Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Kinds & Styles of Luxury Curtains for the Smart Buyer

Luxurious curtains are awesome window coverings to any space; it can substantially modify the over-all look and feel of any space. Luxurious curtains come in lots of types as well as styles, that are relatively easy to determine for the trained eye.

Luxurious Curtain Fabric Types





Lightweight Fabric Types

Cotton is the most known type of lightweight fabric. It is generally the most low-cost and most versatile of all fabric. Cotton has many varieties, from the loosely woven Muslin that creates an airy and light effect thus making it appropriate as a window lining for heavier fabrics, to Calico- that is often used in quilting. Linen is also like cotton in terms of flexibility of use.

These are the different types of luxurious curtain fabrics that are awesome window coverings in any room. It’s important to know what they are so you, the smart buyer, can have decorating ideas to beautify your Sydney home.

Medium Weight Fabric Types

This is the category where most of the luxurious curtain fabrics can be found.

Brocade is perhaps the most popular of all medium weight fabric types. In Brocade, the pattern is directly woven into the fabric and makes up for a luxurious and dramatic effect. It is more expensive than cotton that’s why it’s one of the top choices for homeowners looking for fabrics of high quality. Brocade is perfect for formal settings, usually in dining rooms and formal drawing rooms.


Damask is another luxurious curtain fabric that is just like Brocade because its print is directly woven into the intricate weave of rich threads. Unlike Brocade, Damask has patterns with similar colors and can easily be seen when light is reflected on the surface. Brocade on the other hand has distinctive and rich patterns that are sometimes of various colors and textures.

Heavyweight Fabric Types

Heavyweight curtains have the most dramatic feel and are mostly used in formal settings. They are very luxurious and very rich, though oftentimes not appropriate for residential uses especially for homes situated in tropical climates, just like in Sydney. Chenille is a soft textured heavy curtain that is used way back in Victorian times to create heavy draperies.

Velvet has a short plush pile with an even uniform surface. It is often used as valances and draperies in formal settings. It’s often seen being used in theatres as side and front curtains. Velvet has a soft & smooth feel but is not appropriate for use in warm climates as it is very opaque.

Sheers

These are lightweight fabrics that often consist of lace, muslins, nets and voiles. Another kind is the organza, which has a crisper and more frosty appearance.



Supershades is the leading seller of luxury curtains & blinds in Sydney. Treat your homes a luxurious home make-over with the gorgeous array of custom made curtains & blinds and beautiful window awnings for your North Sydney home.

Friday, February 3, 2012

3 Reasons Why Window Shutters are Good For You

Window shutters are considered by many homes nowadays because of their awesome uses. They are particularly advantageous to tropical climate places where the morning sun and afternoon heat can be a little bit overbearing, just like in Sydney. Sydney homes boasts of wonderful interior design elements but what can really control and balance your indoor and outdoor home experience than a functional & aesthetic pair of window shutters.


Privacy
Window shutters are primarily known for the privacy it can excellently deliver to its homeowners. If you don’t have the luxury to live in a secluded place atop a Sydney hill or on a private forest-like residence with lots of nature (think: Cullen’s home in Twilight) then you really need a shutter to temporarily open and shutdown your homes to the prying eyes of outsiders. The good thing about shutters is that you can adjust just how much privacy you want/ need for the time being. You are in control.

Protection
Window shutters offers maximum protection to outside natural elements such as heat, wind, rain, typhoon, etc. Shutters are very advantageous to places where the climate is oftentimes at its extremes, just like curtains in Sydney. Very hot places such as those in the tropical countries, where heat is at its peak during summer will greatly benefit from the cooling effects of a wooden shutter. Imagine the comfort of shutting down to a cool place after a morning stroll on a very hot day. It can also lessen the heat pressure buildup on your windowpane.

Typhoon/ storms need not to bother you if you’ve got window shutters in your home. Shutters protect the windows against strong winds thus eliminating the scenario of broken glass or tossed up home interior.

Light Control
Window shutters help control the light that comes into your home and this is also true to curtains and blinds. This is most helpful when your window is situated where the sun shines. Control how much of the light you want inside your home.

Next time you’re out to buy a window treatment for your home, it is best to consider the ff factors: the privacy vs openness of your house’s location, the usual natural occurrences in the climate, and the position of your windows. In doing so you’ll be able to make a wise choice if you really need to buy window shutters for your home. After all if the above choices lead you otherwise, you can still use a pretty window shutter to beautify your home.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Window Treatment Tips - Playing Interior Decorator of Your Own Home

Ever heard of the game the sims? This game is where you can build and customize the design of your home.

Knowledge of art and colors are not needed to have a creative and sophisticated look. There are lots of designs and materials in designing your windows to consider when planning the best view for your home.

Many people need privacy in their own room.  It is recommended for them to use stained glass.  This glass provides privacy, hides horrible views, and adds beautiful design in your home. Moreover, custom design curtains and draperies emphasize the beauty of your room.


Great window treatments suit any occasion.  For example for formal occasions or classy rooms, curtains should only touch the floor.  On the other hand for romantic occasions like honeymoon, it is advised to use elegant, extra-long curtains that puddle on the floor. And lastly, in the kitchen it is best that curtains are on the sill, or to the bottom of the window trim.

There are different ways to have an instant window treatment.  One way is using the napkin tonner, you only need to  fold colorful dinner-size napkins in half on the diagonal and drape them, pointed side down, over a fat, stained or painted, wooden pole.  Another way is the faux balloon design.  Simply drape a rectangular tablecloth over a fat, decorated pole. Around six or more inches from one side of the pole, drape a long folded length of ribbon across the pole with loose ends hanging below the cloth. Next is gather the ribbon ends and pull them up until the cloth begins to swag, and then tie the ribbon into a bow. Repeat on the opposite side. The result looks like a balloon shade.

Another way to add cool look for your home is to choose the best curtains.  You can try researching Try matching five different patterns for a variety of choices to suit your mood.  You can do this by letting one large-scaled pattern dominate over one medium-scaled floral and another geometric, and toss in two small-scaled accent patterns (your choice of floral or geometric). Make sure the colors in the large-scaled pattern are repeated in all the others.

Texture is considered when choosing the best window treatment for your room for balance. For a hard, wood-filled space with few upholstered pieces, select soft, light colored curtain fabrics. In a carpeted room with plain drywall or plaster at the walls, consider wooden blinds or shades to add the warmth of natural wood tones. Or simply construct a blend of textures in a single window treatment to provide textural richness and depth.
Now if you'd like to do away with all these hassles and you would like to entrust everything to a professional - Supershades is here for you.

Supershades offer these types of window treatmens and can also create custom cushions, cushion coverings and doona covers for your Sydney home in an incredible range of fabrics, colours, textures and designs. Supershades also offer a range of motorised solutions for your curtains that can be integrated seamlessly with building management systems for the ultimate in luxury and ease-of-use.
The team at Supershades can create custom coverings for almost anything within your home to suit any decor. If you have an idea for a custom covering project, but are looking for a little more inspiration, please visit us at our Brookvale showroom.
To learn more about our custom curtain and covering services, please contact us today on
(02) 9938 4377.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Custom Made Curtains: Add a Luxurious Feel to Your Home in 2012

It is the perfect time to get your home a new style and a new life.  Year 2012 is a time for change and a time to attract positive energies for prosperity and comfort.  Are you one of those stressed hardworking employees itching to get their old home to be luxuriously decorated like brand new?  The best advice for you is to try our custom curtains.  



Luxury custom curtains

Interior designers agree that if you wish to inject personal style into your home, curtains could help you do that, provided the kind that is tailored to your taste and lifestyle are used.  One should also consider the functionality and the purpose of the room design. 
Luxury custom curtains can take all kinds of forms, and may also include curtains used for blocking light and privacy as well. Custom curtains not only perform this function, they also add a more comfortable and homey feeling to a home. If your plan is to accent a room, sheer curtains will do the work. Although sheer curtains do not provide privacy or block out light, they are a beautiful airy addition to a room. There are sheers with beautiful embroidery on them, which enhances their decorative appeal. 


Luxury sheer curtains


If you want a sumptuously look designed window with multi-functioned treatments.  There are several ways to do it.  You can try hanging curtains and scarf that compliments color from the rod as well, or you may choose a box valance instead. You can also hang two rods and have sheer curtains behind a practical set of privacy curtains. Moreover, you can also combine curtains with different types of blinds and shades. Also consider a Roman shade in a complimentary color or pattern hung behind the curtains. 

Supershades offer these types of window treatmens and can also create custom cushions, cushion coverings and doona covers for your Sydney home in an incredible range of fabrics, colours, textures and designs. Supershades also offer a range of motorised solutions for your curtains that can be integrated seamlessly with building management systems for the ultimate in luxury and ease-of-use.
The team at Supershades can create custom coverings for almost anything within your home to suit any decor. If you have an idea for a custom covering project, but are looking for a little more inspiration, please visit us at our Brookvale showroom.
To learn more about our custom curtain and covering services, please contact us today on
(02) 9938 4377.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Honeycomb Blinds: Summer Heat Solution

With the onset of the summer season, one of the concerns that homeowners usually face is how to maintain a pleasant temperature while keeping that attractive interior décor intact. Window coverings have evolved from being just functional to treating and making your home aesthetically attractive. There are window treatments offered in a wide range of prices to suit anyone’s taste, lifestyle and budget, since another of a homeowner’s cause for a headache are seasonal home improvements that will burn a hole in their pockets.



Aside from frantically installing ceiling fans and air conditioners to prevent the rising temperature from suffocating the entire house, window treatments that are focused on reducing the amount of heat, and lowering your energy bills in the process, are already available in the market. They don’t just efficiently reduce the summer time heat gain, but will enhance and freshen up your home décor at a fraction of the price of buying replacement energy-efficient windows.

One of the best solutions at keeping the heat at bay while also pleasing any energy conscious homeowner at the same time is having insulating window blinds installed such as the honeycomb blinds. Invented in 1970, the name was thought up because, when viewed from the side, the blinds appear as a round honeycomb somewhat like a beehive. These blinds are specifically designed to offer absolute insulation by providing extra filter for the sun’s hot glare and also keeping cold air from entering the room in the cold season. It’s unique construction and innovative pattern makes them the perfect choice that can be used all year round. It will keep your homes cool and refreshing in the summer and warm and cozy in the winter.

Honeycomb blinds come in a variety of materials that can range from translucent to blockout fabrics, depending on your needs. With their light filtering and room darkening feature, they can be appropriate in almost any setting. The translucent fabrics will filter out the UV rays while allowing soft light into the room. This is suitable for rooms that require some lighting like a home study or a bedroom. The other type of honeycomb blinds is the block out variety, which can completely stop any light from entering any room. This will give the room an increased darkness and ensures privacy, typically ideal in bedrooms and home theaters. Notwithstanding its usual function, the honeycomb blinds are also helpful in preventing and neutralizing the noise from the outside. The air pockets that are created by the design will regulate the sound waves from penetrating inside the room, making it a great investment for those living near noisy streets or for somber office settings.

Monday, September 26, 2011

An Introduction to Buying Curtains

Windows are one of the most enlivening parts of a home. More than just an “opening” or gaps on our walls, they invite fresh breeze of morning air into the house and just the right amount of sunshine to light up rooms and spaces. If they are strategically placed, they give us the opportunity to sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery of our gardens and lawns from the inside. To make the experience more delightful, we tend to dress them up. There are many window accessories and trimmings out there that can make our windows more beautiful to look at. One of the most popular ways of beautifying windows is by putting up curtains.



Curtains, also called draperies in other countries like United States, is a variety of window covering that are traditionally made from fabrics and garments. They are usually hung on the upper jamb with a rod which extends down to the window’s bottom frame or any desired and appropriate length. Gone are the days when you can simply have curtains sewn at local tailor shops. The demand for curtains and other window treatment products have significantly increased over the years, which paved the way to the increasing number of window coverings providers in the industry.

Try to look for a window coverings provider in your area through search engines online and your head will spin with a very long list of companies to choose from.  With so many options out there, it’s actually very difficult to narrow down the search. I haven’t even discussed the seemingly never-ending options when it comes to types, materials, designs, styles, and features that will suit anyone’s taste.

Before the topic of selecting the right type of curtains for your windows confuse you, there’s a question you have to ask yourself first that may lead your search to a screeching halt. A question that may specifically lead you to what you exactly have to search for.

For what purpose do you primarily need the curtains for?

If you are opting to make your interiors brim with elegance, style and sophistication, then curtains made from laces, satin or silk with pelmets and tassels can be a good way to go. If protection for your home furniture from sunlight is what you require, then curtains made from substantial and thick garments are the best bet. If privacy is your priority, then you can count on curtains made from sheer, thick or bulky garments.

Once you determine what you want your next set of curtains to offer you, selecting a provider and buying one will a breeze. The most important decision when it comes to choosing curtains will be satisfying the need in your homes and your lifestyle.

Friday, August 12, 2011

A Beginners' Guide to Awnings

Do you like eating your grilled cheese sandwich and drinking your hot brewed coffee at the patio for breakfast? How about reading your favorite books at your deck on a cozy afternoon? Is a barbeque party with family and friends at that extra space in your backyard appeals to you so much you’d want to do it every weekend?

If your answer to these questions is yes, then you must really love spending time al fresco. To maximize the full potential of your outdoor living space, you should have awnings installed. Installing awnings not only increases the aesthetic value of your home, they also give a number of benefits from saving energy, safety and luxury.


Awnings are outdoor peripherals that give your home and your extra outdoor space protection and perfect defense from the sun and other harsh environmental elements. Normally, they are made from metals like aluminum, iron and stainless steel or durable materials like heavy duty canvass, solution dyed acrylics and vinyl laminated polyester. Usually, awnings are situated at the exteriors of doors and windows. They also have bigger varieties that are used to cover patios, decks and some areas around the house.

Awnings now come in different sizes, patterns and designs that can be fitted with your home’s theme and motif which will further enhance the overall look of your homes. Getting a high quality and stylish awnings installed is definitely a good investment. If in any case, you decide to sell your home, it’s possible you could sell it at a higher price.

Protection against the sun’s UV rays can also be offered by awnings that are very much needed during the summer. Today’s modern awning materials promise to shield your home from the damage UV rays can cause. Without awnings, your furniture, curtains, blinds, floorings and even carpets may be subjected to fading and becoming brittle. On top of this, they also help homeowners avoid the health risks posed by UV rays especially when spending time outdoors. This will allow you to enjoy all your outdoor activities safely minus the inconvenience of too much heat and sun exposure.

They don’t have to be taken down during the winter season because awnings nowadays are retractable to allow the winter sun to come in. Also, for the periods of rainy season, they can also protect your homes from storms and high wind situations.


Awnings can also help you trim down your energy costs since they lower down or reduce the heat and moisture from going through your windows. This means that you don’t have to turn on the air-conditioning unit at all times.

These are just some of the advantages you can get from installing awnings. To know more about how awnings can benefit you, visit Supershades for more information.