Price of beautiful home worth the investment
AT A RECENT get-together at my home a few of my girlfriends were admiring the beautiful new drapery panels in my master bedroom. They captured attention because the previous draperies had hung there for 14 years. I was so happy to finally replace them with a gorgeous Italian satin stripe fabric. I casually mentioned that this was the very fabric that I had used to design draperies for a client. Having fallen in love with the fabric and the design of the panels I decided to treat myself.
One of my friends asked how much draperies like these cost my client. A bit shocked, I answered her. I explained that my client’s bedroom has 12 of these panels, because she has six windows — I have only one window. I also mentioned that my client lives in a $2 million home in a very prestigious neighborhood. My friend gasped, “I don’t care how beautiful they are and what kind of home it is, that price is just ridiculous and no home is worth that kind of money for draperies!”
I nodded. Then I thought it through and this is what I determined:
If you appreciate beautiful things, you should have them because life is too short to settle for mediocre. We should surround ourselves with as much beauty as we possibly can.
Every home is worthy of good interior design and it does not always have to be at a great expense. My mother, who is 77, loves to decorate. I just had new draperies made for her apartment living room. They are not Italian satin, they are American polyester, but they are beautiful and they added such warmth and charm to her room. The visual delight lifted her spirit and now she and the apartment have a new attitude.
The client mentioned above, has a home that requires custom sizes for everything. The architecture is grand. Much of her existing furniture was dwarfed in this home and she planned to replace it with larger-scale pieces to accommodate the large rooms. The quantity and quality, the scale, the form, the color and finishes of the interior furnishings should be in keeping with the architecture of the home.
If you live in a small cottage, chintz curtains are in keeping with that style. But if you are in an Italianate Villa, satin draperies in the master bedroom are perfectly appropriate.
Your home should reflect you. If you believe as I do that our homes are a reflection of our inner spirit, what could be more important than concentrating our energy toward infusing our homes with our style and feeling?
Toni Berry IFDA at Marie Antoinette Custom Home Interiors is a local interior designer. Send your home design questions or dilemmas to her by e-mail at berrys@gloryworks.com, or you can call or fax her at (925) 862-9064.
