Today we hung drapes in the sitting room. You know I downsized to a condo if you have followed me over the years. We used to live six months in Ireland in a carriage house and then a Granny flat; and six months in Ohio. I now live here in Ohio permanently.
I usually tried to spend from January to April or May in Ireland. That way, I missed the nasty cold weather. Most years, I would leave after Christmas. I also tried to spend most of the hot weather there too—July & August, preferably.
Last year, winter was freezing here in Ohio, and I noticed a lot of the cold coming from the windows in the upper main living area of the condo. The condo is a good size- about 3000 square feet with both upper and lower living spaces. As you enter from the street, there is a room on the left. I use it as my office. To the right are stairs to the walk-out lower level, and then past the stair, the laundry mud room with entrance to the garage.
From the entry foyer, you can see right into what they called the great room, but I call it the sitting room. The kitchen with the dining area is to the left, with an exit to the back sunroom. The bedrooms and baths are to the right.
At the end of the sitting room are a panel of windows. To the left in the dining area, a set of french doors lead out into the sunroom. Unfortunately, the glass on those french doors and the glass on the end windows of the sitting room were icy last winter.
I only had sheers on the windows. I liked looking out onto the open area and trees behind me- there are no homes close to me, so it is somewhat private. However, last winter, it was also cold. So I decided to buy weather-blocking drapes.
Boy, did I have a difficult time finding drapes. My home has mainly blue and white /gray decor with a touch of green. I want to change that back to the color scheme I initially used: green, light gray, and a touch of blue.
I just upgraded the sitting room with a gray couch with pale blue accent patterned pillows in the sitting room. I have a gray and blue rug on a wood floor with light gray walls. I wanted some color. The room is too pale for me, so I decided on a dark curtain for contrast.
The fireplace surround and hearth have a sage green speckled tile, and the kitchen has a gray-green subway tile. The walls are painted a light silver gray.
The end of the kitchen’s double doors and the end of the sitting room are right next to each other, so the drapes must match. While it is unusual to put curtains on doors, I am used to that in Ireland. The drapes can be tied back or removed in good weather.
I decided on a dark sage drape. There was a double rod already installed on the windows. I already had the sheers on the inner rod and need a grommet-style drape/curtain for the outer rod. I will order a single rod and matching curtains for the dining area soon.
Finding a grommeted drape in a dark sage green was much more difficult than I thought possible. Bed Bath & Beyond stores were closing and had minimal stock; Amazon had few sage green choices. Nor could I find the right combination on Wayfare. Fortunately, I did find these drapes online at JC Penny.
Before I make such a large purchase and dramatic addition to the decor, I want to live with them for a while. I hung the drapes on a pole next to the fireplace. Now I can see how they go with the green tiles. I also can see how I like them in the room with the furniture. I have a couple of emerald velvet pillows to add to the decor for additional contrast points.
I purposely limited my search for weather-blocking drapes: blackout drapes. The drapes I chose are made of woven polyester with a lining.
From JC Penny online: Eclipse meridian Blackout Grommet top.
I washed and ironed them before hanging them. We had to struggle a bit with the double rod and grommet style. The curtains were too close together, and we had to extend the outer rod out and adjust the sheer inner rod closer to the wall.
I used a rod system from Ikea that worked very well to allow for the adjustment.
I am pleased with the look. Sage green is a versatile color and is primarily used as a neutral. It pairs well with a multitude of colors and tones: white, gray, natural wood tones, neutral browns (without too much red to them), blues that are either lighter or darker than sage green, deep dark green, red, pink, or coral as a pop of color Or my favorite: mustard yellow as a pop of color. Sage green is a gray-green color but can be toned with a hint of blue or a more silver tone. A cool color, but you can warm it up with warm accessories.
The greens match my fireplace surround and will go with the green throw pillow and the green-gray in the kitchen.
My home is a combination of warm background tones:
- Wood floors
- Gold granite countertops
- Wood and gold picture frames
- Warm wood trims and fireplaces
I have off set the warm with cooler elements:
- Light and. mid-tones blues and grays
- Sage and light and dark toned greens
- Pops of Color
You should make the home that works for you and your family. Mixing similar styles, complementing colors and tones, and comfortable furniture make up your home and your unique style.
I still have some work to do in this area- The handmade farm table gets new Windsor chairs with a couple of vintage captain chairs on the ends- after I repaint and lacquer. New Candlestick lamps for the buffet and a new hurricane candle holder for the center of the table.
Small redos in the house in preparation for the holidays. Are you doing this too??? Tell me about your redos in the comment section below!
