Accessories, even on drapes, create cohesive look
DEAR DESIGNER: While shopping for custom draperies and a few throw pillows, I found the fringe incredibly expensive. Will you help me weigh the pros and cons of using trim on my new draperies? — Aileen
DEAR AILEEN: I like to compare fringe on draperies to accessories on an outfit. Many times I can find a well-made, flattering dress for a reasonable price, however, the price of accessorizing is hard to digest. Even so it’s the accessorizing that makes a statement and sets your individual style apart from everyone else.
A similar scenario happens when accessorizing a room. It’s easy to justify the cost of an enormous sofa but shouldn’t a mere vase that sits on the mantle cost comparatively less? Not always. It’s helpful to recognize that the size of an item does not determine its cost or value.
First consider your decorating style when deciding on trim. Fringes and tassels go well with traditional, transitional, Moroccan and Old-World European design. Lavish trims and fringe are not often used in contemporary and minimalistic décor.
It’s true that you can make window coverings absolutely beautiful without fancy trimmings, but applying them under the appropriate circumstances will give your draperies the quality and style commonly achieved by professionals.
When I justify the cost of purchasing passementeries (trimmings) for pillows and draperies, I think of the project as a whole. For example: I might have a budget of $2,500 for dining room draperies. If the situation calls for a stunning trim, I can stay in budget by buying a basic fabric and allowing the fancy trim to take the spotlight.
Because the fabric is usually selected before the trim, it’s conceivable that you will find the perfect fabric and not be able to afford the trim. If the fabric can’t be reselected, try using less trim and pricey fabric. Consider using your expensive fabric and trim on the top treatment and use coordinating (and less expensive) fabrics for the drapery panels. Or simply apply a row of trim on the center edges of each panel.
A fancy trim can be the one element that pulls the colors of your room together. It’s amazing how coordinated a room will feel when there is but a woven thread of color that repeats and blends all of the colors of the room.
A great place to view some amazing passementeries is the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore at Wynn Las Vegas. They use oversized fringes that had to cost a bundle. Decorative trims are impressive eye candy!
Note: Passementerie (pronunciation: pas-men-tree) is the word designers and vendors use when referring to trim. It is a French word coming from passement, meaning an ornamental braid. Today the word is used to describe fringe, tassels, braid and ornamental beading.
Cindy Payne is a certified interior designer with more than 25 years of experience, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, as well as a licensed contractor. E-mail questions to her at deardesigner@ projectdesigninteriors.com or send them to her at Project Design Interiors, 2620 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 189, Las Vegas, NV 89109. She can be reached online at www.projectdesigninteriors.com.