Shutters are different from all other window fashions in many ways but the main distinction is that they are permanent. Of course all window treatments may be removed at any time but because shutters will last as long as the house, they are considered to be a permanent improvement. This is so as banks and other lending institutions allow for the inclusion of shutter purchase and installation as part of the financing agreement for homes. There is no other window treatment which can be financed in this way…so if you ever thought that shutters were unattainable, especially with all of the expenses of moving into a new home, now you know they can be part of your monthly mortgage payment.

Hunter Douglas Heritance TruView Wood Shutters

Shutters are furniture for your windows. Choosing a quality shutter treatment means getting one which has attention to joinery details and finish quality. These are exactly the same things you look for when buying a table, sofa, or other furnishings which dress your home. Dovetail joinery, internal structural reinforcements, smooth blemish free and easily maintained surfaces are elements which define a top of the line shutter. When you consider that you will have these for 20 plus years, it only makes sense to choose shutters of quality which will look as good in the future as they did the day they were installed. Timeless is the word to use when describing the style of shutters. They are quiet and unassuming in a room. If chosen with consideration to scale and color, they become a part of the window, blending seamlessly. Shutters are part of the background and as such allow the other decorative elements of the room to come front and center. This is the reason why shutters are loved by many and why they fit into every décor style. Imagine for a moment the most contemporary of interiors with pale blonde furniture and shutters to match…or in a traditional setting such as a home office or study with a Persian rug and leather wing chairs. Shutters accept layering very well so in the future if you want to add draperies and/or valances, they will be perfectly at ease.

Do you have pets? A majority of homes do, we love them as part of our family and couldn’t imagine our lives without them…but, they may scratch draperies, lie up against them, get fur on them, the list goes on. Shutters are the answer for homes with pet issues. They are installed either flush onto the window or inside the window casing, they are infinitely easy to wipe down and keep clean, they don’t attract fur. Shutters are a “no-brainer” for pet loving homes.

How about homes with small children and those homes that may have second story bedrooms? Shutters are an excellent solution here. It’s safety first with children and the cord free aspect of a shutter will eliminate the danger which takes many casualties. Dangling cords from window treatments or even the cords which join blinds or roman shades are the major cause of accidents in homes for children under the age of 7. Shutters also effectively act as a barrier on a second story window thereby reducing the risk of a child tumbling out a window or going through the glass. Kids love to jump on beds and it is not uncommon to have this sort of activity go out of control. It’s easy to see why shutters are my choice for versatility, longevity, performance and value. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that they are simply beautiful. Call me to see how shutters can look in your windows. I think you’ll fall in love with them too!

I admit it, I’m writing this with a bit of a bias because as you might imagine by the title of this article that I live and work in the sunshine deprived northeast. Oh yes, here in New England  we get our sunny days to be sure but summer is fleeting and spring is almost non-existent. My clients with almost no exception, sing this same song…”I don’t want to cover any of my windows!” They cling tenaciously onto every little photon that finds its way into their homes. If they only knew that they could magnify the quantity of light in their spaces through a judicious use of properly specified window treatments…good news, I am here to let the secret out of the bag. Window treatments don’t just make your home beautiful, they provide privacy, modulate light, create ambiance, protect furnishings against ultraviolet fading, and regulate temperatures. Why would anyone be willing to toss aside all of those benefits for what they mistakenly think is the optimum amount of light. You can have your cake and eat it too.  In order to understand how we can obtain more light from window treatments a short lesson in optics is in order; Light travels in a straight line from the sun which is up in the sky…(I know you’re saying, duhhhhh! but please hang tight with me for a minute) Because light travels in a straight line from above and because of the way windows are positioned in homes, the surface in a house which gets the most light is the floor. Think about it for a second, light comes down through the window, smack dab onto the floor which then in turn reflects that light beam bouncing it onto walls and ceilings. So floors get the most light, walls the second most and ceilings the least. To illustrate this, look at your white ceiling, you know that it is white but if you carefully observe, you will see that it looks gray because it receives diminished light.

OK, so now that we are all scientific experts, how can we use this knowledge to give us more light? Window treatments which can be louvered are the way this happens. Two of the best to this end are shutters and soft shadings such as Hunter Douglas Silhouettes. Every one of those louvers or vanes is a horizontal surface like your floor and it accepts light in the same way, so every one of those little louvers and vanes becomes a reflective surface which can be directed into your room much like a telescope uses a mirror to direct light. The result is controllable illumination which takes the local light at the window and deflects it into the far corners of the space. Light becomes more evenly distributed. In the case of shutters, not only does the light become directed but when doing so, a beautiful lineal pattern of shadows are cast across walls and surfaces creating an aire of mystery and romance.

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With the Silhouettes, the fabric vanes are sandwiched in between two sheer fabrics. Not only are the vanes reflecting light but the quality of the light is gently filtered and softened by the sheers. The sheer fabric also acts as an ultraviolet light filter screening out 65% of UV rays while still allowing you to enjoy your views and to have ventilation.

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Frank Lloyd Wright said that “less is more” and that is a tome to which most designers pay homage. In this instance however, less is far from being more. The addition of the proper window treatment will enhance the quality and quantity of light which enters your home

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A small selection of the custom rugs we have available

My two fabulous Hunter Douglas Reps, Scott Yellen(l) and Joe Morales (r)

Too Pretty to Eat!

Pergo, the market innovator and leader

Green design at its best

We had several of our manufacturer’s reps spend some time with us. It’s always great to have the reps speak directly with our customers because they are able to lend great detail on their particular product lines…they are the specialists…we receive excellent training from them throughout the year but we always learn something new at events like today’s. That’s because our customers are asking questions from their unique vantage points. Thanks to all our customers for helping us to be better designers!!!

Now that I have a showroom complete with furnishings, it will be a place for me to bring all of my clients who wish to touch, sit and experience the quality we have to offer. Of course I continue to offer my shop-at-home service but now my clients have a choice. 

One of the best things you can do, although it sounds silly, is to get down on your hands and knees to see the world the way your infant or toddler might. Much like the impression
of your neighborhood that you get when riding your bike versus driving in your car, this new perspective will no doubt be valuable in making your home a safer place.

One of my favored window treatments for a child’s room is shutters. Shutters have no cords or strings to worry about and they form an obstacle for access to windows thereby removing the worry about spilling out a window, another common accident danger for toddlers.

Did You Know
that not only are the pull cords on blinds and shades a strangulation hazard for small children but the cords which string the slats together as well. Check to see that your blinds are up to date with current safety regulations and take steps to remedy if needed. The Window Coverings Safety Council offers a free cord stop installation kit for blinds and shades manufactured before September 15, 2000. I will suggest however that shades and blinds from September 2000 are perhaps reaching the end of their natural life and should be replaced rather than retrofitted.

This question is the best place to start;  I always like to preface the term “designer” with the description “professional”. Being invited into someone’s home where you view their private spaces and see how they live from day to day, is a very intimate experience. The client has invited me into his/her home and trusted me to a degree that most people outside of friends and family never experience. I do not take this lightly. Winning a job and being in charge of suppliers, workrooms, fabricators and installers is no small task and can involve thousands of dollars worth of materials and labor. Why is it then that so many clients assign this task to someone who is a “dabbler” or someone who has a “knack”? 

The design field is not unlike other professions, we pay professionals every day to perform tasks which we cannot or are not willing to do ourselves. It takes education and experience to make a pro. Unlike dentistry or plumbing which is very inaccessible to the average person, just about anyone can gain access to fabric and paint. Fabric and paint can be dangerous weapons in the wrong hands <LOL>. These two items are the obvious components of decorating and design but design is a bit like a game of chess. You can play on many different levels from the superficial to the sublime. The professional designer is thinking about elements of the space in a far more subtle and complex fashion than the person with little or no training and experience. While it may seem that nuance is not important, many a grand decorating scheme has been lost for want of attention to detail that was missing. 

Most people are surprised to hear that there are no standards in many states for Interior Designers. In the state I live in, Massachusetts, just about anyone who gets a tax number can hang out their shingle and call themselves a designer. The result is a wide gamut of capabilities from the housewife decorators to the top pros. How then can you separate the wheat from the chaff? 

     1) Professionals earn their living from their designs; they are serious about what it is they do. They have a passion for their work because it takes someone with passion and perseverance to pursue this profession. Look for someone who does this as their major source of income. 

     2) Membership in professional associations reinforce the practitioners’ commitments to their field. Many associations insist upon ongoing education as a requirement for their memberships. Two of the most prominent groups for interior designers are ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and IDA (Interior Design Association). 

     3) Experience is key. Because each design job is custom and therefore not like any other, there is always a new challenge which hasn’t been seen before. Classroom education can only begin to prepare a designer for working in the field but it’s only when the rubber hits the road that the real learning begins. I have been in the field for over 20 years and I am still learning. While I love to encourage young people and often mentor them, I would want a seasoned professional in charge of my job. 

     4) Personality and style have to mesh with yours or else there will be difficulty in communication. Communication is essential so that you don’t wind up with someone else’s vision instead of your own. Remember that it is your home and should reflect your tastes and lifestyle. A true professional does not churn out a one-note “look” but is capable of taking your ideas and placing them into a workable context. Be very wary of someone who is known for giving their clients a “look”. This is often the hallmark of someone who is not comfortable with problem solving or creative thinking. They have one or two formulas and make you fit their box…not a good thing! 

     5) Referrals are my lifeblood and so I make a point to give my clients such a high degree of service that they are more than happy to share my name. This is the ultimate compliment and I like to think that I make a new friend out of each and every contact. Respect is important and listening to my clients is the way I can best serve them. A good designer listens but also is intuitive. Often clients cannot verbalize their needs or just aren’t in touch with what they want. It is a skilled designer who is paying attention to the signals and asks the right questions to get the client to identify his/her needs. You see, no matter how attractive the design, it is absolutely of no value if it doesn’t function. Good design is workable design for real people, not for magazine articles.  

How do designers get paid? 

Interior designers work in several different ways. Basically, we are all paid for our ideas; this is the basis of what we provide for our clients. The products that we help them acquire are the fleshing out of those ideas. Sometimes, a client may only want a consultation. For this service, expect to pay a flat fee or an hourly rate.  

How to Work with an Interior Designer 

When I go to serve a client solely on a consultation basis, I too charge for my ideas. Consultations only are rare however because most of my clients are looking for window treatments, carpeting, or furniture. When not working on a consultation only basis, my personal business model does not charge a design fee but rather depends upon a fair profit for the items I provide for the home. My design services and installation are bundled into those items. My prices are not inflated as a result but rather I offer this as value added service. When I visit a home for the first time, we will talk about design problems and solutions but sometimes my client will want to take those design solutions for which I have not charged and shop with them at other vendors. When this happens I feel as if I have failed in communicating to my client that I provide a very real value added service. It is difficult to come up with a design solution, once you have it though, it is easy to take it and shop to it. Price alone should never be the determining factor in choosing your design professional. Taking my ideas and sending them to another vendor to produce is dangerous because the concepts and ideas I have developed are being read by a third party person. Remember that game of “telephone” you played when you were a kid? Enough said! 

Everyone Deserves Good Design 

Many people think that using a designer for shades, shutters, blinds or draperies will be expensive…or that designers are only for the wealthy. This is the furthest thing from the truth. As I explained above, my design services are value added, that means that I include my design expertise at no extra cost and guarantee the best price for comparable goods and service. Using a design professional such as myself will insure that mistakes (and they can be very expensive mistakes) will not be made by choosing the wrong product for the application or choosing something that just does not look right. Custom products are intended to last for many years. You don’t want to spend the next 15 years looking at something you really don’t like. In the long run, I will save you money and time by giving you the most efficient solution for your needs while fitting your budget and lifestyle. That’s what custom is all about, it’s about you…choose wisely!

The presence of Beverly’s Excite Van generated much interest in this community
of seaside villas, rose covered cottages, and gracious estates. Island residents’ and visitors’ questions were enthusiastically addressed by Beverly as she toured the roads of this exclusive community.

Watch for Beverly and her van in your town and be sure to wave!

Beverly:  Yes, decorating is fun, every room is different and the people who live there are also. That is the part about my job that I love…I have the best job in the whole world. I get to put together beautiful spaces while helping people create their own personal comfort zones…it just doesn’t get any better than that!

Awards: ASID Allied Member, WCAASNE (Window Covering Assoc. of America So. New England)

http://excitingwindows.com/beverlyfreflectivedesigner/