Easy Window Shades

It’s been a while since we visit the progress of the dining room makeover. Or I should say make, not makeover since we had not decorated it since we moved in a year and a half ago. Last we saw the room I had been lamenting the yellow color that parts of my newly-painted white dresser had turned since I poly-ed it. I finally had a chance to make some easy window shades and am excited to show you how.

What I originally intended to do is make faux roman shades but I liked the way my unique shades came out so I left them as it. What I did was staple fabric to some 1×2 pieces of pine to make “shades” for the top part of the windows. We had already put window film on a few months ago but they needed some sprucing up, so in came the fabric.

I picked this out on my trip to New York City last October. It’s called floating petals and I got it at Mood Fabrics, but I also recently say it is available at JoAnn by Waverly. Bonus, use your coupon.

It has nice shades of ivory, black, grey, and silver in it. Just the right accents I was looking for to go with the grass cloth and wood trim. Here is the label part if it helps.

I picked up three pieces of 1×2 pine to fit inside where blinds had previously been. I left the brackets so the pine (with the fabric on it) would fit in there and I wouldn’t have to do anything else to the window frames.

Cut them to length and you are set to go.

All I did was cut the fabric to the length I wanted and ironed it to fit within the width of the piece of pine. Later I sewed the seams on the sewing machine, but you can definitely use the Heat n Bond to secure them too.

I stapled the wrapped fabric around the pine and that was about it!

Very easy and affordable faux shades.

I didn’t screw the pine into the bracket or anything, they just rest in there. And the fabric is one piece that doesn’t move so I figure it would be OK.

I did buy thin dowels to make the lifted parts you see in real roman shades but I like them as they are so I didn’t do that. I was just going to sew them in even intervals.

I’ve also contemplated adding a top pieces for a few inches of fabric there like you see on shades. Do you think it needs it?

And here are the windows from the other side of the room. The chandelier is trying to make an appearance at the top there, see it?

This is probably the most complete you’ve seen my dining room yet! While we are here I want to show you some other old house quirks about the windows.

We have these brackets for rods on the window frames themselves. I took out the rods but I figured if I wanted to change things up I could add them back and put fabric on them for a curtain. There are 2 brackets in the middle and at the bottom of each window.

And we have this random plant hanger in between two of the windows. I haven’t actually hung anything on it.

And we have a secret space in the window seat too, a storage spot. It’s where I hide all my vases and candle holders and decorate-y stuff like that.

Can you see the line in the wood where it opens? And the little brass pull?

It is secret storage. Maybe some day I will make cushions for the window seat to use with the dining table, which would be fun.

This dining room is full of secrets. Remember the other one?

And there are my faux shades. What do you think?

Here is rest of the dining room list. Just a few things left. Anything fun happening in your dining room these days?

Pick out a wallpaper for in between the wall slats
Order the wall paper and hang it
Select a paint color for the top half of the room and paint
Decide if we are painting the ceiling or not Nope, not painting it
Remove blinds and clean windows
Buy and put up window film
Find fabulous fabric for the window treatments. I got curtains from Ikea and hung those
Make curtains (if I buy fabric) and roman shades and hang them all
Make frames for mirror wall art
Buy frames (or find some) for other wall art I have planned
Decide which color to paint buffet and then paint it
Find new hardware for the buffet
Find lamps and shades for the buffet, repaint part of the new lamps
Decide on/find other wall art?
Pick out and buy a rug
Get a new chandelier
Other lighting? Mini lamp makeover is here.
Throw a dinner party to enjoy our new room

Linking up with
Tutorials and Tips Tuesday at Home Stories A to Z
Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie