Put a Little Swag (and Jabot) In Your Life

The windows in any room can be a great focal point within the design of your home, so you need to take into consideration the space and existing furnishings and décor, while accentuating your windows and views.  A very versatile style of window treatment is the Swag and Jabot.  With just the right amount of fabric to draw your eye to the view, this style of treatment provides a beautiful compliment to any room’s décor.  If you are considering Swags and Jabots for your home, here are some tips for getting them just right! 

Swags and Jabot are a great style of window treatment that will compliment any size or type of window.  They can be customized to your taste with just about any type of fabric from formal patterns and textures to country designs.  These custom window treatments allow a good amount of light through the window, offering a beautiful frame of fabric, while leaving the window as open as you desire to maintain the view.  They also work beautifully with all types of shades for as much privacy as you desire. If you have a picture window or arch window in your home and are unsure of how to decorate it, Swags and Jabots are the perfect solution!

The Swag portion of this dynamic duo, is a decorative drapery treatment of folded fabric which hangs in a graceful curve and frames the top of a window.  And the Jabot is a decorative vertical end of an over-treatment that usually finishes a horizontal Swag.  Consider Swags and Jabots when you want to dress up your windows in your formal or contemporary room while preserving views of the great outdoors.

When it comes to hanging the Swags and Jabots there are many ways you can hang these beautiful window treatments.  As shown in the photo, you can use a decorative rod that allows the fabric to drape across it and hang down the sides.  Some homeowners like the look of a larger pocket rod with no exposed hardware.  Other options include cornice boards and even decorative hooks.  No matter what your preference is, we can help with all of the design, production and installation of your new Swag and Jabot valances.

Interiors by John Henry will measure your windows, provide fabric samples for your choosing from designer fabrics like Kravet, Robert Allen, Duralee and Norbar.  All of our window treatments are custom made for our clients and expertly installed in your home.  If you are still unsure of what type of window treatment will work best in your room or home, please contact Interiors byJohn Henry today for a consultation.

Tips of the Trade for Kitchen Design & Renovation

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and this holds true no matter how large or small your home is.  For some homeowners, the opportunity to design and install a new kitchen is like a dream come true.  There are many ways that great kitchen design and expert installation can add value to your home, while enhancing the way you live.  So, what features and designs inspire some of the most beautiful custom kitchens today?   Here are some tips of the trade for today’s kitchen design and renovations.

First Things First, What Inspires the Layout?

Many homeowners want to make sure they incorporate their beautiful outdoor views from the kitchen.  Designing the layout with plenty of windows to take advantage of the view can be challenging.  At the same time you are maximizing the views, you need to decide the type of appliances that will be purchased for the kitchen and where the cabinets will go.  By balancing these three key features you ensure beauty, as well as function for an area of the home families enjoy the most.

Almost all of our homeowners request a design that will accommodate professional grade appliances, so this is one of the first things a homeowner will need to decide before a kitchen plan is created.

Function or Beauty – No Need to Pick Just One!

Once the layout is complete, it’s time to talk about the specifics.  With an array of functional options for kitchen cabinets from dish organizers to oversized drawers for pots and partitioned cabinets for serving platters, today’s cabinets can accommodate almost every small appliance and kitchen accessory available and provide solutions that are not only functional, but add to the beauty of the kitchen design.  No longer are the days when countertops are used to store small appliances and kitchen accessories, now you can customize cabinet or pantry areas to put these items out of sight until you need them. 

In addition, features like glass insets on your cabinet doors, or even open cabinet shelving can provide a unique, yet functional storage solution for any style home.  Your custom kitchen can now be just as beautiful as it is functional!

Focal Points Are Not Just for the Living Room

Custom kitchen designs can be inspired by something as simple as an incredible light fixture over the center island, or even a wine storage solution within the cabinets.  No matter what your personal style is, choosing a focal point for your kitchen that speaks to your lifestyle or design preferences can set the tone for the kitchen and all the areas that are open to this heart of your home.

Finishes and Details to Make a Statement

Many homeowners tend to choose finishes for their cabinets that are white, or light painted.  Light grey colors are currently trending and more requests for moldings like stacked crown and under cabinet molding are popular to give the cabinets a more finished look.  Moldings are also used to hide the under-cabinet lighting that many homeowners are choosing to install.

Kitchens are the place where families and friends like to hang out and enjoy relaxed entertaining.   Inspiration for kitchen design can come from just about anywhere.

No matter the size of your kitchen or  the outside view, we can make the heart of your home both beautiful and functional.  If you are ready to redesign and renovate your kitchen, we would love to help.   Please contact Interiors by JohnHenry, decorator and licensed contractor today for more information on how to design your dream kitchen, bath or other interior space

Window Shades For All Seasons

Years ago many of our clients would change their window treatments or shades with the seasons.  This was a popular practice in the past because in the summer, keeping out the heat was a priority when air conditioning was scarce and in the winter keeping the heat in was imperative to surviving the cold and weather.  Nowadays, with many of our homes properly heated and air conditioned, we no longer need to change our shades and window treatments with the seasons and with the new innovative window treatment products on the market that help with light shading, heat and cold absorption and UV protection it’s very possible to keep your window treatments and shades all year long.   Here are some of our favorite all-season shades to keep your house light and airy all year long!

Shangri-la Sheer Horizontal Shades  

These unique window shades are made to float between two sheers and diffuse the sunlight, evenly distributing it throughout your room.   These shades put you in control of how much light and privacy you need to make your home comfortable. These shades also offer a great amount of UV protection: 87-88% when open and up to 99% UV protection when closed.  This is a plus, because you now can protect your expensive home furnishing from the damaging UV rays. These Sheer Horizontal Shades look beautiful just as they are or with an accent top treatment which we can provide in a vast array of colors and patterns to coordinate with your home décor.

Cellular Shades                                       

Cellular Shades can meet your demanding style and total coordination needs, while its unique cell structure helps save you money. With cellular shades there are many options to meet your needs such as skylight treatments, fixed specialty shapes and they are custom fit to your specific window width and height with energy saving technology and many fabric choices . Cellular Shades can be one of the most efficient shading solutions available, so be inspired to transform your home or office into a beautifully efficient oasis by learning more about these great shades.

Solar Screen Shades                              

Solar Screen Roller Shades come in a verity of patterns and weaves such a Sheer Weave and Basket Weave and many more.  They can be manually operated, with a clutch control and motorized for those hard to reach places and for your convenience. 

Solar Screen products can also be used in a variety of shade styles not only Roller Shades but Roman Shades too. The Solar Screen products often provide the ultimate in shading protection, some materials block up to 90 percent of the UV rays and help protect from the sun's heat and glare before it reaches the window or glass. In addition to providing excellent sun control properties, many of the mesh like materials, also helps screen out the insects. These shades offer excellent outward visibility and are available in a variety of colors and weaves and can improve daytime privacy and view protection.  Beauty and flexibility make Solar Screen Shades a great choice and if you are looking to dress up your space over or around your Roller, Solar Screen Roller or Roman Shade with a Valance or Cornice and some elegant side panels and hold backs we can make that happen too!

These are just a few of the multitude of window shades and treatment’s that work in all seasons.  Please feel free to contact Interiors By John Henry for an in-home consultation.  We can help you decide what custom window treatments can work in your home throughout the year that will also reflect your personal taste and style. 

Click here to download our FREE Window Treatment Guide

What Can An Interior Decorator Do For You?

An interior decorator can help embellish your interior spaces. National Council for Interior Design Qualifications, NCIDQ, implies, "Decoration is the furnishing or adorning of a space with fashionable or beautiful things." An interior decorator can help with color coordination, painting walls, hanging wallpaper, selecting and placing furniture, providing and installing custom window treatments, and adding accessories such as throw rugs, lamps, throw pillows and wall art to a room. An interior decorator can help you layout your interior space, as well as help you discover your own likes and dislikes when it comes to your interior decorating needs.

Hiring an interior decorator can be a smart decision especially if you have put your money and time into your living space and want it to reflect your own personal taste and style; this is where a good Decorator can truly serve a purpose for everyone. Whether you have no idea on how to begin decorating or have started a project and need some help to put all those details together, hiring a decorator that you feel comfortable with will give you to peace of mind and help you improve your home or office by pulling together just the right details so that an equal balance of color and design are accomplished.  They can also help you create that sense of balance and peace with your design project.

Toss aside the idea that an interior decorator is only for the rich. An interior decorator can save you time and money, let alone the migraine that you might get by trying to manage your design project.  Your time is worth money, so having a qualified interior decorator on your side can help  keep you on budget, while saving you time and effort. Often a decorator knows where to go to resource most home décor items.. In the long run this will save you endless amounts of time researching products, brands and prices. A decorator will have all this valuable information readily on hand, and should he or she not, will spend the time researching so that you don’t have to.

Some other important things available to decorators that are not available to the general public are connections, resources and general decorating merchandise. By pooling these resources, decorators can help you to make your space look more collected, unique and complete.

Interiors by John Henry, Corp. is a window treatment design firm, serving NY and NJ, that can help with all of your interior decorating and custom window treatment needs. We offer consultation, design and installation of all of our home décor products; and, as a licensed NJ Contractor, we also have a construction department that will help you with any home renovation needs. We specialize in the complete decorative experience for each client. We can complete your project from concept to fabrication and installation. Let us help “You” make your home or office all it can be!  Contact us today for a consultation, or click here to download our Window Treatment Guide.