Choosing a drapery colour

Ah, the dreaded question.  What colour draperies should I have?

Part of being a decorator is making informed decisions about design.  Keeping current with trends  through reading and viewing is a must, but trend knowledge is not enough.  You have to understand what affect your choices will have on a space.

I posted this picture on Designing Home Facebook Page as an example of a style board I create for clients.  I am not one for vivid colour, but I didn't have to live with the colour, a young lady who loves rich colours did.   Should I have argued with her and said you shouldn't have bright draperies. NO!  I have to balance my client's likes with the principles and elements of design.

Vibrant  draperies 

Let's look at what this colour choice  did for this room.

 You can't ignore this window treatment, it's not only the vibrant colour, it's the placement and amount of it. That means a lot of colour jumping forward in the space. The draperies also serve to  frame the artwork and the sofa. The more muted sofa is anchored and held captive, and you need an equally vibrant art work to compete with the windows. When you look at this space blue is primary and everything else is secondary.

The overall effect is focused and the room appears smaller than it actually is.  That's a great tip if you have a large space that you want to appear smaller/cosier.  Go for darker/brighter  window treatments that draw the eye.

 I see this as a lively, energetic scheme that is equally matched to a sparkling, vivacious young lady.


On to number two example....

I removed the vibrant draperies and choose something more in line with my personal taste.  I like my spaces to be expansive, and tone -on tone- window treatments  (keeping the colour of the drapes and the walls very similar) is  one way to achieve that look/feel especially in a smaller space.  

Now the sofa and artwork stand out as they didn't before.  Your eye connects the light colour in the chairs with the draperies and you visually wander the space. 

On to example number three....  

Same window treatments, but I'm tweeking a few other things. Without the blue pillows on the chairs,  and the blue vase on the table, the space is even even more opened up.  The overall effect is fresh and inviting,  reminiscent of a summer garden - always a look I gravitate to.  The wooden tables help that feel too. 

So there is no right answer to the question "What colour draperies  should I have?"  It all depends on how you want your room to look/feel. 

If you wan to find out more about current trends in window treatments check out this post and several others in my side bar. 

What's your preference when buying  window treatments ?  Are you a neutral or a colour lover?