Down The Decorating Rabbit Hole

Sometimes the idea of replacing one decor item is a lot more complicated than it looks.


It was a simple idea, really.

The red valances in my living room were almost 20 years old. And they looked it.

I loved the punch of color they provided in the room and their very simple profile.

However, after almost 80 seasons in the sun, they had begun to fade.

And it wasn't pretty.

The plan was to embellish the ivory valances I started making years ago. I had tons of basic trim and the sewing machine.


What I didn't have was all the valances. Somewhere along the way, I must've accidentally donated or tossed one of them.

And after an exhaustive search - that led to cleaning out many closets - I came up empty-handed.

So I decided to buy new drapes.

Easy enough. Right?

Well, not so fast.

First off, I had no idea what I wanted. Color? Style? Material? I was lost.

Second, I hadn't really been shopping and, as I shared with you not too long ago, looking online can be problematic.

But, I really wanted new curtains, so I hit the internet to gather ideas and place items in my cart.

Things started off ok. There's no shortage of inspiration online, that's for sure. There's also no shortage of retailers with pretty curtains.

Visualizing those items and those looks in your own home can be tricky, though. And it's certainly not my strong suit.

I'm a need to see it in the space kind of gal.

So I ordered a bunch of drapes and waited.

In the meantime, I also ordered a new rug. I just happened to come across it on my curtain hunt and thought it might look nice in my kitchen.


Well, as fate would have it...or maybe it was UPS...everything showed up on the exact same day. Good and bad.

You see, the carpet was awesome. I feel in love immediately. The old pom pom valances coupled with it were not.

No big deal. I had a bunch of curtains and whatever didn't fit in the living room would surely go in the kitchen. I mean, come on, red is red.

My first attempt was a fabulous success. Dainty floral linen panels that were the ideal shade to complement the rug and the walls. Amazing.

Turns out, I was very good at this.


It's gets better though. The next panels from the Sure Fit slipcover company (who knew they had curtains!) were also gorgeous.

I was on a roll.


Except, it was a dark and stormy day and were those "spice" colored blooms more red or brown? Hmmm.

On second thought, maybe they'd be better in the living room.

So up they went. And now they too were perfection. What a dreamy pairing.

The red was just right and I was so proud of myself that I'd chosen so well.

Done and done.


And then the sun came up the next morning.

In the bright, light of a new day the living room panels were clearly brown. Very, very brown, not even a tiny bit red. And the red linen ones in the kitchen were suddenly a very deep burgundy.

And it outright clashed with the skirt on my pretty wing chair.

On top of that, the more I looked at the combo, the patterns in the kitchen rug and wrong colored red panels were too similar and kind of washed out.

No pop. Ugh. Clearly, I was only good at this game in the dark.

Back to the drawing board I went.


I ordered a few more panels from a few more stores and tried and returned them all. Too red, too pale, too much pattern, too formal. Lots of disappointment and lots of boxes to bring back to UPS.

None of this was ideal.

Then I thought about doing plain ivory panels. You know, a very modern and clean look. Risky for this red devotee, but worth a shot.

I was able to get a few pairs at a local store for $10 each, which was awesome, because trying to find the "right" ivory online was impossible. I could peek at this in person. What a novelty.

So I masked up and entered a store for the first time since March.

For curtains!

I know. Craziness. Where exactly are my priorities?


I'd love to tell you that it was worth it, but sadly, it was not. In the kitchen, they were too formal and boring.

In the living room were they were just too boring. Oh, and did I mention they were clearance, couldn't be returned and they were velvet? Yeah...lots of not perfect going on there.


Who knows, maybe I'll try them again in winter or during the holidays in the living room. They might be very charming. Maybe.

At this point, I was just about done. I'd been down the rabbit hole of decorating and I was all out of luck and ideas.

I was ready to call it a day and put those old, faded, glass trimmed valances back up.

Until.

Until I noticed that the living room rug has burgundy in it. And that those original floral linen panels I had in the kitchen were just the right shade. They were also very cottage style and dainty.

Quite appropriate for that room.

Then I found a scrap of red and cream buffalo check fabric in my stash and clipped it on the kitchen rods and knew right away that's what needed to be on the windows come fall.


Fabulous. When it's right, you just know it.

Maybe now I can clean up the ironing board, scraps of paper and yard sticks that have been living in my office space for the last two weeks, while I've been playing with drapes and mocking up curtain patterns.


Of course, now, if I'm going to make them, I have to order fabric and you know that I'm not going to leave those burgundy living room panels alone.

They need some trim to make them interesting.

Add some personality.

But how....

And with what...

Oh boy.

Here we go again.

😉

Have you ever fallen down the decorating rabbit hole?