Favorite Installation of the Day: Flower Power Awning Valance

I've been out at a multi-room drapery installation most of the day, and I have new orders to process, work orders to write up, and a slew of voicemails and emails demanding my attention, so I'm just quickly going to post this photo of my favorite treatment that installed today.  I blogged a couple of weeks ago here about a Land of Nod play tent that my client embellished -- all by herself! -- with Samuel & Sons trimmings that I ordered for her.  Today my awning valance installed in the little girl's bedroom next to her tent and I love, love, love it!

The bow rosette medallions were inspired by a magazine ad put out by Samuel & Sons:

We changed the rosette centers from white to red and added emerald green grosgrain ribbon loops to our rosettes to coordinate them with the child's bedding set (not pictured). 

Closeup of Bow Rosette Medallions

The valance fabric, from Lee Jofa, is an embroidered white linen with three-dimensional eyelash fringe effect around the blossoms. 

What's next for this little girl's room?  The Land of Nod company sells a 36" diameter floor cushion for use with this play tent, but the client wants a much larger, 52" diameter floor cushion instead that has enough room for mother and daughter to cuddle up with a good book together at story time.  We'll be doing a custom cushion and throw pillows for the inside of the tent, using more fun fabrics and trimmings.  Here's my youngest client, finalizing her trim selections:

She says pink pom poms are the best.  Who can argue with that?  :-)

Embellished Readymade Play Tent Fit for a Princess



Customized Land of Nod Play Tent

I should be packing for Paris right now (as my husband reminds me every 5 minutes), but I just had to share this project one of my clients recently completed for her granddaughter.  The green gingham play tent is a readymade item available from Land of Nod here for $129.  This is what it looks like right out of the package:

Land of Nod play tent

I designed a cute flower power awning valance for the window in this little girl's bedroom incorporating playful trimmings from Samuel & Sons Passementerie, and suggested embellishing the readymade tent with coordinating Gumdrop Button Border and Dolce Pom Pom tassels to liven it up, tie it in with the bedroom color scheme, and give it a more custom look.  Although my drapery workroom is handling the valance fabrication, my client decided to apply the trimmings to the tent herself.  Doesn't it look fabulous?  She did such a great job, and the little princess who lives in this room was so proud to show it off to me. 

1.5" Gumdrop Button Border in Fruit Punch, Samuel & Sons

The trims used on this tent are available exclusively through the design trade, but you could get a similar look using pom poms, wide grosgrain ribbon, and multicolored plastic buttons available from your favorite local or online fabric retailer (it would just take longer to sew all those buttons on individually).  Adding trim to readymade window treatments is a great way to get a custom look on a budget, especially for young children's bedrooms that you think you'll be redecorating again in a few years.  Land of Nod sells coordinating plain drapery panels in the same ginham as the tent, and they would look great with trim added to the lead (inside vertical) edges of the panels.  Another great thing about this button trim is that it adds weight and helps the flimsy fabric to hang better.

I'll be sure to post photos of the finished awning valance after it installs at the end of the month.