installing sheers. Sheers allow sunlight to shine through them, so you don’t have to use lighting during the day. If you opt to place shades instead, think woven shades. These go well with furniture of any color. If you have a lot of wooden furniture in your family room such as a coffee table or end-tables, woven shades match them perfectly, creating a seamless look.

Thinking of a more romantic look? Then consider using fabric as a swag over the draperies. These can be placed dramatically along a decorative rod or pole in place of a valance.

Whether you are planning on creating a family room or updating a current one, you can find the perfect window treatments at DrapeStyle.

The bedroom is the most personal room in our homes. It’s where we go to at night to reflect on our day and rest. Since a bedroom should be very comfortable and relaxing so you can sleep, give it your own touch when you select your window treatments.

Most important when picking out your window treatments is to make sure they match your bedding. For example, if you have floral bedding you may want to continue the airy feeling with silk green draperies in a green color with white sheers. If you have bedding in a solid color or even patterns, make sure to complement the colors when you pick out your drape colors. You can also add sheers along with the drapes. Give your window treatments a more dignified look by placing a valance or swag at the top. In terms of protecting your furnishings from being damaged by sunlight, choose a color and material that will not fade over time if you have a south-facing bedroom.

One thing to remember is that you can make your room appear bigger by using lighter colors. If your wall is painted in a light color such as pink, then you should select draperies in a light pink as well. Break up the monotony by adding white sheers or even woven wood shades. You can also elongate your room by selecting long, flowing drapes. Because sheers are very light, remember that they do not offer a lot of privacy.

If you are like some people and don’t like massive amounts of sunlight that may come through your window or drapes in the morning or afternoon, select drapes with a heavier fabric. This will keep most of the sun out, which comes in helpful if bright sun wakes you up too early. Another bonus of purchasing thicker drapes is that they can block out cold and sound from outside. This comes in handy if you have old windows in your bedroom so that you can be comfortable when you sleep.

When looking for drapes to add a personal touch to your bedroom, check out the selection at DrapeStyle. Visit their website at www.drapestyle.com.