Entering this master bed room suite evokes the feeling that you’re escaping from the outside world. That was our goal when designing these Flat Roman shades and drapery panels.

The color palette in the room consists of soft grays and silver tones with crisp white trim. To keep the Flat Roman shades consistent with the white molding I chose a white fabric with a blackout lining. The blackout lining keeps the light out and makes the fabric stiff, which helps control the folds when operating the shade. Using blackout lining sometimes a dot of light shines through the face of the shade where the operating rings are sewn. Dabbing the area where the rings are sewn with white out is a trick I use to eliminate light from shinning through.

"X" marks the spot with vivid blues and reds here. The galley painting along the far wall serves as an elaborate headboard to a simple bed frame, while a treasure map with singed edges and a meandering pathway leads the way to buried treasure.

Click here to read the full article & click the photo above to post questions or comments to Interior Design, Ellee Nolan.

    It has been ten years and my clients are ready for a new look. At their Florida home they have a picturesque back yard with palm trees, orchids and other tropical plants surrounding the pool. This is a glorious view which greatly enhances the inside of their home.

    The objective was to keep the top treatments and the drapery light and airy with a simple design. The cornices have three layers. The first layer is the widest part. Starting with the smallest at 77” wide x 12” long, the middle at 96” wide x 12” long, and the largest at 145” wide x 12” long. They are upholstered with a RM Coco fabric; pattern: Tillis, color: Sand. This fabric has a small box weave texture with a little luster for shine. At each end of the three cornices I designed them to curve down to soften the straight, linier style. The rectangular boxed cornices are 20” wide x 24” long. These five cornices lay on top of the larger cornices. The outside returns are 4 ½ “deep and the inside returns are 1 1/2 “deep. I designed them to fit over the larger cornices like a glove so that from any angle of the room you did not see space gaps. These five cornices are upholstered with a RM Coco fabric; pattern: Gill, color: Sand. This fabric also has a very small box weave adding a subtle texture to the design. For the third layer in this design concept are the Faux Iron Grills, known as Tableaux from Amore’. I chose this pattern for its simplicity of a Transitional style. The finish is aged gold which coordinates with the artistic chandelier and other pattern elements in the kitchen and family room. The Tableaux is attached to the face of the 20” x 24” cornices, giving the design concept depth and bold detail.

      The sheer drapery panels are 18” wide x 144” long with 4 ½” returns. The sheer fabric is also from RM Coco, pattern: Jovi, color: Ecru and is 118” wide. I chose this fabric because the pattern of the small squares accentuated the patterns upholstered on the cornices. The sheer fabric was also perfect because I could rail road the fabric to accommodate the length of 144” long without horizontal seams in the drapery panels. I designed the sheers with an inverted pleat. Attaching them to the inside of the cornices, the face of the sheer panels fit snug and make a flat, sharply folded pleat at the top of the panel. The length of the sheers are 144”. I have learned from experience that extra long drapery panels have a tendency to flair out and become wider as they flow down to the floor. I used several layers of fabric covered sausage bead weights at 3.4 oz to ensure the sheer drapery would hang taught and straight.

      These embellished cornices and sheer draperies compliment my clients’ open and airy home from the inside to the outside. Crisp and clean lines best describe this Transitional Top Treatment design.

Before Photos (click to enlarge)

Sketches (click to enlarge)

Trade Mart Interiors, Staten Island, NY
Designer: Ellee Nolan Asaro

“The spirit of Greta Garbo is how I want my bedroom to feel”, said Barbara. So we designed her bedroom with remarkable beauty, modern spirit and irresistible allure. The color palette is a sliver blue with cool and deep grays. Using lots of texture and movement in the design elements, we infused opulence, romance and serenity.

    The Palladium window is the focal point of the room. Utilizing the window to set the design theme Ellee combined a traditional velvet Austrian valance enhanced with 3 ¼” long Swarovski rhinestone fringe, which drapes over the pewter pinch pleat panels. The overall drapery design is 96” wide. The drapery panels are 22” wide x 126” long. The Austrian valances are 24” wide x 28” long. To finish the formal style of the drapery at 83” long Ellee designed a pleat in the center of the panel that flows to the floor with a velvet fabric and embellished the top of the pleat with a 24 mm rhinestone button. The Euro pleat sheers are 86” wide x 125 ½” long that split draw using acrylic batons concealed behind the sheers. Adding a modern twist to this very traditional style, the drapery panels and sheers hang on a double acrylic rod with chrome rings. Enhancing its simple beauty the acrylic rod is decorated with crystal finials on the front rod and on the back rod finished with end caps.

    The walls are decorated with Brewster Home Fashions wall paper, a beautiful silver and light blue damask. On the walls below the chair rail and on the ceiling is a shimmery metallic plaster finish painted by a faux artist. Cathy found the unique upholstered opalescent crock vanity that is perfect for pampering a star. She coordinated it with a metallic graphite tufted head board, detailed with rhinestone buttons, and a scalloped drawer chest that had a silver leaf and zinc finish. Complimenting all the furniture is the Shagarific silver tipped area rug which lays in the center of the room making a perfect foundation for the custom bedding.

Fashionably elegant is the way to describe the King size custom bedding. On top of the coverlet and on the center of the grand pillow is a soft floral flocking material accented with a fabulous faux fur bolster. Around the boarder edge of the coverlet and on each side of the grand pillow is a velvet rouching tieing in the Austrian valances. The double layer full length skirt at 33” long has a sheer over lay embroidered diamond pattern with a tiny rhinestone accent at each point.

    The final detail of this old world Hollywood bedroom is the Art Deco chandelier. Its classic shape ensconced with layers of crystals hang effortlessly in the center arch of the Palladium window. This chandelier adds the final detail of glamour that finishes this whole room integration.

Designers: Ellee Nolan Asaro & Cathy DiGeorgio

These past few weeks we all have been watching the Olympics and the amazing athletes win their medals. The other day I was watching an Olympian being interviewed and he was asked about a quote he had stated in an earlier interview. "It's not about the Gold Medal, it's about the journey it took to get the medal." The reporter was asking him what he meant by that. He explained all the tasks and challenges they all went through to become Olympians.

    I thought about this for some time and it is easy to compare his quote to many aspects in life. We all have ideas, dreams, goals that we are working towards accomplishing. Each phase in life has meaning. Then we accomplish one goal and we make another.

    I put the quote to the idea of how to use it in Interior Design. The majority of us feel some connection to our surroundings. This has started at a very young age while our parents where waiting for our arrival they were nesting and getting our Baby Room ready. So as soon as we came into the world we had some sort of a theme bed room to call our own. There was colors, objects, snugly materials to stimulate us and develop our character. So we grew and our bed rooms and play rooms had our favorite colors, sports, animals what ever made us happy. Then we became adults and now it was time to set the stage of what style are we?
Contemporary, Traditional, Transitional, French Country, Urban, Rustic..... Developing this sense of style from the homes we grew up in; it's time for us to follow the latest trends and create our own look.

    We might start out in an apartment not willing to put too much money into a place that really isn't ours, but again we feel the necessity to create a cool place to hang in. As we move up in the work force world and start to act like responsible adults we buy our first home. Now this is the real deal. Big ideas we start planning to make improvements. Some easy, some we think we could handle on our own and some we knew we couldn't do even if we tried. Now it's time to hire the professionals. Where do we start? Some of us have an idea what we want and others have no clue at all. We rely on the professionals to guide us and treat us fairly. We learn there are some very trust worthy professionals and sometimes we learn the hard way that there are some that call themselves professionals and they are not.So it's easy to say we are in training for the next house.

The 2nd home I'll know better is what your thinking. Now we're maturing and life's ever changing ways brings us to new levels and understanding ourselves better. We have worked hard to get in this new place it's our Castle, our pride and joy. Again we find ourselves with new challenges and trend setting changes. We start the process all over again. Now we're smarter and we have the professionals to turn to. The contractor, kitchen guy, painter, interior designer, landscaper these are the coaches educating us, pushing us to add that extra embellishment that's going to make our palace stand out and be unique. While we're working hard to complete each new project we begin to realize the emotional attachment we have to our surroundings. We pour our hearts and souls into the process. We trust our coaches to help deliver the end results we can envision. So when we cross that finish line, hear the door shut behind that last professional we sit back and think about the journey it took to get to this place of fulfillment. You think.  Ah.....it was all worth it. We have the Gold Medal of homes....

I thought I would share with our admirers some ways to get & share design ideas. The internet offers the ability to search for any thing or any one. Over the years for my own inspiration for finding that perfect idea or style I want to give my client I learned to turn to some of the experts that share with the general population through the internet. There are 4 web sites that are leading in the new trends the world has to offer.

1st:  www.Houzz.com:  this is the most Professional web site that I enjoy being part of. It not only offers you design trends & ideas but it will also give you Professionals for any type of work you need to have done in you home or business that is located in your area. You can see their work, read their profiles & review what clients have written. Houzz Interior Design Ideas by CNN has the largest database of Home Design ideas on the net, w/ over 500,000 high resolution photos. You can browse the site & send your favorites to your virtual idea book. It is equivalent of clipping design magazines to a scrap book but easier & less time consuming. I suggest sign up for [email protected].

2nd: www.DIYNetwork.com offers latest trending on Design Ideas for Interior & Exterior projects & you can find info on new episodes for that coming week. Along w/ sister company & TV show HGTV you can get HGTV Inspirations every week through your email. Go to www.HGTV.com & sign up and start getting Inspirations of creative ideas, do it yourself projects, fun w/ your Kids, Food & Dinning Ideas, Travel & Hotels, Wedding & Party themes, & lots of contests to win makeovers. Also you can read what the Experts have to say what’s new & exciting.

3rd: www.Pinterest.com:  This is a website also affiliated w/ DIY & HGTV but this site offers you a large variety of people’s favorites. This is an online Pin Board that you can organize & share things that you love & request invites for others to join. This site offers for you to pin up & manage your favorite things that have to do with what ever you enjoy in this creative world. Example: Design, Art, Food, Travel, Jewelry, Hollywood Stars, Animals, Fashion, Gardening, Floral Arrangements, Photography, Creative Invites, Gift Bags & Wrappings, Books, Cute Quotes, Tattoo Designs, Decoration Designs for Weddings & Parties, Hair Styles, Work Out Moves, Organizing Trends & Ideas, Sewing Patterns & Designs. It is endless what you can see & share on this site.

The world is filled w/ inspiring ideas, ways to make us think. These sites are tools that are offered to help us determine what style we’re looking for or something that will make us standout from among the average. So I suggest you start looking for your self, you might be surprised what makes you feel INSPIRIED…….

Remember to Smile & Enjoy Life’s Simple Treasures…Because everyday is filled with them….
Ellee Nolan Asaro