I Could Do Better

One of my hurdles when decorating a room is showing it off. Seriously - I'm a slightly less than adequate photographer, and I tend to rush through taking photographs without properly staging a room. Case in point - take a look at the windows in the main image of this blog. That's a snapshot of my dining room, and the drapery rings are all askew. I should have straightened them out, made sure they were evenly spaced, etc., but no - I just whipped out my camera and started clicking.

I noticed this again when I went into my daughter's bedroom to take photographs of the window treatments there.

I spent a lot of time making a decision on those panels, and hunted down the plantation shutters for days. So why wouldn't I artfully arrange them all to ensure my photograph looked as nice as I think the finished product does? That little turn on the panels, showing the lining, drives me bananas. I need to work with how they are placed on the rings so that doesn't show.  So staging a room before photographing it will be one of the things I work on as I move through finishing my house, as will brushing up on my photography skills. I'd like to be just as pleased with the photos as I am the rooms in real life.

Anyway, back to the windows in my daughter's room. :)

When Pottery Barn recalled the Roman Shades because of a possible choking hazard, I went on a hunt for window blinds that literally had no strings attached. I decided on plantation shutters, and the quotes for shutters online were considerable, although not out of the question. Before I had a chance to think about that too much, I happened upon these on Craigslist (the previous owners were removing them from a child's room where they'd installed them for the same purpose I needed them). They were the perfect width, but not the perfect height, which was fine by me. The gap at the top reminded me of the old transoms above the doorways in rowhouses in Baltimore.

There is a duplex in Baltimore that is our family home; my grandmother lived in it; currently my uncle and aunt share it. One day I hope to post photos of it here. It contains all the classic Baltimore rowhouse charms: transom windows in every interior and exterior doorway, stained glass exterior windows, marble front steps, gorgeous millwork. So I went with the shutters that left a gap, as a little homage to my extended family home.

The panels were decided on with the help of a group of friends. I thought I wanted a strong pattern, but then opted for a solid since it provides more flexibility later on. My daughter is only two - I am sure as the years go on she will bring her own ideas to how the room should look, and hopefully these panels will transition as she grows.

There are two windows in this room, and you can see a sneak peek of her big girl bed which is now fully assembled. I followed Feng Shui rules (with the help of another friend) and placed the bed against a windowless wall. We'll see how committed I am to Feng Shui and if it stays there. I also still have to decision placement of the art.

And again with the non-staged photograph, here are the two windows (with flung open shutters on one and messy blankets on the footboard of the bed):

The room is a work in progress, and so am I.



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