I felt no need to cover my big open wall of windows. The openness made my small living area look like it included the wide strip of water that flowed by. A constantly changing scene of boats and birds. Besides, the house across the water has been empty for years.

It all changed when the new neighbors moved in. When I could watch their big screen TV from my living room I realized they could see in my living room as well! The hunt for window treatments was on…

I knew I wanted something that would let the light in, block my neighbor’s vision and not require an equity loan to pay for. But did I want a curtain or a drape? And just what is the difference anyway? A quick search on Wikipedia provided this answer:
A curtain (sometimes known as a drape, mainly in the US, or drapery, mainly in the UK) is a piece of cloth intended to block or obscure light, or drafts, or water in the case of a shower curtain. Curtains hung over a doorway are known as portières. Curtains are often hung on the inside of a building’s window to block the travel of light, for instance at night to aid sleeping, or to stop light from escaping outside the building (stopping people outside from being able to see inside, often for privacy reasons). In this application they are also known as “draperies

OK, so since privacy is my issue, I’m looking for draperies. Not having needed draperies for years, I was surprised to find that the local chain stores specializing in them had gone the way of the dinosaur. I hit up all the department stores and was disappointed at the mundane, (and often tacky) selection of color, fabric, and style for drapes. Moving on to custom drape stores I found prices that would really break the bank.

The next step was an on-line search. Since I wasn’t born with the “style/fashion gene” this was my last resort. I really needed a sales person to walk me through the selection process. How would I find that on-line?

A Google search provided an abundance of options. I was immediately drawn to “DrapeStyle.com”. The two things I was looking for! The quote from House & Garden Magazine really appealed to me “Beautifully Made to Order”. The choice of style and fabric was amazing – silk, linen, sheer, French pleats, grommets. Best of all, a phone call proved that they really do have designers on hand who patiently answered my questions and expertly assisted me with the design process. And at a price that didn’t break the bank!

My DrapeStyle.com drapes are perfect! The sheers that I selected let in the light and softly cover my windows. They are transparent enough to allow me to watch the boats go by, but provide the privacy I was looking for. The order process was painless and the custom made drapes arrived quickly. I love the new look of my living room! Hmmmm, I wonder what DrapeStyle.com drapes could do for my bedroom…