North Shore Woodworks at The Farmhouse Faire

Today we'd like to showcase a piece from one of our associates. Check out this gorgeous wood-turned bowl, made using fine quality Cherry and Mahogany wood, and measuring 12 inches in diameter. What a beautiful and versatile decorating accessory!


North Shore Woodworks creates wooden bowls, like the one pictured, as well as other miscellaneous home decor, tables and cabinetry. Custom orders are available.  Call (970) 390-0346 for more info.

Although not the subject of our post, notice the table in the photo... this lovely dining table is another example of their artistry! You can see a table example on one of our Pinterest boards.

Why do we recommend North Shore Woodworks?

We value products Made In The USA! Everything from this company is produced right here in Northfield, IL. They're reputable, reliable, reasonably priced, and offer the quality that our customers have come to expect from Bernard Interiors.

We hear through the grapevine that they're going to be featured at The Farmhouse Faire this weekend, if anyone is looking to connect with these fine craftsmen, as well as other great vendors! 

The Farmhouse Faire features Arts, Crafts and Vintage Finds:
Friday 10/26/12  and  Saturday 10/27/12
10am to 5pm
2005 Techny Road, Northbrook, IL 60062

A Tip for New Draperies

So your new draperies have arrived. We understand... the first thing you want to do is play with them, making sure they operate and appear just like you expected when you ordered them. Today's tip, however, will explain why you should, instead, heed your installer's advice!

(If you simply cannot resist moving them, we suggest asking your installer to show you their operation before he steams and sets the panels.)

A Tip for New Draperies:

When the drapery technician installs your draperies, after steaming, (if necessary), he might tie the ends, as pictured above, and ask you to leave that tie in place for several days. Doing so will help your draperies look their best.

Why? Because most fabric has a tendency to retain it's shaping over time. In the trade, folks call that memory. This is especially important with stationary drapery panels, as it helps the fabric to retain the fold of the pleats, all the way to the floor. You'll also find memory useful in other window treatments, such as roman and balloon shades.

At Bernard Interiors, we recommend a minimum of 2 days, and as much as 5 days, if that's possible.

Certain fabrics will develop memory with more ease than others, though, so it's important to trust the instructions of your drapery specialist. For the draperies above, our technician recommended 5 days.

These beautiful panels are goblet pleated, using Pindler's scrumptious Douppioni Travertine silk, and have been showcased on striking rod sets from The Finial Company.

Sleek and Stylish Modern Roller Shades

For many folks, the words roller shades brings to mind the image of those plain white vinyl shades that hung in Grandma's house years ago. You know the kind... they were boring, yellowed and cracked with age, but seemed to serve their purpose in blocking sunlight years ago.

Modern roller shades have now become more sleek and stylish. Companies like Hunter Douglas have updated this classic shade to include design inspirations, such as attractive fabric choices, light-filtering translucency options, operational upgrades, and decorative accents to hide the necessary hardware.

Our Designer Roller Shades book arrived recently. This sample book is fabulous. We are excited to be able to offer these great shades from Hunter Douglas and have already placed orders for some which will soon be installed in several lovely local residences!



Here are some of the advantages of these shades:

1. This brand has unmatched fabric selection, featuring 3 times as many choices as most of their competitors.
2. With innovative technology and stylish accessories, these roller shades can stand alone or be used as an under-treatment.
3. The fabric choices are all organized by opacity, offering different levels of light control and privacy.
4. Customizable options for the top and bottom of the shades allow the client to make design decisions, such as concealing the fabric roll and lift mechanisms, and whether or not to add a shaped bottom hemline
5. Hunter Douglas even offers a cordless option, making this a great choice for children's rooms!

In addition to a wide array of solid fabric choices, these roller shades also offer several print styles. Here are just two photos of the many styles that are available:

Terrace / Mod Charcoal (left)

and

Metro / Hudson (right)

Call,  (or email), us today to preview the samples in the current book and find out how functional, stylish and affordable roller shades can be in your home!
(847) 446-5730
BernardInt@att.net

Top 10 Reasons to Hire an Interior Designer

When it's time to freshen up your living space with a little home decorating, you may think to yourself, Should I do this myself... or hire an interior designer? Some of you have an excellent sense of style, and yes, there are plenty of projects you can tackle on your own, but today, Bernard Interiors will give you the:

Top 10 Reasons to Hire an Interior Designer!

1. Training:
   Interior Designers are schooled in the best use of color, texture, function, and style. Today's designers usually hold at least a Bachelor's degree in Interior Design.
2. Connections:
   Designers have connections to the most trustworthy, high quality tradesmen in your area.There's no need to shop around!
3. Merchandise:
   Through a design professional, you have the option to purchase goods, like fabric, furniture, rugs, and decor, that are not available for retail purchase in stores.
4. Experience:
   Because their expertise comes from daily activity in the decorating field, interior designers know the value, strength and weaknesses of a wide variety of goods, whether it be window treatments, lighting or flooring. They can advise you which particular products will provide optimal benefits for your personal needs.
5. In-Home Consultation:
   Most interior designers prefer to visit you in your home, so they can incorporate their ideas into your sense of style. They tailor your initial meeting, along with follow up appointments, such as measuring, installing and photographing, to fit your schedule. How easy is that?
6. Samples:
   When meeting with you in your home, designers will bring samples of fabrics, paint, wallpaper, flooring, etc., to make the selection process easy and fun.
7. One-Stop Shopping:
   Often, interiors designers will bundle everything you need into one package deal.
8. Time-Saver:
   Designers save you time and energy by handling almost all of the details on their own. Once you've chosen from the samples that they've brought to you, you can relax, knowing that your designer is doing all the legwork.
9. No Mistakes:
   Mistakes are costly! When you hire a decorating professional, the responsibility of accuracy becomes theirs. We've not yet met an interior designer who would not go to great lengths to ensure their clients' happiness. So fear not! Not only are mistakes less likely when using a professional, the quality of the work is guaranteed... and any mistakes are taken care of, without putting a dent in your budget.
10. Your Home is an Investment:
    Using an interiors designer has always been regarded as a more expensive alternative to do-it-yourself projects. What you receive, however, outweighs the additional expense when you view it as a long-term investment in your home. Designers use the finest quality goods, which will last years beyond most store-bought products. You benefit from not having to worry about costly mistakes, as stated above, and you reap the rewards of having a space that is coordinated, functional and eye-catching.

Can you think of other reasons to recommend interior design professionals? Do you have an experience that you can share? We welcome your comments below!

If you're in the market for an interior designer, we recommend checking with the ASID, (American Society of Interior Designers). You may also contact us for a personal recommendation. We work with many highly qualified designers in the Chicago area and retain relationships with designers in several US locales. Reach us at: (847) 446-5730. Happy Decorating!

What Is A Portiere?

A portiere is simply a curtain, or drapery panel, hung across a doorway. The hardware would work on a swing-arm system, allowing it to move freely alongside the movement of the door.

In other instances, portieres can be used to embellish a doorless entryway into a room, as seen in our photo here. This photo showcases a portiere which was made merely for ornamentation, however, portieres are often installed as a single operational panel, meaning that it may be drawn across the entire breadth of the doorway.

A portiere was a common decorating tool in wealthy British households of the 1800's and this look is often used today by designers and homeowners who still love to decorate in a Victorian style.

Traditionally, a portiere would be constructed using a brass rod, accompanied by a heavy fabric such as velvet or brocade. It's purpose was to regulate heat, so the dense weave helped block any drafting, and retained heat from a fireplace, while the elegant appearance appealed to the Victorian Era's love of luxury.

Photo courtesy of Bernard Interiors.

Draperies: To Line or Not To Line?

A question often asked by our clients is, "Do I really need to line my draperies?"
The answer is is a resounding: maybe. It really depends upon what you expect of them!

Draperies: To Line or Not To Line?

Let's take a look at the differences between sheer draperies and lined draperies, and then the advantages of each style, including adding interlining. At Bernard Interiors, we use high quality linings, ensuring that your draperies look, feel and perform at their finest. Our standard lining is Roc-Lon Sonata Sateen, which is a blend of polyester and cotton. Our interlining is 100% cotton.

Sheer draperies are exactly that... sheer and unlined. Many times fabric with a loose weave is chosen, or fabric that is thin and translucent. This gives the windows the opportunity to look "dressed", while still allowing sunlight to filter through the room. With certain sheer fabric choices, a more billowy look is achieved, complimenting a light, airy design style. Additionally, sheers are often paired with lined draperies, to increase options for operation and light control.

Some drawbacks to using sheers are:

• Sun damage: Sunlight will discolor and degrade the fibers in the fabric. 
• Replacement Value: These draperies may need to be replaced more often than others.
• Light control: minimal.
• Privacy coverage: minimal.

Lined draperies are the most common style of draperies. A single layer of lining is sewn onto the reverse side of the drapery panel and serves to provide light blockage, sun protection, privacy, and fullness, (body). Standard drapery linings are white or ivory in color, but at times a designer will choose a contrasting fabric to handle same job. Usually, though, the white and ivory are preferred for their aesthetic value, based upon an outdoor, street-side view of the residence. Lined draperies are going to last longer than sheer draperies, simply due to the strength of the lining against the savages of the sun.

Adding interlining to lined draperies can be compared to selecting an upgrade. Interlining is sewn in-between the main fabric and the lining. Interlining fabric is thick, rather like soft felt. It has a dense weave, giving it superb light blockage. The extra layer not only allows more privacy to the room, it also adds to the rich appearance of the draperies, providing fullness and stability, and aiding the pleats to retain their crispness and form. In terms of investment value, lined and interlined draperies have our highest recommendation, due to their fine quality and longevity.

Did you know, lined, (and interlined), draperies protect your furniture and carpet, too? They also help to block drafts and maintain room temperature!

Sheers absolutely have their place in decorating and design, but today's blog seeks to enlighten you on the merits of adding lining(s) to increase the value and performance of your window treatments.

To give you a visual, I asked our seamstress to prepare samples for the following drapery photo, which was taken in our workroom, using remnants. While this particular fabric is not specified as a "sheer", it is lightweight and you can clearly see the differences in the three panels. Notice the changes in light coverage and body, and the definition of the pleats, as you look from the sheer panel on the left, to the lined and interlined panel on the right.

What style of draperies are you in need of today?

We'd love to hear your comments on Draperies: To Line or Not To Line? Please leave your comment below, or contact us for more information.
Telephone: (847) 446-5730
Email: BernardInt@att.net

Lower Energy Costs with Window Coverings

 In today's economy, folks worldwide are now looking for ways to reduce expenses and go "green" in many aspects of their life. Residences, especially, are being thoroughly inspected and often upgraded to include innovative ideas for lighting, walls, roofs, and appliances. Did you know that you can also lower energy costs with window coverings?

Draperies, blinds and shades are an investment. Not only do window coverings offer aesthetic value to your living space, with the right application, they can minimize energy costs by filtering sunlight, blocking drafts and assisting to retain room temperature.

Today's blog post will share with you just one of the solutions offered by Bernard Interiors, through leading manufacturer, Hunter Douglas. A favorite with clients, the Duette Architella is a honeycomb style shade, which boasts several attractive features.

(This photo is courtesy of Hunter Douglas.)

Ranked among the most energy-efficient window coverings on the market, Duette Architella shades filter sunlight during the heat of the day, blocking furniture and floors from sun damage and stabilizing room temperature, in addition to providing an insulating barrier from the cold during the winter months. Owner testimonials say that you can feel the difference in the room after these shades are installed.

Architella fabrics reduce energy consumption and are Greenguard certified. Hunter Douglas estimates that this shade reduces energy loss at up to 50% at the window.

They're attractive, too! Duette shades are made with elegant woven fabric and may be purchased in 3/4" or 1 1/4" cell sizes, and offer both semi-opaque and opaque styles. Currently there are 6 color choices offered. The Royale Textured selection offers stylish Duotone Technology, which allows you to choose the beauty of a woven, colored shade for the inside of your home, (for design purposes), with a white street-side color, (to showcase uniformity from the outdoor view).

Hunter Douglas also offers several choices in how to raise and lower the Duette Architella shades. These systems are equally famous for their ease of use, and are recommended based upon the consumer's personal style and needs. They are:

• Standard cord lock
• Ultra-Glide - a retractable cord
• Easy-Rise - a continuous loop cord, set on a clutch system
• Lite-Rise - cordless and operated with a touch of your hand
• Power-Rise - battery-operated remote control

Lastly, Hunter Douglas believes that the most popular colors for window coverings are white, cream and beige. Along those lines of thought, they created Counterparts The Whole House Solution, which allows you to select coordinating Hunter Douglas products in 5 different product lines, making it simple to find the perfect solution for every window in your home, matching colors, but having the luxury of adding different textures or styles, all with Hunter Douglas' standard quality craftsmanship and energy efficiency.

When you're ready to lower your energy costs with window coverings, remember that Bernard Interiors is an authorized Hunter Douglas dealer.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Reach us via telephone, at (847) 446-5730.

Robert Allen Fabric for Draperies

Just last week I was tweeting about this fabulous blue and white print fabric that was being sewn into draperies in our workroom. The job is now complete!

This downtown Chicago apartment shows off operational sheers for sun protection, and highlights that beautiful Robert Allen fabric for draperies, tied-back neatly at each end of these expansive windows.

Robert Allen is a company that many designers defer to when searching for fine quality fabrics. With 70 years of experience, you can count on a wide variety of colors and fresh, original patterns. Their bolts arrive often in our workroom, and our staff loves the ease of use... from draperies to bedding, pillows to table skirts.

Have you ever seen a fabric sample book? I'll bet you didn't know that the Robert Allen company was a pioneer in the distribution of those wonderful sample books! Stop by your nearest showroom and browse the latest designs today.

In or near Chicago? You will find them at the Chicago Merchandise Mart.

Then, once you've been inspired, let Bernard Interiors help you bring those ideas into your home!

Welcome to Bernard Interiors!

Welcome to Bernard Interiors! We are a drapery workroom, located in Northfield, Illinois, (a suburb just north of Chicago). Our specialties include custom fabric decor, like draperies and window coverings, bedding, table skirts, pillows, shower curtains, and upholstery services, all created in-house, by our very talented staff. Additionally, we offer a wide selection of shades and blinds from today's most popular manufacturers, as well as decorative drapery hardware and fabrics from top-quality suppliers all across the USA.

To introduce our company, we pulled a lovely photo out of the archives! This striking design was installed several years ago, and serves as a downtown commercial reception area in a high-rise office building. This particular design includes operating sheer panels against the windows, with tied-back draperies in the yellow print, free hanging stationary draperies in a solid blue, and a coordinating flat-panel and cone valance in the yellow fabric, completing the look. It is one of our favorites!

Bernard Interiors was established in 1981, by Mr. Henry Bernard, who was a pillar in the window fashions community. In December of 1996, in ailing health, Mr. Bernard sold the business to it's current owner. Henry graciously provided advice and counsel on business operations until his passing.

During the past 15 years, Bernard Interiors, guided by owner Michael Seul, has worked with interior designers and clients all over Chicago's North Shore neighborhoods, throughout the finest city locales and nationwide, assisting clients to decorate residences in out-of-state locations, such as Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, and Idaho.

Our inspiration for this blog revolves not only about sharing with you who we are and what we do, but also to offer tips, discuss new products in the window coverings industry, comment on new ideas, like green innovations for the home, and foster relationships with peers and other individuals. We hope you'll be back to read often and we will look forward to your comments!

For personalized quotes on our work, please contact us at:
BernardInt@att.net or call 1-847-446-5730.