Windows
Shutter up. This living room showcases the best of all possible worlds: panels for when you want complete privacy, lower shutters for when you want just a little privacy, and exposed upper glass for when you still want some unobstructed natural light. It’s the window equivalent of making pillows with different fabrics on either side to get two looks in one.
A cornice on top. Savvy architects have long recommended lighting a room from two sides to avoid the imbalance of shadowy corners and a high-glare porthole of light. When the sun’s brilliance is still overwhelming, it can make sense to soften that light by arranging draperies to join at the center and tie back onto the walls. A cornice is the cherry on top here, showcasing a plaid fabric that ties the whole room together.
Mock sheers. Opaque draperies on sheers will always be timeless. If your budget doesn’t allow for two separate treatments, you can achieve the same look by sewing a bit of sheer fabric to the leading edge of your curtains to create a mock sheer that appears to be poking out when the panels are open.
5. Solar power. Here’s a designer who understands the potential of a layered window: A solar screen protects both upholstery and inhabitants from the hot glare of the Tampa, Florida, sun, while a stationary woven wood shade communicates the beach theme without any hint of kitsch. Add neutral panels that blend in like sand against the ocean, and you’ve got a recipe for practical sophistication in a space that feels like home.
Tussah: This is a type of raw silk that forms the substrate for dupioni. Springy and with sparse, irregular slubs, tussah is woven from the silk of uncultivated (that is, wild rather than farmed) silkworms in Asia.
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