it's so funny how your taste evolves over the years being in the interior design business. i started working in interior design back in college. i worked at a well-known design firm downtown for 7 years before taking the plunge (well maybe cannonball) into starting my own design company. now, it's safe to say that Charleston can be very traditional. it's a town surrounded by its love for historic preservation and we take pride our historic homes. so there was a lot of swag and jabots going on in window treatments...something that made me want to throw up (and still does make me a little queasy). i remember my boss laughing at me b/c i hated them so much! and balloon shades- oh my, those were just terrible....maybe it was the application of them in a lovely chintz or some stuffy floral. i use to think that osborne and little would always be my favorite fabric company and i would never grow tired of my Manchu wallpaper. granite was the best thing since sliced bread and that distressed wood was really a "hot" look...flame stitch use to make my skin crawl and contemporary was not even in my realm of thinking for design....it's just funny how things change...i laughed at myself last night when i was laying in bed looking at House Beautiful. i fell in love with a house done by betsy burnham (love her) and i actually liked the window treatments that at one time would have made me cringe. i think they are so classic and peaceful....i would never have suggested something like this for a window treatment two years ago; maybe not even two weeks ago. but staring at this picture made me realize how my taste has evolved and how everyday, i learn something new about my style and love for design....i can't wait to see where i am in twenty years...probably loving the swag and jabot look b/c you know, that's the thing w/ design everything old comes back in style (ummm hello, 80's fashion..did you ever think it that could make a comeback??)
Funny--just the over day I was wondering why I picked out the backsplash I did for behind the stove (and that was only a year ago)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I feel as if my taste has changed quite a bit over the past few years. I grew up in a contemporary home with contemporary decor, then I thought that French country was my thing when I got my own house, now I feel as if I am somewhere in between traditional and contemporary. Reading design blogs has certainly had an influence on me...it exposes me to so much more than just the standard magazines.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the notion re-discovering a window treatment you thought you hated! After growing up with my mom's decorating business in the early 80's and 90s and seeing THOUSANDS of swags, jabots, and balloons, I thought I would NEVER like them again. But I found myself checking the references in House
ReplyDeleteBeautiful on Betsy's treatment. Great post!