​Some of my favorite window treatment designs involve woven wood roman shades and woven wood cornices. Not too familiar with woven woods?  Well, think rattan and bamboo, but for the 2019 home, and think of it done in wholly sophisticated way.

I really enjoy using woven woods to add texture to a client’s décor without imparting too much pattern at the window.  In addition, woven woods complement patterned fabrics exceptionally well, and as a natural product made from reeds and grasses, they give an organic and cozy feel to a room.   

Woven wood roman shades come in all lift mechanisms from motorized to cordless control, to loop cord control.   These shades can be layered with draperies or stand-alone as the window treatment and finished “valance” in a room.

My two favorite vendors for Woven Woods are Lafayette Manh Truc and Horizon Shades.  Both manufacturers produce their products in the United States (Indiana and Illinois respectively), and I have enjoyed a 10+ year relationship with each of them. As a designer, you have to vet your vendors and find companies that produce top quality products and stand behind them.  Over the years Lafayette Manh Truc and Horizon Shades have proven to be great vendors for me and my clients.

One of the interesting technologies that Horizon Shades offers for woven woods is the “Operable Lining” option which you just must see in this video:

I also specialize in creating woven wood cornices like in the photo below.  These cornices hide roller shades underneath for a nice option to provide cozy privacy, without a lot of complicated visual fuss.  ​

So if you are looking for something new, call me if you would like to see the complete line of woven wood samples for Horizon Shades and Lafayette Manh Truc.  This might be just the right look for window treatments to complement your existing décor or to suit your privacy needs in a beautiful and stylish way. ​

Last winter I featured some beautiful counter stools sold through Darby Road Home in Waltham, MA (See my blog from 30 November 2018 – “Darby Road Home Delights with Counter Stools and Holiday Cheer”) and remarked that it is hard to find just the right counter stool at just the right height.  Well, that challenge still continues; despite a growing number of on-line retailers who offer stools.  The purpose of today’s post is to highlight to my wonderful readers that you can’t rely on the name “counter stool” to magically fit your new kitchen island, because there is great variability in the height of stools - much more so than with chairs, in my opinion. So, you must pay attention while shopping!  Especially when using catalogs or shopping on-line.  

Before you start looking for stools the #1 thing you need to do is to first figure out the optimal seat height that fits for you and your family.  The graphic below (from Williams Sonoma) illustrates this point since it shows the variability they have for seat heights where a counter stool seat could be between 23” and 28” tall.

​So where have I been shopping for stools for clients recently to solve their design problems? Well, everywhere – and with good success. Here’s the Gage counter stool from Arhaus, a stylish and practical stool that is incredibly comfortable.  I love that Arhaus tells you the dimensions (including seat height and overall height); Gage Counter Stool - Dimensions: 19.5" W X 19.5" D X 36.5" H (SEAT 25" H).  Here's the link to the Arhaus website's page about the Gage stool:
                https://www.arhaus.com/furniture/dining-room-furniture/bar-and-counter-stools/gage-counter-stool/

​Arhaus also has an adjustable stool, the Kensington, which is a good solution if you have children who will grow (well, that’s a given, right?) and family members of different heights.  But these adjustable stools are somewhat casual and industrial in nature, and won’t fit every situation.  Of course, adjustable has its perks.  Here's the link to that page:
  https://www.arhaus.com/furniture/dining-room-furniture/bar-and-counter-stools/kensington-adjustable-barstool/

Frontgate is my #1 catalog/on-line source for stools, and I just saw that they have a new guide related to  the subject of choosing just the right stool; their “Bar Stool Guide”: 
      https://www.frontgate.com/whats-new/guides/bar-stool

In addition, here’s another great resource from Frontgate to help you find the perfect stool for your situation and style; “Seat Yourself: Which Types of Bar Stools Work Where”.
​      https://www.frontgate.com/homeplusstyle/entertaining/seat-types-bar-stools-work/

You might not think that getting the counter stools “just right” is that hard, or that important. But Fall is just around the corner, kids are going back to school, and I would venture to say that there are many students out there who do their homework at the kitchen island or peninsula.  So perhaps you should think about purchasing new counter stools or barstools for your hard-working kitchen as another “back to school” shopping expedition. ​