IWCE09 Thursday - Vignette Interviews

Early afternoon - time to head over to TrendSpot! First a little social networking, trading some Twitter aliases and blog addresses, before several of us Vignette designers answer questions about our displays.



Let's back up a little. A few months ago a call went out, asking for window fashions designers to apply to create a Vignette, one window treatment, to be displayed at IWCE09. The designers were given client profiles for whom to design the window treatments, and in some cases even a real client to interview. My "Booming Business" client was a charming 50-something from the Midwest who had just remodeled but wasn't sure how to deal with the custom windows she added. She wanted a treatment that wasn't fussy but would frame the view and add softness to the room. So that's what I had in mind when I designed my Vignette.



I designed an arched cornice, to follow the arch of the wood in her custom window, of Kasmir's bronze faux silk with chenille maroon, gold and moss green dots, finished with maroon and gold cording. The pillowcased gold chenille side panels were backed with maroon chenille; the facing edge was finished with maroon and gold brush fringe. The panels were held back with large tasseled tiebacks from Kasmir. To give the display more interest, I added a small back pillow with beautiful beaded fringe and a side table layered with a maroon underskirt and the bronze faux silk overcloth with beaded fringe, accessorized with a beaded napkin holder and napkin ring fashioned from the cornice cording and some leftover beads. The roller shade, of Ado's Actibreeze fabric for sun protection and improving air quality, was velcroed onto the roller for quick removal, easy washing and interchangeability with other fabrics.

Well, today Deb Barrett interviewed me and 3 of the other Vignette designers regarding our displays in an open forum. It was interesting to hear how the other designers arrived at their end displays, their design process, the challenges they faced, the fabrics and other materials they used. Kudos to all the Vignette designers for beautiful and imaginative displays showcasing the wide variety of styles and talents of American window fashions designers.

And thanks especially to Deb Barrett, a very talented designer in her own right, who coordinated the Vignettes, helped with installation, setup and takedown, and just generally pulled it all together!