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.

Motorized Blinds and Shades Do More Than Make Life Simple

When we say motorized blinds and shades many of our clients initially think they don’t want or need a motorized feature for their custom window treatments.  But if you are considering adding new blinds or shades to a room, or your entire home, you definitely want to hear what we have to say about them.  There are many other advantages to motorized shades and blinds (drapes can be motorized too!) than just the amount of light that you let in, there is so much more.  Here are some of the reasons we think motorized shades and blinds are a valuable option.

The first reason is the obvious one:  Convenience!  Just by pushing a button you can open and close your shades, drapes or blinds, without having to get up, cross the room and reach over furniture.  As the sun moves through the sky, or darkness falls you can adjust your blinds and shades with just the click of a button. 

If convenience isn’t your concern, then how about protection of your furniture, carpeting and finishes.  We all know that these items are costly for any homeowner, but when you add motorized blinds and shades you can protect your valuable assets, no matter what the angle of the sun’s rays.  You can even get them synchronized so that when you push the button all of the window shades in your home are opened or closed at the same time!  No more running from room to room and no more fading of fabrics and finishes!

Energy efficiency is a big deal these days.  From appliances to heating and cooling systems and everything between and inside the walls of your home are geared toward saving energy.  With motorized blinds and shades you can easily let in enough sunlight to warm your home on cooler days and shade your rooms when temperatures are warm to take some of the load off of your mechanical systems.  By giving a helping hand with motorized shades and blinds, your home’s efficiency will increase, which will help to decrease those dreaded utility bills!

Lastly, when it comes to feeling safe and sound, motorized blinds and shades can help too.  From a security standpoint, you can keep rooms hidden during the day or night just by lowering or closing your shades.  If you want to give the appearance that you are at home, even when your not, motorized shades can help with that too.  Some systems even allow for control through your computer!

Who said custom window treatments are just for looks?  We love that they can add more to your home than warmth and style!  For more information on how to bring you home into the 21^st century with new custom motorized window shades, blinds and drapes, contact Interiors by John Henrytoday.

Your Home Your Design – Interior Decorating for Homes on the Beach

Living by the beach is calming, serene, breezy, sunny and peaceful.  Chances are if you own a beach home, you love the beach and the water.  Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming to design a beach home without being “too literal”.  We are going to break it down simply to help you bring the beach into your home so that it is subtle and beautiful. 

·      Color:  Like we stated before the beach is calming, serene, peaceful and breezy.  Using creams, beiges, light greens and blues help to achieve a calm, cool feeling to your beach home.  Based on the psychology of color, blues and greens cause the body to produce chemicals that cause a calming sensation. Many of your windows may have incredible water views, so having the right colors and style of window treatments will preserve the view, while enhancing the warmth and feel of the space.

·      Texture:  The sand, the shells and the boardwalk all have a specific feeling and texture to them.  Touch is an important sense to focus on when decorating your home.  You want to engage your visitors with touchable fabrics and finishes, especially with your custom window treatments.  Textured furniture and accessories add visual interest to a space.  Adding wide planked wood floors bring the boardwalk into the home in a tasteful approach.

·      Light: Once again windows become the hero of the story, so taking in the beautiful view of the ocean and letting in light can be your motivation.  However, sometimes the afternoon sun can be a bit too much.  Adding the right custom window treatments will help to add some privacy and keep the sun at bay during the hottest time of the day, while allowing the light to brighten your space when you want.  Roll up shades of rattan or wicker adds texture to a room, but also provides a sufficient amount of shade to cool your home down at high noon.  Floor to ceiling grommet drapes on rods also provide shade, but can give a light airy feeling to a room when opened.  Custom cornices in a bold print will draw attention to your windows, while maintaining the open view.

·      Natural elements:  Soothing colors and wood-grain ceramic and porcelain tiles can make any bathroom feel warm and cozy.  Finishes in champagne bronze and oil-rubbed bronze bring richness to your bath.  Along with stone countertops and weathered wood vanities in grey tones like driftwood can make your home feel like a seashore getaway, no matter where it’s located.  Consider custom wood blinds to accent the textures of the counters or floors with motorized options to make opening and closing easy!

·      Don’t forget to finish it off:  All natural décor make the perfect finishing touches to your new oasis of relaxation.  Check out the readily available cotton linens for furniture and accent pillows and try some beeswax candles to set the mood.  Glass countertops and bamboo accessories are perfect for creating a luxurious atmosphere.

  

When decorating your home we find the most fun part for our clients are selecting the finishes for things like furniture, accent décor and custom window treatments.  There are many choices and materials that can make your home at the Jersey shore feel “beachy” on the inside in a subtle, suggestive way.  Interiors by John Henry has provided custom window treatment design, production and installation, as well as kitchen and bath remodeling services throughout New Jersey and New York. Please contact us today for more information on how we can help you design and decorate your home with the latest custom window treatment and décor trends.

How To Decorate Your Home with the Right Style of Furniture

Not sure what style of furniture is best for your home?  Visually, we all know what we like (and what we don’t like), but does coordinating furniture styles really make a difference in the overall design of your home’s interior?  If you are not sure where to start or what the best furniture styles would be for decorating your home, look no further!  We’ve put together a list of the top furniture styles so you can decide what you love the best for your home!

Let’s start at the beginning. 

Back in the 1600’s there were two main styles of furniture, Jacobean and Early American.  Jacobean is an English style that is medieval in appearance with straight lines, sturdy construction and ornate carvings.  Pieces are typically in a dark finish.  Early American furniture was very basic and made from materials found locally in the woods.  It was modeled after European furniture styles. 

Furniture styles from the late 1600’s through the 1700’s are still popular today.

This was a very busy period for furniture styles and some of which you will know when you see them are William and Mary, which is characterized by trumpet or turned legs and a ball or Spanish foot with padded or caned chair seats.  Queen Anne style, which is more refined than the William and Mary style is notable for it’s cabriole legs with a pad or drake foot.  Chair backs were typically bat-wing shaped or fiddle backed.

Colonial, Georgian and Pennsylvania Dutch are also of this period, as well as Chippendale, Robert Adam and Hepplewhite.  Colonial combined the styles of the above, but with a more conservative and less ornate style.  Georgian style furniture is the opposite:  a more ornate version of Queen Anne with ornate carvings, pierced back splats and gilding.  Pennsylvania Dutch is a simple, county style of furniture with influences of German design.  Many pieces are characterized by colorful folk painting. 

Chippendale, Robert Adam and Hepplewhite are all named for people.  Chippendale was a British designer and architect whose influences are French, Chinese and Gothic.  His style is more elaborate than Queen Anne featuring ball and claw foot and broken pediment scrolls on top of tall case pieces.  Robert Adam was an architect who studied in Italy and designed furniture with classical details that would fit the character of the homes he designed.  Hepplewhite was an English designer and cabinetmaker whose style was neoclassic with a delicate appearance, tapered legs and the use of contrasting veneers and inlay.

Rounding out the 1700’s and bringing us into the 1800’s are Federal, Sheraton, and Duncan Phyfe styles.  A combined neoclassic furniture style featuring the details of both Heppelwhite and Sheraton, Federal style furniture features graceful, straight lines, light construction and tapered legs.  The use of inlay and contrasting veneers is prevalent.

Sheraton is named for an English designer whose neoclassical style similar in character to the Federal style and was the most reproduced style in the United States during the Federal period.

American cabinetmaker Duncan Phyfe is considered by some art historians is an adaptation of  Adam, Sheraton, Hepplewhite and Empire styles with carved or redded legs and neoclassic motifs.

The 1800’s Styles are More Recognizable and Still Popular Today

Included in the 1800’s styles are American Empire, Shaker, Victoria, Arts and Crafts, and Art Nouveau.  Influences for American Empire come from the French Empire with classical influences like coarse carving and dark finishes.  Shaker style is produced by the religious group, The United Society of Believers, and is characterized by straight tapered legs, woven chair seats and mushroom style wooden knobs.  Named for Queen Victoria of England, the Victorian style is heavy in gothic forms and proportions, dark finishes, elaborate carving and ornamentation.

Arts and Crafts is also referred to as Mission style and is a simple, utilitarian design and construction.  Art Nouveau is a naturalistic style with intricately detailed patterns and curving lines.

As you can see the amount of styles and design influences from early times has created cross-over and blending of styles to create new styles of furniture.  Architectural and utilitarian influences are prevalent throughout furniture design during the 1600’s through 1800’s.  if you are not sure what style is best for your home’s décor, please contact Interiors by JohnHenry for more information and ideas.