Well my Silhouettes have arrived and curtain rods installed so that I could get the exact measurement for the finished length. And NO they won’t puddle, haha. Clearly I was so stuck on that romantic image that I couldn’t see past it.
For most of my clients, I install both the rods and drapery at the same time but in this case, I wanted them to be exactly below the crown moulding especially because there was only 1″ of room to play with in the living room (not shown here).
I’ve chosen channel rods from Textile Trimmings with a crystal finial (below) in stainless steel, I wanted a softer look rather than the high contrast look of black rods.
Have you noticed how many gold accessories are out and about suddenly? I bought these wonderful gold glass votives (HomeSense) the other day, they are mirrored inside.
I have lots of vessels for votive candles. When I bought these I realized that they were quite the upgrade from something very similar to these (below) that I’ve had for probably 15 years.
See my yellow Kalanchoe’s? I have them in a decorative pot in white or yellow in my living or dining room almost year round. They last for months and look so full and lush.
Actually, the vessel they are displayed in is just as important as the flower itself. It’s always a good idea to keep a few baskets, terra cotta or white pots for just this purpose, when a grocery store potted plant arrives in your house.
My other favourite flower is Casablanca Lilies, just bought a bunch for the island in my kitchen and I love the way the house smells whenever I walk in the door.
What are your favourite flowers for the house?
Related posts:
How to Create Drama with a Tiny Bunch of Flowers
Two Ways to turn Tchotchke Gifts into Accessories
A White Decorating Tip Everyone Should Know
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Love all lillies. And like you casablancas are my favorite–they are gorgeous and the smell is intoxicating. Also love peonies, sweet Williams, sweet pea, lily of the valley, ranunculus. All depending on season.
Very smart to put the drapery pole up first to get your finished drapery length. I can’t wait to see the finished draperies, and I love the finials!
My favorite flowers for the house are spring lilacs, One of my favorite smells.
Tulips, especially when they start to spread and lean over the vase. And sunflowers, bright and cheerful! Pretty crystal finials…
Freesias….they smell devine! The colours are fabulous too:)
Speaking of colours, I just saw the most exquisite pair of Worcester Flight Barr vases on Antiques Roadshow. Oh my! I could decorate my home around those colours. And they were 300 years old.
Just goes to show that colours can be in vogue again from another era long gone:)
my favorite flowers (that I get a the grocery store) are Alstroemeria’s, I pick one colour, buy 3 or 4 bunches and fill a vase… they last for a long time and are a price point I never have to worry spending…
I love dahlias, the super intense colors make me happy! I also really like your dining room chairs, the yellow seat with the polka dot back, so fun!
Can’t wait to see the new installation!
I have a question about votives: how do you keep them clean? They only look their best when they sparkle, but between the residual melted wax and the occasional smear of black smoke …. I need help! Any suggestions?
Put votives or candlesticks in the freezer. Once frozen, chip off the wax drips. It also worthwhile to pay a bit extra for drip less candles.
Hot water, that’s it, it melts the wax and makes it easy to clean.
After the wax comes off, I put them in the dishwasher and they sparkle.
I have this “traveling orchid”…it appears in every room of my home…orchids last for weeks and weeks. Currently, it is resting on a stack of books (gold tipped pages turned out) reflecting in a mirror…MORE orchids! đ franki
My favorite are white tulips closely followed by green spider mums.
I love your blog and look forward to it each day!
Right now I have a huge vase of gorgeous gladiolas. All the beautiful colours add some pizzazz to my neutral room.
I love gathering flowers from my garden to bring inside. When the flowers are scarce (I have to leave some colour in the garden too) I pick foliage or branches to fill my vases. Of course orchids are the best winter season floral accent, so easy and they last forever. If you’re lucky they’ll even re-flower!
love you site and thank you for your daily posts. i love the look of silhouettes mounted from the ceiling or in your case, crown molding. i bought an older condo with very nice verticals everywhere!!!!!!!! i would love to replace them with silhouettes. my questions is – are you planning to leave the honeycomb blinds, in addition to the silhouettes? due to the fact that condos are very close together, i’m not sure how to filter the very bright sun and still ensure privacy????
What I have are Silhouettes, honeycomb blinds are very different, you can’t see through them, but they do help with heat control. Silhouettes definitely filter the bright son and even when the panes are open during the day no one can see inside and then you can close them at night for privacy. I LOVE them and want them in every window in my house now but they are one of the most expensive treatments so not happening right now. Drapery is higher priority đ Maria
Peonies. I bring masses of them inside and put in every vase. Their scent is wonderful. They get ruined so quickly in a rainstorm that they’re better inside. I grew up on the west coast and never saw them until my mother moved east and I visited her. They immediately became my favorite flower. It was a gift that so many peony bushes were already in the garden when we bought our house.
Second the comment on your dining room chairs–they are delightful.
Can’t wait to see the drapery fabric!
Maria, I love the fact that you are hanging your drapery rod first to get just the right length. Not that the math is impossible, but if you want to get just the right length for your drapes, installing the rods, or tracks first is the way to go! I am looking forward to seeing your drapes too! I want to remind you all that once the drape is hung, then it is time to train them to “behave”the way you want. You do that by tying them at the top middle and bottom for about a week. That will teach the header, as well as the balance of the drape to hang in the open position. This can assist with flaring at the bottom of the drape too! I can’t wait to see what they look like!
I never heard this advice before, but think it is a good thing to “train” draperies. Thanks.
Maria, your house is coming together so beautifully, inside and out. I would love to know if there was a specific reason for choosing the channel rods (which I had never heard of) or was it just because you liked them. Your choices always seem very deliberate and I always seem to learn from your explanations. Thanks.
Hi Nancy, I chose channel rods instead of rods and rings because the window in my living room is behind the sofa making it harder to close drapes that would be hooked onto decorative rings. It’s much easier to slide drapery closed using a wand this way.
Maria
Don’t forget gerbera daisies…. they can last for 2 weeks, if you just keep cutting them back. They go from a tall vase to a small one and keep on smiling !!!
Thanks for the answer. I will now be looking at channel rods as I have 2 chairs in front of my living room window which, like your sofa, would make rods and rings harder to close. I am glad I asked.
Yellow roses- for friendship. I have one that blooms all summer and it provides enough for the table too. So fragrant and bright looking…
When you said that about walking in the door and smelling the lillies, I could almost smell them from here! Ummm.
Reading your title…I’ve been waiting for draperies for 3 houses now…really. There’s always something more important that gets priority. In the last house, it became a mantra, “Is this the year we get drapes?”
Oh well, the new owner tore the house down anyway đ
I love my Silhouettes too! They filter the sun beautifully. – My fave flowers are peonies and Oriental lilies from my garden. Beautiful and lush, lovely colors and they smell divine!
My best friend loved the Stargazer lillies and the fragrance was heavenly every time I walked in her home. Tulips are my favorite (and a copper penny in the vase really does make them stand erect), but I love peonies and ranunculas as well. Unfortunately, Mei Mei, my oldest kitty, loves anything green and grass-looking (she’s even tested out the fake grass) and she’s somewhat of a jumper, so live flowers and plants are a challenge.
Window-wise I’m glad your Silhouettes are here and the project is almost done. Love the crystal finials – the perfect touch!
If you have cats (like me), lillies are deadly. My next door neighbor’s cat died from ingesting a piece of lilly. The entire plant–leaf, pollen, and flower, are toxic to cats. Check out the entire list of of potentially poisonous plants at http://www.humansociety.org.
I notice an electric heater under your window in the photo you posted and I was wondering what length your drapery will be. I am currently in a house in which all the big beautiful windows have electric heaters underneath and I had the drapes cut just above them. I think drapes need to go to the floor so I am really unhappy with it. I was just wondering Maria what your opinion on this design challenge is?
Mine are hot water heat so they just came to the floor. No problems. Maria