Shop at Home Service for Window Treatments in Mason, Ohio

May 17, 2012 By Kim Leave a Comment

This colorful valance was installed just last week into a lovely home in Mason, OH. The homeowners were hosting a large wedding shower at their home and were thrilled to have their lower level complete before the party. They told me they couldn’t stop looking at it, words that thrill me, I assure you! But it was what they said next that intrigued me the most. She said, “I wish we had done something like this upstairs”. The husband assured her by saying, “We had several professional opinions that the cornice was the way to go”. Then they said to me, ” We just like the flowing lines better than the flat cornice”.

You see, I knew that because I ask lots of questions when I meet with homeowner’s for the first time. We talk about their lifestyle, how the room is used, how they want to feel in a room. We look at many photos, again asking questions. I want to find out what designs, styles, and fabrics they are drawn to. And maybe more importantly, what does not appeal to them.

I never walk into a home with a preconceived idea of what should be done on a window. I don’t live there, and therefore it is not up to me alone. I love to collaborate with the homeowner to find out what THEY are thinking. We couple that with my experience and knowledge, and come up with the perfect design for THEM. There are many great options for any one window and room. And just like with the cornice story above, lots of great ideas and opinions. But, I strive to deliver something more….

Something that brings that “I can’t stop looking at it ” reaction.

Shop at Home Services are not all the same – Expect a Difference! www.EWbyKimLyon.com

Filed Under: Mason, Top Treatments, Window Treatments

Two Story Window Treatment

May 9, 2012 By Kim Leave a Comment

…Another Happy Client!

I love my clients. Paula, in particular, was so fun to work with. She actually called me after seeing my van in a parking lot, while shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Now that is power shopping! Paula was very nervous about this decorating project. As you can see the whole wall of this room is windows, and beautiful ones, at that. Neither she, nor her husband wanted to cover the windows or block their view, but the sun coming through was very harsh, and Paula just wanted to add some color and warmth to the room. She had seen a few ideas on my website that she thought would work and was anxious to get my thoughts. We took her initial thoughts, coupled with the knowledge of what she was willing to invest in the project, and came up with a great design that worked beautifully. My first suggestion was to get the windows tinted to help with the sun’s harshness. While Paula was nervous about fabric selection – she wanted red, but not too red – I assured her the fabric we chose would accomplish what she was looking for. While I am sure she did not sleep the night before installation, she was thrilled with the outcome. The window tinting film was applied first, and then the fabric treatments added all the color and warmth she was looking for. Here, in Paula’s own words, is her reaction: “It was wonderful working with Kim. She helped with ideas and fabric choices as well as ease my fears. She is a god send. I will call her back for future drapery choices.”

Filed Under: 2 Story Windows, Draperies, Maineville, Shop at Home Service

Decorating with Color!

April 13, 2012 By Kim Leave a Comment

What Does Color Do?

One of the first things we notice about something is it’s color. Unless, of course, there are no lights!

Color is light and we’ve mentioned that before but color is an intangible part of light that is vital to our health and our mood.

Nearly 100% of the decision to purchase a product is based on color. Color speaks volumes about us and TO us.

Here is a bit about some colors and how they influence behavior:

Pink – unconditional love and healing
Orange – Happy, social, energetic
Blue – relaxation, vision, rest and independence
Green – the color that is easiest on our physical eye, the color of nature, the color of healing love
Yellow – warmth, nourishing and grounding, self-esteem, will, determination, thinking and good digestion (of food and issues)
White – purity, clarity, spirituality, all colors of light
Purple/Violet – spirituality, action and rest at the same time
Black – protection, depth, mystery
Red – passion, action, deep love (usually romantic)

Technorati Tags: Decorating With Color

Filed Under: Decorating, Maineville, Mason, Uncategorized Tagged With: Decorating With Color

Custom Window Treatments – Shop at Home Service

March 12, 2012 By Kim Leave a Comment

There really is a difference in customer service the Exciting Windows! way. You will sense the difference from the very first phone call. We care about what is best for YOU - your likes, dislikes, decorating style, and budget. We listen!

This is what you can expect:

1. Phone call before your visit. By asking questions about your project and learning about your interests, I will bring the right products and think about your needs even before we meet!

2. Arriving at your home. When I arrive, I won’t bring samples in right away. First, I will get to know you and your family’s lifestyle, and will consider YOUR decor needs. You’ll know right away you made a good choice to call!

3. Big picture first – other rooms count, too. Your overall plans for your home affect the choice for each window solution. Possibly you thought of windows as only light control and privacy, but window treatments can enhance your home and affect the happy feelings of your family. It may take more time to learn your ideas about other rooms. But we’ll do a better job in the end, and there’s never a cost for us to know more about YOU!

4. Your ideas – what have you seen and what do you like? Before I show you products or suggest treatment ideas, I will ask about yours. Have you visited any stores, seen any window products on TV or at a friend’s home that you really like? Only then will I show you the products you want, and possibly some you hadn’t seen before!

5. Reliability and guarantees. I am proud of our quality and reputation, the brands we represent, and the customers we’ve pleased – some, probably right in your neighborhood. I will show you photos and information in my personal portfolio. Once you learn more about us and our high standards, you’ll understand why we have so many satisfied customers!

6. Your personal window solution. Once I know the products you like and design treatment you’re thinking about, we’ll browse color photos or sketch a custom solution to find just what you are looking for. With careful thought, you’ll enjoy your good decision for years.

7. Comfortable budget. If you have a budget idea, we’ll work within it to give you the most beautiful windows for the money. If you are uncertain, I will suggest an estimate range for the product and treatment designs you’ve selected. When we’re all together on your design AND your investment ideas, I’ll bring samples, styles, colors, and fabrics from my vast selections to find the exact ones YOU want!

I look forward to meeting you!

Kim

Filed Under: Cincinnati, Decorating, Draperies, Maineville, Mason, Shop at Home Service, Uncategorized, Window Treatments

Adding Color to Your Home

March 3, 2012 By Kim Leave a Comment

Wow, color is back in a BIG way!

Adding color to your home is a great way to reflect your and really feel comfortable in your own home personality

It is all about YOU, your interests, and your senses.

I have noticed my clients choosing more and more colorful fabrics for their windows and pillows.

Here are a just a few that have been used over the past several months.

No drab and boring windows here – we create Exciting Windows!

Technorati Tags: Color, Custom Valances, Decorating

Filed Under: Cincinnati, Decorating, Draperies, Maineville, Mason, Top Treatments, Uncategorized, Window Treatments Tagged With: Color, Custom Valances, Decorating

February 11, 2012 By Kim Leave a Comment

Whether to add color to the room with your draperies is a big decision. It depends on the mood you want to set for the room. When this client first starting considering draperies, she thought she wanted red. Her home is a fabulous older home in Hyde Park with great architectural features. We were looking at the living room and adjoining dining room. They are not extremely large rooms and there are 5 windows and a door in those 2 rooms.

This is the family’s main living space, so it has also has a lot of furniture, and we were talking about adding quite a bit of fabric. We decided that red draperies would close in the room and make it feel much smaller. We elected to go with a beautiful golden fabric that blends with the paint color. By doing this, the rooms actually appear larger. The fabric has tiny muted flecks of red and green, giving it great depth of color. These draperies are intended to be fully functional so they can close to keep the cold out in winter. The homeowner was thrilled that her rooms were so much more cozy without being overtaken by the fabric. She said “I love them, and I am so glad I didn’t insist on red!”

Technorati Tags: Decorating, draperies over shutters, energy efficient, Pleated Functional Draperies

Filed Under: Cincinnati, Decorating, Draperies, Energy Efficient, Roman Shades, Shutters, Uncategorized Tagged With: Decorating, draperies over shutters, energy efficient, Pleated Functional Draperies

Creative Treatment for Arch Windows

February 6, 2012 By Kim Leave a Comment

This was a fun project! The homeowner’s called me out to meet with them because they had an excruciating sunlight problem in their room and just did not know how to solve it. We talked about several options and were able to rule some things out right away. Of course arched windows also complicate the possibilities.

After our first meeting, I had a brainstorm. I had often heard one of my vendors, Helser Brothers, speak of an “outside the box” use for one of their products. This would be the perfect application….I was excited! When I showed a sample of the Faux Iron Tableaux product with fabric stretched and attached to the back, the homeowner loved it immediately. This was not an easy project, that is for sure. Templates needed to be made in a 2 story room. We also added Roman Shades to three of the windows to give them light control options. There would be no forgiveness if the measurements weren’t exactly right. Everything fit perfectly and we were all thrilled with the results. A very unique treatment for a very unique need.

Technorati Tags: arched windows, Faux Iron, Light Control, Roman Shade, Tableaux

Filed Under: Arched Windows, Roman Shades, specialty windows, Uncategorized Tagged With: arched windows, Faux Iron, Light Control, Roman Shade, Tableaux

2 Story Window Treatment Idea

October 25, 2011 By Kim Leave a Comment

A wall of windows in a room presents special challenges. There are as many solutions as there are homeowners. That is what makes my job so fun – asking questions and finding out what design the homeowner likes best. Function also needs to be considered. You can see the television was going to have a lot of glare on it if we did nothing to block the sun. The two bottom windows have beautiful Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Shades for privacy and light control. You can see glare still coming in the top windows and a professionally applied Vista window film will allow the homeowner to still enjoy the view and the light, but have their view of the television and their furnishings protected from the damaging effects of harmful UV rays.

A decorative fabric treatment with fabulous hardware brings all the windows together to give the homeowners the “WOW” factor they were looking for.

Share your story of finding a 2 story

Window Treatment

that you think has the “WOW” factor.

Technorati Tags: 2 Story Window Treatments, Decorating, Decorative Hardware, Draperies, Duettes, Liberty Township OH, Vista, Window Tinting

Filed Under: 2 Story Windows, Window Treatments Tagged With: 2 Story Window Treatments, Decorating, Decorative Hardware, Draperies, Duettes, Liberty Township OH, Vista, Window Tinting

2 Story Window Treatment Ideas

October 3, 2011 By Kim Leave a Comment

Before

We have been designing a lot of window treatments for 2 story window walls lately. They make such a statement in a room just because of their size. Adding fabric to the wall in a grand scale helps to “humanize” the windows, visually bringing the top windows into the room and giving it a cohesiveness it may lack otherwise. Over the next several weeks, I will share several photos of designs we have used in and around the greater Cincinnati area.

After

The photos today show the before and after of a challenging job. I think you can see how the fabric treatments take away the empty feeling the room had. These windows face west and the homeowners had a terrible sun issue in the afternoon. Hunter Douglas Country Woods 2″ blinds were added to all the windows, with the top windows using the battery powered motorized PowerTilt with Platinum Technology remote control tilt system. The top windows are arched, so we used standard rectangular blinds and covered the top with an arched cornice – a great little trick to know.

A new paint color in the room, selected specifically to match the fabrics, ties it all together. The clients love their new look and the light control they now have.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Window Treatments for Sliding Doors

September 16, 2011 By Kim Leave a Comment

How do you dress a naked window? More specifically, how do you dress a sliding glass door ?

After 15 years in the window coverings industry, I can tell you without a doubt that sliding glass doors pose the biggest dilemma for homeowners. The love affair with vertical blinds has come and gone, but many people have no idea what else to do to cover a large area. Sliding glass doors present big challenges with energy loss and light control. They are usually in high traffic areas of the house – so very functional, energy efficient, and, at the same time, beautiful treatments are needed. That is a lot to ask from a window treatment!

Fortunately, vendors have responded to the need. Today there are several innovative solutions to this age old problem. Determining your needs for light control, privacy, energy savings, and fashion will help you to select the best treatment for you.

Here are three of my favorites.

THE most exciting trend in window fashions is the Natural Woven Shade Vertical Drapery. These are the ultimate blend of functionand fashion. The shade operates with a simple push on the guide rail, so there are no cords to tangle or break. With so many natural woods, reeds, or grasses to choose from, ranging from sheer to opaque, there is a style for everyone!

For a very sleek and contemporary look, Sliding Panels are one of the fastest growing new trends in window fashions. Flat panels of fabric slide one in front of another as you open and close the shade using a wand. Fabrics range from opaque shade cloth to natural woven wood materials, again offering much versatility.

Vertical Cellular Shades offer great function and superior energy efficiency. Available in many colors and fabrics, this shade coordinates with the other cellular shades in your home, but slides easily along a track with a push of the hand, providing a truly cordless option.