Decorating with Fabric

As the summer of 2011 comes to a close, I look back at a very busy time. I can’t recall a better summer for us then this one. We have been working on and completing some great projects.

I’ve visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art many times over the past 40 years that I have visited museums. It is my favorite. In particular I enjoy visiting the period rooms. Below are some photos with descriptions of the rooms.

I have done over 24 Lunch & Learn presentations so far this year. My presentation: An Architect’s Guide to Sustainable Window Coverings and Draperies have found a receptive audience to the many Architects and Designers that I have met. Custom Draperies and Fabrics are areas that many Architects do not hear much about. I am

Design

The famous acronym GIGO is from the computer world and stands for Garbage In – Garbage Out. GIGO has never been more appropriate then in my world of custom drapery design and fabrication. I am referring to receiving little or no instructions in the form of a work order, purchase order or specification and being

Decorating with Fabric has been selected to provide the window coverings for The Park Avenue Armory in New York City. We are working under the guidance of the architectural firm Platt Byard Dovell White.

During my course Communicating Successful Drapery Design I speak about the importance of function coming before design. This is mostly true for commercial treatments as compared to residential treatments where sometimes form trumps function.

To the eye there is not big difference between fabrics suitable for residential or commercial draperies. In fact, they may be interchangeable. The main factor and requirement is to select fabrics for commercial design that is inherently fire retardant.  This means the fiber itself will not sustain or continue to flame. It is best to