Monday 9 October 2017

Spring Is In The Air

At last the dreariness of winter seems to have given way to sunshine and light breezes. How nice it was after dinner last night to be able to wander along Petone beach and watch the sun go down in a blaze of red. The blossoms are out on the apple and pear trees, the azaleas are blooming brightly and spring is in the air.
TIME for a freshen up and a rethink at home before the summer starts and we get bogged down with Christmas, the long school holidays, and lying on the beach in the sunshine.



Here are a couple of projects we have undertaken in the past few weeks:





First a laundry renovation.....
This was a tiny space off a hallway, a laundry in a double-doored cupboard.

It was out with the old laundry cupboard and tub and in with some deep storage drawers, a full width bench and a new sink. The clothes dryer was mounted on the wall  and the back wall retiled . A new tap finished the smart new look.

It is now a fully functional working space with plenty of storage.









Next was the challenge of what to do with Grandma's old wing-back chair. That chair had been part of the family for 50 years.

It was always the 'go to' chair when the owner wanted to curl up with a good book. Several layers of 'do it yourself' reupholstery were ripped off, a new seat cushion supplied and a new fabric selected to co-ordinate with the lounge suite. The result is a smart new chair, new enough to look right in place in a modern home, old and familiar enough to cherish the precious memories of its past and a beloved Grandma.



Fabric:
Westbury Textiles "Mystique" col. Silver Grey






So... if you think it is time for a fresh new look at your place, give Rachel a call: 027 2214049.

Tuesday 31 January 2017

The Art Of Beautiful Draperies

There are so many beautiful fabrics around these days, In the 40 years since the first curtains were turned out of Jan's workroom, fabric manufacturing techniques have moved ahead in leaps and bounds. The advances in production technology mean that fabric can be produced in multi layers, interwoven cleverly with different fibres, burnouts, graduated dyes, beautiful and intricate embroidery and beadwork etc etc etc. Fabric is without doubt our first love and we take great pride in treating it with the respect due to it to create beautiful and timeless soft furnishings.

Selecting a fabric in our studio

Because we are at the coal face when our clients select their fabric we can ensure that the fabric is 'fit for purpose'. Roman blinds are at their best made with a fabric that has some structure to it, like cottons, linens and cotton mixes. Soft fabrics drape beautifully for curtains whilst some polyester fabrics hang very stiffly and no matter how much love and attention we give them they will always want to 'skirt' at the bottom. Many of the modern polyesters are beautiful and 'drape' elegantly into pleats. We very quickly learn what looks good when its finished  and learn to avoid the fabrics that don't. And knowing we have a vested interest in making your furnishings and hanging them in your home in the right fabric is perhaps the biggest advantage for you.

Taking advice from a professional also ensures that you get the maximum thermal advantage and that the lining selected will do the job you want it to. We talk to you about how far the curtains need to go past the edge of the window to give you maximum light, how far above the window the tracks should be installed to minimise heat loss, exactly where you want the hems to sit.

And we have literally thousands and thousands of fabrics to choose from, We have a good selection of sampling in-house but draw on the showroom libraries to source the perfect cloth from dozens of international ranges. Matching fabrics to paint and wallpaper, carpets and furniture is our specialty and we offer a full interior design service if required.

Squaring up a roman blind

All our curtains and blinds are made with tender loving care! The fabric is checked for flaws before it sees a pair of scissors and every finished curtain is pressed, hung and carefully folded for transportaion.  If they are pleated the drapes are carefully teased into their pleats so the pleats have time to set before they are installed, and our installer, who more often than not has already visited your house to confirm measures ensures the curtains are sitting beautifully in their pleats before he leaves your home.

Folding the pleat to drape beautifully
Sewing in pleats

All in all we take great pride in doing a job well done, and are keenly aware that most of our work comes from recommenda-tions of previous clients. We have worked for some of our Wellington clients for 20 years and have curtained several houses for them, and for their mothers, children friends etc. We still have a client in Auckland we first worked with 30 years ago. We LOVE to hear from old friends who are ready to re-furbish, or move on, or move into a retirement villa. We feel so privileged to be part of the next 'stage' of their lives.

Give us a ring, talk to Rachel, Feel confident that we are a small family business and we care that you are happy with the job we do for you. We know if you are happy with the first job you will come back to us next time and tell your friends that we care, and that matters to us.

Rachel:  0272214049