Cold is coming! Warm up with thermal curtains...

There’s no getting away from the cold now.  The heating sputters into life every morning as I leap out of bed ready to forge through the day.  As you draw back your curtains or lift up your blinds in the morning to cast your bleary eyes over the new dawn, you need to ask yourself a question;

‘Sure, my curtains are keeping the light out (not that there’s much about at this ungodly hour) but are they keeping me as toasty as they could be?’

If you’re not sure about it, then the answer is most likely ‘no’.  Curtains or Blinds can be thermally lined or interlined to keep a lot more heat in your room than a standard lined pair of curtains.  A new pair of curtains may seem like a big investment but it’s a simple and beautiful way to combat the increasing cost of energy bills and get some extra toastiness in your life.  To back up the obvious, a 2008 study at the Caledonian Glasgow University showed in a very scientific way that a heavy pair of curtains reduces heat loss through your windows by 14% and a double glazing/curtains combination reduces heat loss by a whopping 66% when compared to a single pane window.  Whether you’re worried about global warming, the cost of your energy bills or both (or even if you just want a new pair of curtains and need to give yourself good reason..), these are big numbers that translate into proper savings and energy efficiency improvements.  So, although it might seem like an extravagance in these gloomy times, a good pair of curtains is a sensible investment and a very attractive way of staying warm, cutting down your heating bills, saving the planet and snazzing up your home – all at the same time.  Compelling eh?  You can read more and get free fabric samples here.

Fabrics Galore!

We’ve been busy bees this year searching high and low for new fabrics.  We’ve finally got the new collection together and ready for your delectation.  With well over two hundred new fabrics added, we’ve nearly double our online collection so we hope there’s something for everybody.  Come and take a look around here . Happy hunting!

Key things to consider when making your decision: your budget, the purpose of your blinds or curtains, colour/size/style of your room, the setting of the room and the area of the window.

If you are the sort of person who regularly changes the appearance of a room, blinds may be a better option as they are more versatile. If you have an old house with tall ceilings, curtains would probably suit the overall look better. Also think about what room you require the window treatments in. In the bedroom the main purpose is to block out light, so a blind might be preferable.

On the other hand, for a window above the kitchen sink, curtains would probably be more suitable as you would want to have more access to natural light. For bay windows, meausuring to fit blinds can be very complicated, so curtains are usually a more suitable option.

There is also always the possibility of using both blinds and curtains. Blinds can keep the light out and curtains can be added as an accent.

Advantages of blinds:

• Can easily match the style of the room, regardless of changes to decor, wall colour or furniture.
• Depending on the style, they usually a more inexpensive option.
• Variety of styles– including roman blinds, venetian blinds, roller blinds, pull up blinds, black out blinds.
• Various materials ranging from fabric, plastic, metal, bamboo.
• Effective at keeping light out.

Disadvantages of blinds:

• Are more fragile than curtains – so can break more easily.
• Not suitable for all windows, i.e. for very large windows a blind might be impratical as it would be very heavy to pull up and down.
• Sometimes can be hard to clean.

Advantages of curtains:

• Available in many different fabrics, styles and lengths that can be designed to perfectly match your room.
• Can be more efficient at keeping heat in, especially if the curtains have thermal or blackout lining.
• Depending on style they can easily transform rooms to create airy or cosy atmospheres.

Disadvantages of curtains:

• Unless they are in a very neutral fabric, they can be difficult to co-ordinate if you make frequent changes to the room colour, furniture, wall hangings.
• Can be a more expensive option.
• Take up more space so not always a good option in a small room.

1. Invest in a stylish throw/rug.
   A simple way to upgrade tattered, out-of-date sofas or armchairs is to buy a stylish throw. This can instantly change the look of a whole room. Also, the options for look and style are endless as there are countless designs for fabrics. This a much more preferable option compared with buying entirely new furniture, unless your sofas are completely on their last legs. If this is the case, and you have to buy new ones, always opt for durability rather than fashion. You can also revamp a room simply with a new rug, which is also useful if your carpet is looking rather worn-out and rugs can cover-up unsightly stains.
2. Curtains/Blinds
   Another easy and affordable way to upgrade your home’s look is to focus on new window treatments. By changing the style and colour of your curtains or blinds, you can make a noticeable and positive change to your living space. Furthermore, new window treatments can control lighting and heat, which can save you money on heating and electricity bills.
3. Lighting
   By updating the lighting in a room, you can transform the appearance. For example, simply add a lamp to a dimly lit room. Likewise, toning down harsh lighting can add warmth. If you are unsure of what lighting would best suit your room, dimer lights are very useful as you will be able to change the setting to suit specific desires.
4. Paint
   Adding a new coat of paint will make everything look cleaner and brighter. It is also easy to change the overall appearance of a room entirely by simply painting it a different colour. This makes it possible to transform a room from small and stuffy to open and light. It is also a good way to modernise the overall look of your home.
5. Clear away clutter
   By getting rid of random junk and re-organising what you do want to keep, and possibly investing in some attractive storage baskets or containers, you can give your home a complete overhaul. It is completely free to do this, and you might even make some money if you sell some of your more valuable pieces to thrift stores, or have a car-boot sale. Clearing away clutter will also be immensely satisfying once completed, and when the task is done, your home will look and feel radically better.

With environmental issues such as Global Warming, pollution and epidemics receiving such deservedly high profile in the British media, we, as a nation, are more focused than ever on finding ethical ways to live, even when it comes to decorating our homes. From exterior building materials to interior paints, fabrics and fixtures, most people are starting to think ‘green’ before selecting products.

There are many reasons why people are starting to change their minds. Some synthetic materials quite literally cost the earth to make, pumping out gallons of chemicals during their making-up process. Some paints are known to release harmful toxins into the atmosphere, whereas synthetic carpets can on occasion aggravate allergies by trapping bacteria and encouraging dust build-up. Choosing natural fabrics for draperies, curtains and window coverings provides an alternative choice that both helps prevent pollution and provides many health advantages.

5 Reasons To Choose Natural Fabrics For Curtains And Draperies

1. For drape and appearance:
   Natural fabrics such as cotton, muslin, linen, wool and silk have been used for generations to create beautiful window coverings because of the soft drape and natural luster of the materials. The depth and character of a natural fabric gives a rich look that is difficult to duplicate. Synthetic fabrics, in contrast, tend to have an unnatural sheen and plastic or too shiny appearance.
2. To reduce allergies:
   Natural fabrics in cotton and cotton blends are easy to wash and comfortable for most people. Synthetics hold onto dust, pollen and other particles that can be detrimental to households where allergies are a problem. Pollutants used during manufacturing of synthetic materials may be inherent in the fabric and cause allergic reactions to sensitive people.
3. Drape:
   Synthetic fabrics such as Rayon are susceptible to heat and humidity conditions and may shrink or expand during different seasons. Hemp, a material sometimes used for shower curtains, disperses moisture and provides resistance to stains and mildew.
4. Softness and texture:
   Cotton fabrics tend to breath and give a light and airy look to a room while linen fabrics are durable and absorbent. A silk window covering drapes beautifully and adds elegance. Synthetics fabrics such as acrylic and nylon do not breathe well and may be susceptible to pilling and runs.
5. Maintenance:
   A natural fabric such as cotton is durable, resistant to stains and easy to maintain. Many synthetic fabrics tend to hold onto stains and may require dry cleaning and the use of harsh solvents for stain removal.
   They’re stronger, safer, more reliable and great for the environment. Go green now, and select natural products when decorating your home.

Black is best used to add drama and contrast to a room, and is frequently the colour of mystery, sleekness, and elegance. While many shy away from using large amounts of the colour on walls and panels, it can be a great way to add a luxurious, modern touch to a room, providing it is well illuminated and in a large, open space; it is not advised for small, dark places as it will enhance that hemmed-in feeling.

Black also makes a great accent colour. Accent colours can be picked up in throw pillows, curtains, rugs, and other decorative accessories. Black shutters, accent trim, and front doors can also makes an excellent accent to your exterior paint colour, diffusing borders and highlighting show-off areas.

Black is frequently used in conjunction with white to make the ultimate monochrome contrast. The vibrant pop of primary colours used in contemporary styles aids a room by creating the impression of depth when used alongside black, just like the vivid hues of a sunset against a black landscape. Rugged black iron work can add a whimsical touch to an eclectic interior. Black also works great against any paint colour from soft pastels to jewel tones.

Each room of the house can benefit from a black decorative piece. Black curtains in a bedroom can add a sexy richness to the room. Black curtains also have the added benefit of letting less light in for the late sleepers. Really, black curtains can be used to great effect in any room. The bathroom can be updated with black towels and toiletries. Black appliances give a kitchen a clean, modern look. Lamps with black bases or black shades make excellent accent pieces in any room of the house. A black blown-glass bowl set on a side table can be a great conversation piece.

Searching for the perfect black focal piece can be an adventure in itself.  The Internet provides a great variety of choices, and you can also shop for the best price. Other great places to look are interior decoration stores, home improvement stores and department stores. If you are looking for a deal, try flea markets and garage sales. Hunting for a find at these venues can be like treasure hunting; a productive and exciting way to spend a Saturday morning.

Try decorating with black. Don’t be scared of it. Adding small black accents to update your style, or think ‘big and bold’ to really create a statement. After all, it does go with everything.

1. Think simple, big, open and neutral. Go for timeless, long-lasting looks that are easilly adjustable. A natural carpet, wooden floor or cream interior allows for multiple changes in soft furnishings and colour-schemes, without the hassle of a complete refurbishment each time you fancy an little something different. Insure you prioritise good lighting. Poor illumination will dampen your colour scheme and shrink your space.
2. Save the evnvironment, save your pennies, and steer away from fads and trends, particularly if you’re a sucker for disposable buying! They won’t last long, and be off-trend in a season. So if you are cutting back, cut it out.
3. Choose slices of your complete vision. Don’t rush to complete the masterpiece straight away and bull-doze into your overdraft without the cash to cater for it. Save up for a great pair of curtains, a set of vases that may otherwise sit just outside your price range, or a stylish sofa that feels as good as it looks, and will last you a life time. Remember, some things are worth waiting for!
4. Prioritise. It’s all well and good splashing out on a vintage candelabra to set off a spectacular mantle piece, but if there’s nowhere to park your derriere, then the function of your living room is lost. Buy the skeleton items first, deck out the innards afterwards. Prioritise on your spending too. It is worth, for example, paying more for a comfortable, great-looking sofa that will last a life time and holding back on ornaments until finances allow. Writing a list separating your room needs and wants is always a good exercise. Number them from most to least, and plan your budget accordingly.
5. History, as they say, has a habit of repeating itself; an endless cycle of by-gone styles circulating year on year, just waiting for the chance to be thrown back onto our walls and wardrobes for the on-coming season. The lesson here? Think vintage. If you’re lucky enough to have a relative or friend with an attic full of junk, get raiding! If not, try flea-markets, thrift stores, and auctions for stand-out pieces to add a timeless sense of character to your dwelling. And if the thought of leaving your lovely home brings you up in a rash, why not shop from the sofa, and browse the internet for vintage online.
6. Stuck for ideas? Let the décor choose you. Shop for a style, pick an individual item to set off a room, be inspired by a particularly poignant piece of artwork, and let the item work the room. Choose a colour scheme that fits with the item, and carry the theme through the area to be decorated. In this instance, you may wish to spend more on said item of inspiration, and boost it one or two places up the priority list. This needs to be in balance with the rest of the room however, so be wise with the amount you do spend. Be sure to make this treasure the focus of the room and well displayed too!
7. Be unique. Don’t make the mistake of buying all your items from one place. Shop around for an individual style to prevent your space looking like a knocked-off show room.
8. Remember, you can do a lot with a little. Think throws, wall-hangings, rugs, and fairy lights for an instant transformation on a very small budget. Why not paint a panel of the wall to add a splash of colour, instead of saturating the walls with a single shade? An old minimalist Japanese trick to remember is ‘bring the outside in’. Plants, pebbles and natural fabrics can do wonders for your living space, and are well worth forking out for.
9. Think DIY, and where you can, customise. Doll up a dull piece of furniture with a fresh coat of paint and a handful of stencils. Transform spare fabrics into throws or cushion covers. If your sewing machine savvy, why not try making your own curtains? Check back at this blog for a great guide on how to create your very own pair. Happy saving!

Net curtains tend to fit into more traditional settings and are definitely not a friend of the modern and contemporary home. As a result, until recently, the sale of net curtains has been in steady decline.

As revealed by the Conservative Party, the rate of domestic burglaries has increased for the first time in six years. This coincides with information from Dr Beckmann, the company that makes Net Curtain Whitener, saying that sales of their product have increased by almost 20% in the UK – leading us to believe that net curtains have similarly grown in popularity.Good old fashioned net curtains are in fact a great way to keep whatever you’ve got in your home hidden, whilst still letting plenty of light through. As mentioned before however, net curtains just aren’t suitable for homes decorated with a modern theme in mind. Luckily, there is another option – voiles.

Voiles are very lightweight materials that can be made from linen, cotton or synthetic fabrics. They hang beautifully, look great and offer the privacy you need. They tend to suit more modern homes, so are perfect for new-age security enthusiasts.

When choosing a pair of voile curtains, certain curtain headings look better than most. Some of these include: tie-top, tab top, slot top. These tend to look slightly better because they don’t require a tape to be sewn to the top, meaning the curtains usually look neater.

Another useful tip when buying voiles is to go for floor-length curtains, adding another couple of centimetres to the length so that they hang nicely on the floor.

Voiles (or sheers, as we sometimes call them) are really thin, light fabrics that are used for window dressings. Often, you’re able to see right through them.

In the summer months, people start to think less about keeping their windows insulated with chunky, luxurious curtains and more about making a statement of simplicity with pale shades and flowing fabrics to welcome in the summer breeze.

As you can see from the picture below, sheers simply help to highlight your windows, rather than cover them. They create a calming, serene atmosphere in rooms such as the lounge whereas for the bedroom, they can add a touch of romance to your surroundings.

Luckily for you, The Natural Curtain Company are offering the opportunity to get your hands on some semi-sheer and striped sheer fabric, curtains and panels at a discount price – for the rest of this summer. Check the main website for details by clicking here.

Of course, if you’re going for a summer theme for your windows, you’re going to want the rest of the house to match. Here are a few crunch-busting tips to re-vamp your home for less:

De-clutter!
Why limit your spring clean to only once a year? Get rid of as much as possible, sell it at a car-boot sale (they’re much easier to get up for when the mornings get lighter!), and you’re already making a little extra cash to invest in the summer touch-ups for your home.

Give it a lick of paint
A few coats of a neutral colour can work wonders for a previously dark and dingy room. Try pastels and creams to help reflect the light and don’t be afraid to use a slightly darker accent colour on one wall, if you simply crave vibrant colours. Remember, you can always paint over it.

Lighten up the accessories
If you’ve got lots of dark paintings, shelves or ornaments around your home, try replacing them with lighter ones. Trade in pictures and paintings for mirrors, cover shelves with sheer fabrics and replace dark ornaments with candles and natural-looking room accessories.

Clean your windows
The secret to achieving a room fit for summer is lots and lots of light. Give your windows a thorough clean to allow the maximum amount of light through. Give any mirrors, glass shelves and coffee tables etc. a good scrubbing too to help reflect that sunshine we love so dearly.

Cover dark furniture
When the purse strings are a little tight, buying big, expensive items of furniture aren’t usually top-priority. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to cover your sofa with a throw, and your dining table with a sheer tablecloth. Natural fabrics tend to look superior to cheap synthetic ones, and help to achieve the neutral look.

Switch your lampshades
By simply switching your lampshades to something neutral, bright or floral, you can completely change the dynamic of a room. Because you’re going for simplicity – the cost shouldn’t be too high either.

Brighten any room with a touch of nature
If you’ve got a fireplace, clear it out for the summer and fill it with dried flowers, candles or green plants. You call also save a bit of money by growing a herb garden on your windowsill. Bring fresh flowers into as many rooms as possible, whether it’s a giant bunch from a secret admirer, or a single stem from your garden – flowers always make a great summer statement.

Bring in the breeze
Fans can do a world of good when it comes to keeping you cool in summer. Ceiling fans however, can be a bit pricey. As for oscillating fans, (the ones that stand up on their own and turn around), if you’ve ever owned one and had it on full power – you’ll know how irritating the noise can be. The solution? Get two smaller fans, set them to half power and place them at either end of the room. Now you’ll have a cool room with the illusion of a natural breeze.

Architrave the wooden frame of a window or door

Batten the wooden stick that fixes to the wall or window frame to support a blind

Bay window a window that sticks out from the wall to create an alcove

Blackout lining a thin, synthetic lining which blocks out all light and helps to retain heat in the room, generally comes in white and cream coloursBoss (or hold back) a metal, wooden or plastic bracket that you fix to the wall to hold curtains back

Cleat a hook (usually made from metal) that you fix into your wall to wind the cord of your blind around to hold it in place

Curtain ring a circular ring used to fix a curtain to the curtain pole; they come in various sizes and materials

Dowel a thin cylindrical piece of wood, inserted horizontally into fabric pockets in Roman blinds to hold their shape

Eye a tiny hook at the bottom of a curtain ring or track, where the curtain hook attaches to

Eyelet a type of curtain heading where a metal ring is attached to the fabric for a curtain pole to be fed through, comes in various colours and sometimes shapes

Finial the decorative fixture at each end of a curtain pole, these can be made from any material and come in an extensive number of designs

Fullness refers to the width of the fabric in relation to the curtain pole. E.g. if a curtain pole is 100cm and fabric with a 200cm width is used to make the curtain then the curtain would have 2X fullness

Heading refers to the method of sewing used to create a certain style where the curtain is attached to the track or pole

Heading height the amount of fabric required above the eye of the curtain ring, only necessary with pleated or gathered headings

Heading tape purpose-made tape, attached to the headings on curtains to gather the fabric when pulled, and creating various styles

Interlining a soft (usually cotton) fabric sewn between the curtain fabric and the lining to give weight to the curtain, help it hang better and slightly improve sound and heat insulation – also known as bump or domette

Leading edge the edge of the curtains that meet in the middle when they are drawn

Pattern repeat the measurement between a point in the design of a fabric and the next point where it begins again, this measurement is needed when working out how much fabric you need to make curtains or blinds

Pelmet a decorative framework to either add height to the top of a window or hide the curtain fixtures, usually made from fabric covered in wood

Piping cord cotton string used as a base for ‘piped’ edges, piped edging can be used for things such as tie-back or cushion edges

Template a shape made from paper, card or thin plastic which is used to help mark fabric, templates can be bought and modified, or made

Thermal lining a thin, synthetic lining which helps to retain heat in the room, also blocks out a little light – typically comes in white and cream colours

Track a type of fixture attached to the wall to hold curtains up, used as an alternative to a curtain pole and usually made from plastic

Valance a type of fabric pelmet that covers the tops of curtains

Voiles a light, plain-weave, sheer fabric of cotton, rayon, silk, or wool used for making semi-transparent curtains