Going Bold

Despite my love for minimal blog design, I love lots of color at home, and I’m not opposed to taking risks.  When we redecorated our house last year, I was definitely inspired by French cottage style.  And while I still love the quiet of light blue and ivory, I’ve been slowly adding color back to my rooms.  Remember when I freed my couch from the bondage of slipcovers? And I also like to mix the modern and the traditional, since I have to work with what I’ve got.

I’ve loved my West Elm Cotton Canvas Window Panels for a couple of years now (they were a jumping off point before the renovation), and they were inexpensive and really easy to care for.  I even cheated and hung them up wrinkled to imitate (in my mind, at least) the look of more expensive linen, like custom draperies you’d find on Cote de Texas.  But lately, I’ve become bored with all the beige, and I want to add some color.  So, I’m thinking of taking the leap and going bolder for the new year.

(My dining table and living room.)

Here’s how our kitchen table and living area currently look, with the flax-colored curtains.  We had to fake the photography a bit, because it was afternoon and fairly dark, but in real life, you can see outside through those windows.   I originally wanted plain curtains to draw attention to the light outside (it obviously worked!), and since we’ve got that odd formation of one window on the left and two on the right, I pretend it’s just one big window and only frame the outside edges with curtains.  Otherwise, it just looks like way too much fabric, in my opinion.

We also have solar screens on the windows, so they don’t let a ton of light (and summer heat) inside.  The curtains themselves are purely decorative, and for privacy at night, I close the blinds, which are white, so there’s a big wall of blandness to gaze upon when I’m doing dishes.  I realize I’m probably breaking the “high and wide” rule for curtain-hanging, but everything is bigger in Texas, and those windows are pretty dramatic on their own.

So, in my twisted mind, I’m imagining a bold pattern on the curtains, to contrast with the traditional rug and plain couch.  I’m currently drawn to dark blue, which most design catalogs like to call Indigo or Ink, or something else pretentious.

Here’s my top choice.

(Ironwork Flocked Window Panels from West Elm.)

These curtains are gorgeous, in my opinion, but they are also dry clean only (not great for the kitchen area with my little guys still spilling their chocolate milk), and they are pretty pricey.  I’m also not sure how they’d work with the dark couch, and if I’d quickly become frazzled by their busyness.  But for right now, I love them.

And here’s my second choice.

(Concorde Medallion Panel from Ballard Designs.)

These panels from Ballard Designs are definitely more traditional and French cottage (isn’t everything from that store?), so they will more easily go with my things.  They aren’t as busy or as bold, and Ryan likes them better.  But they aren’t my favorite.  I could definitely work with them, but it’s not quite the image I have in mind.

I can’t decide which pair to use, and since I’m in no hurry (I have to save a bit of money first), I thought I’d see what you think.  Am I totally crazy, or would one of these work?

(Feel free to be honest, but please don’t mention anything about painting with stencils or sewing my own curtains.  I’ll save that kind of time for blogging.)