Decorator's Address Book is a monthly series in which our interior design team finds out where designers like to browse and shop for their projects. Each edition focuses on a different element of home decor to bring you the best expert-recommended stores.
For September's Address Book we are making things a bit cozier. September is a month that starts in one season and finishes in another, so transitional your home from summer into fall starts to happen over these next few weeks. Throw down rugs, switch out bedding, change your throw pillows and for many of us change our window treatments for colors, prints, and materials that better reflect the change in weather.
So this month, we have asked interior designers where they shop for window treatments. There's a big range here, from online stores you've probably heard of that come highly recommended, to hidden local gems designers go back to time and time again. If you are looking for new window treatment ideas, right here is a great place to start.
The Shade Store
Marie Flanigan, Founder of Marie Flanigan Interiors and marieflanigan.com
'The Shade Store is a great option for custom window treatments that perfectly complement each space. Its extensive selection of fabrics and finishes offers endless possibilities, allowing for a tailored look that suits any style, from modern to traditional. With versatile options ranging from drapery to shades and blinds, they make it easy to create just the right atmosphere in any room. The Shade Store showrooms are located across the U.S. allowing for easy access to samples and scheming.'
Becky Shea, Principal at Becky Shea Design
'The Shade Store is my primary go-to for window treatments when working on projects in the USA. Their versatility has been unmatched in my experience, providing a wide array of beautiful fabrics, the option for COM (Customer Owned Material), which provides unlimited customization, and even going as far as to create treatments in sizings that have never been done before. That's not to mention that their pricing is very competitive while offering an in-house installation team & design team to ensure the job is done correctly the first round. Our rep, Tom, has been with us for probably 7 years and is absolutely amazing; my husband Jake and I recently attended his wedding!'
Elyssa Contardo of Elyssa Contardo Interior Design
'When I’m using a retail store I like working with The Shade Store. Their showrooms are organized well and they have a great selection of colors to choose from. I will then bring in all my fabrics swatches to their showroom and pick a coordinating drape fabric from their collection. I also love working with Desert Window Treatments and PD Drapery. These are the two companies I use for all of my projects in Palm Desert.'
'Drapery and shades can get pretty complicated and are very detailed. There are a lot of options and when working on a new build all of these options need to be called out during the framing phase to accommodate the soffit depths for the different options. I would recommend pulling concepts of what you like and planning on what you like. This will eliminate a lot of unnecessary options when shopping for your drapes. And then I would pick the coordinating materials and execute from there.'
Soledad Alzaga, San Francisco based Interior Designer
'For drapes and shades, I work a lot with The Shade Store. They have good options of materials, great customer service, "to the trade" specialists and I like their products. They make the process easy with online booking for measuring and keeping track of the process after that. I like that they have showrooms if clients want to see the different options in person. They also offer rendering services so you can see how their products will look like in your space.'
Decorview
Emily Henderson, Designer, Presenter, and Founder of Style by Emily Henderson
'For custom window treatments you can't miss with Decorview. They have what feels like endless amazing options and make each step of the process so easy and wonderful. I've used them many times and I've always loved the result. As well as the hundreds of options, they make each step of the process so easy and wonderful. The customer service is unmatched. I've used them many times and I've always loved the result.'
Lutron
Becky Shea, principal at Becky Shea Design
'Lutron is a household name when it comes to window treatments and lighting, and they have never let me down when it comes to delivering a wonderful product. They will also do COM and have a big selection of amazing fabrics to choose from. The big advantage for Lutron is having the ability to integrate with systems such as Crestron, Control4 or Savant, each of which provide a unified way to automate your window treatments, lighting, HVAC, security and other elements of your home into a single service.'
Everhem
Kristina Khersonsky, interior designer and founder of STUDIO KEETA
'Window treatments are the single-most afterthought piece in the room by clients. However, they are the final piece to really pull together the entire space. Window treatments can soften the space, add drama, or a final layer of personality.'
'If the window treatments aren’t bespoke – meaning we’ve selected a specific textile for a client and worked with our fabricator on a specific style – we’ve looked to a company called Everhem. Everhem has designer-quality offerings at a reasonable price point. They offer a plethora of textiles in a variety of styles. Their company make it simple to select what your space needs from start to finish.'
Danielle Chiprut Founder of Danielle Rose Design Co.
'We often source window treatments from Everhem. Their site is incredibly easy to navigate, making it simple to customize and purchase window treatments at a very reasonable price point. I love how effortless it is to order swatches, allowing us to see and feel the materials before making a final decision. Everhem specializes in custom, high-quality window treatments that perfectly fit any space. Their tailored Roman shades and custom drapery are standout options, combining quality craftsmanship with beautiful design and an ease of use! We also love their custom cafe curtains!'
Etsy
Thea Bloch-Neal, Durham-based Founder and Lead Designer of Curated by Thea
'I love using Etsy for curtains! They have so many options at great prices. Plus, you are always able to talk to a real person about customization options! I love the specifc stores, Shop by Elena and Lanting Curtains.'
TwoPages
Theresa Butler, Principal and Founder of Theresa Butler Interiors
'The TBI team sources window treatments from a range of options, tailored to fit our client's budget. We especially enjoy creating custom window treatments that perfectly match the windows and style of the space. For ready-made drapery, we’ve had excellent results with online sources like TwoPages and Etsy. While these drapes are pre-made, they offer customizable features such as header style, length, width, and more.'
'We prefer TwoPages for their wide range of vibrant colors and styles in drapery and window treatments and you can get them fairly quickly. On Etsy, we often find success searching for unique patterns or companies that will use designer fabrics for custom orders.'
Chad Made
Mollie Ranize, Lead Interior Designer and Founder at Dmar Interiors
'We almost always have our client's window treatments custom-made. That way we can control the perfect outcome and provide a high-quality product with fabric selected specifically for each room of a home.'
'Occasionally if we are doing a quick spruce up and need to get the look for less, we have a reasonably priced vendor called Chad Made. We have their swatchbooks, so we are able to make sure we are getting the perfect colors for the fabrics. They only have solids, but that works in most cases. They also have very clear measuring tools online and their installation instructions are very straightforward. This vendor is a great way to get custom treatments at fair prices.'
Smith & Noble
Interior Designer, Julie Anne Burch
'When it comes to window treatments, I always make sure to bring in the right specialist for the job. Their expertise is invaluable in choosing the best products, and their deep connections with vendors across various companies ensure we get top-quality solutions tailored to each project.For hard treatments, brands like Smith & Noble and Hunter Douglas are usually my go-to. They offer an incredible range of shades and other options that can suit just about any space.'
And, of course, every major fabric house has a dedicated collection specifically crafted for window coverings.We often find ourselves turning to the big names in the fabric world – Schumacher, Scalamandré, Pierre Frey, Clarence House, Lee Jofa – the list goes on. These houses offer a wealth of options that never fail to inspire.'
Pottery Barn
Hillary Cohen Interior Designer and Founder of HCO Interiors
'I really like Pottery Barn linen drapes and Roman shades, particularly the Emery Linen. If you are looking for a neutral linen, they are a great quality for the price. My trick is to order the drapes and have a dry cleaner hem them to achieve a custom height when needed. The roman shade sizes can be customized.'
Wovn Home
Kylie K. Bass of KKB Interiors
'We recently started working with Wovn Home and absolutely love working with Davina and her team. They sell beautiful fabrics in-house, but we also tend to shop a lot at Cowtan and Tout, Kravet, Castel, and then Zak & Fox and Temple Studio for fun patterns!'
'In terms of fabrication, I prioritize working with hard-working, creative, solution-oriented, and kind people! When it comes to fabric, it's important to have access to showrooms that offer a wide range of quality options to suit any project needs.'
Norman
Maria Pulice founder of Bellissima Designs
'My go-to vendor for most window treatments would be Norman. I have been using them for close to 20 years and they just keep getting better. The offering is pretty expansive, including shutters and blinds (both faux and real wood), honeycomb, Roman and roller shades. Their newest product called Smart Drape is the perfect solution for patio sliders and large windows. All of these products can be automated. With winning many awards for child safety and product innovation no vendor in my opinion can come close.'
Morgik Metal
Caroline Kopp, Interior Designer and Founder of Caroline Kopp Interiors
'I LOVE Morgik Metal for beautiful custom curtain hardware. They have stunning authentic finishes and do a wonderful French pole. A continuous, non-telescoping, curtain rod really elevates the whole look of your window in a very subtle, IYKYK kind of way.'
Drapery Street
Stephanie Wiott of Stephanie Wiott Designs
'Luckily for us, we have a local gem that is our go to for window treatments. They are a local Indiana Trade and so close that we can walk to their shop! The team at Drapery Street, located in Carmel, Indiana, is well versed in all their product lines and the quality of their work is simply beautiful.'
'When we can't use Drapery Street, we really prefer to find other local shops with their own workrooms. Using these types of vendors for window coverings offers our clients limitless choices in fabrics and so many options to get more creative, by using tapes, pom-poms, depending on the space and so, so much more. It's also preferable to have someone to speak and work with, face to face, to make sure these beautiful textiles are created and show exactly the way we intended them to!'
'When we can't use Drapery Street, or another local gem, it really depends on the project. We love Pottery Barn for little girls' bedrooms as they always have the cutest options for those sweet little spaces. Restoration is a go for linen!'
The Collective
Sarah Hargrave, Interior Designer and Founder of The Collective
'Window treatments are the most essential item in making a space feel completely finished. For this reason, bespoke details and embellishments as well as technical functionality must all be on point. To really achieve the luxe, fully custom feel, window treatments can't be bought off the rack.'
'Some design groups, such as The Collective in Dallas, offer a la carte services should you want the elevated outcome even if you're not in the market for full-service design. Make the space completely yours by layering in tassels, trim, tape, or pleat accessories.'
Alexander Blank Fabrics & Design
Elizabeth Cross-Beard, Founder of Palm Henri Interiors
'As a Baltimore-based Interior Designer who works within a wide variety of architectural spaces and design aesthetics, we most always collaborate with Alexander Blank Fabrics & Design for our custom window treatments.'
'Not only does Alexander Blank have a fantastic showroom with an array of rods, pleat styles and fabrics; but they also handle all facets of the process from measuring to installation, taking weight off both the designer and client. Whether a petite Bathroom needing a cafe curtain, a Family Room wanting tailored linen panels, or a Grand Residence wanting voluminous draping, they are our go-to!'
Good quality window treatments make all the difference. They are often as dominant in a room as the flooring, or the wall color or a piece of furniture, so picking the right print, color, and style for your space is key.
