From House To Home

The floor covering is installed. The walls are painted. The furniture is selected. Finally homeowners turn to the windows and wonder what to do.

Clients often thank Frank Fasanella, owner of Drapery Consultants in Norwalk, for making their house a home—a feat he accomplishes by using his 50 years of custom window experience to “blend the floors, walls, and furniture with the window treatments to bring out the owners’ tastes.“

Bob Lasek, owner of Designers Workshop in Westport and Fairfield, has the same knack for helping people personalize their window covering choices. “Since we are custom, we don’t have a certain look,“ he says. “There’s not anything that’s ‘wrong’; if you feel comfortable with something, you should go with it.“

Mary Ann Tuska asks her clients to think first about their needs in each room: sun protection, privacy, lots of light. “We’ll help them do the rest,“ says Tuska, who co-owns the Drapery Connection in Stratford with her daughter Stephanie.

Once personal taste, color schemes, and function are established, professionals such as Lasek, Tuska, and Fasanella guide homeowners through the myriad of window covering products and the latest trends.

Roman shades conquer the swag and jabot: All three of these experts say any look can work in the right application, but they’ve noticed fewer Fairfield County-area residents are installing swags and jabots. A popular tailored alternative is the Roman shade, which Tuska describes as “very, very hot.“

Side panels: For most area homeowners, Lasek says letting the sunshine in is more important than privacy, but they still want to frame their windows with lovely fabrics. So instead of full draperies, they install side panels and attractive rods and finials or frame the top of the window with a valance.

Valances: “People want a fresher look and not a lot of draperies to take down and have cleaned,“ Fasanella says, so they’re using more valances paired with some kind of blinds. He likes to show off beautiful valance fabrics by making them tailored with smooth fronts.

Nubby, coarsely woven fabrics: Fabric with lots of surface interest and interesting yarns and blends of color makes lovely draperies. Fabrics such as these suit the streamlined look people are after, Lasek says.

Fun with color: Window covering color trends tend to follow fashion. But unless you want to change window coverings regularly, plan to use the season’s boldest colors on accessories that are less expensive to replace. Lasek, always on the lookout for unique fabrics, says one of his most popular new prints is coral-colored zebra.

Chocolaty good: Chocolate and olive are the new chocolate and aqua. Both combinations remain strong.

Polka dots, not flowers: “I haven’t seen a lot of florals in home furnishings,“ Lasek says. “I’m seeing mostly textures and retro geometrics, stripes, dots, and circles.“

Silk and faux silk: “Real silk is priced over the top, and it can be destroyed by the sun,“ Tuska says. “Faux silk, made of polyester, is strong, and most people wouldn’t know the difference.“ And it looks great with a fringe of crystals in a romantic getaway, such as the master bath.

Green design: Environmental awareness is affecting how people treat their windows. Not only do they want products that will maximize energy efficiency, Tuska says they are seeking products made with renewable, environment-friendly materials, such as bamboo.

Bye-bye mini-blinds: After years of popularity, the one-inch metal blind is fading out of favor. The alternative: 2-inch wood blinds, honeycomb shades, or shadings such as Hunter-Douglas’ Silhouettes, which function as sheers when open and blinds when fabric slats are closed. They also can be raised entirely for a clear window.