The William Morris Project: Week Whatever

Sub-title: I AM A PROBLEM SOLVER.

The family room has been an ongoing saga that may never, ever be done.  Yes, I was making progress by adding the bookcases (still love them) and the Wall of States (makes me smile), but then there was the Dilemma of the Mismatched Drapes.

Exhibit A:

Do ya see what I mean?  

This was a case of Using What I Have. Which is fine. Fine, but not great, or even good.  

Beyond the fact that the curtains don't match, the beige panels are linen and fairly sheer - a big problem as this is covering the glass doors to the outside, which also gets all the sun in the morning.   And I hated the look of the beige/ brown with our beautiful white trim.  I really wanted white panels that I could perhaps even add some color (!) to.  It got to the point where I just pretended like the curtains were white, as if I could alter the color molecules with the strength of my brain wave mojo.  Sad, exhausting, and definitely time to take action.  

Solution: 

First, I swapped the brown panels for white Ikea curtains, but these were temporary and mostly just to get the wrinkles out before they go into Big Sis' room (a project that STILL has a pending start date).  

Next, I racked my brain - and the internet - for the 'right' white panels.  Sure, white panels are easy to find, but upon hearing my plan, Husband requested something that would block out the light so we (he) could watch TV/ movies during the day (a benefit of a work schedule that is all over the place).  Ummmmm, white (my requirement), light blocking (his request) panels?  Good luck with that.  But, I like a challenge, and generally get my way (aka I care waaaaaay more than anyone else in this house & will not be denied) so after searching all the local stores (see: Lowes and Walmart), and scouring the interwebs, I decided that perhaps Blackout LINERS might work.  After 2 months of searching, I was ready to try anything.  Well, anything under $50.  

Here was my first solution:

They seemed like a potentially great option at a reasonable price ($24 for the pair).  

They were also the right length, so I had high hopes.  

Before work today I bought them and then I hung them.

Yep.
The 54" width was TOTAL width, not PANEL width.  

The 80" length?  Maybe it's just a guess.... or they rounded up?  

After several minutes of silent cursing, I went to work and seethed and stewed and searched the internet again.  I wasn't thrilled with anything I saw, but decided to run with an idea patched together from a few different bloggers.  This is known as DIY.   

On my way home I stopped by Joann and bought 5 yards of Budget Blackout.  I cut that gigantic swath of fabric in half, slapped on some curtain rings, and BAM!

PROBLEM SOLVED.  

Here's a picture taken from this morning: 

It doesn't block out 100% of the light, and that's fine.  I wasn't trying to recreate the inner chamber of Carlsbad Caverns, just darken it up so we could turn on Netflix at 11am.  

While I still need to hem everything up, I am totally pleased so far.  And the cost?  $18 for the fabric (50% off), $14 for the rings = $32 for a panel pair that is 108" wide and 80" long.  My final plan is to do the same to the smaller window, and eventually add an 18" band at the bottom of each panel with this fabric: 

Crazy, right?  COLOR galore!  I chose this because it's contemporary, inexpensive ($11.75/ yard), and the right width for the panels.  And then I'm going to sew accent pillows in these:  

All fabrics are from Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory on etsy.  

Can you see it? Can you feel it?  COLOR!  I think these will be great foils for the neutral walls and dark brown sofa. They will also pick up the blues in the Wall of States, and still coordinate with the white trim. 

This post is part of The William Morris Project ala Jules.  She rocks the house.