I recently spent a weekend at The Empire Hotel across from Lincoln Center. It’s a beautiful hotel in a great location.
Of course, the first things I pay attention to is the drapery and most often I am disapointed. Not this time! As you can see from the photo below, the design of the treatment follows the specific need for function.
It is a two layer treatment, which helps with light control and accoustics. Remember this is noisy New York City. What is especially clever is the curved grommet drapery. The reason for the curved rod is for the full length panels to close in front of the heating unit. The other alternative would have been short panels. The one downside to this, is that the heat gets trapped behind the blackout lined panels when they are drawn closed.
Behind the panels is a blackout lined Roman Shade with a Clutch Mechanism. A good choice, but poorly made. The shades in my room needed repair because of the light weight, residential hardware used.
I also like how the ceiling brackets allow the rod to clear the ceiling obstructions. This treatment demonstrates how Form dictates Function. You can plainly see how the specific needs of the window coverings played a role in the final design.