Photos of Roman Shades and an Update

Before detailing all the fun I had making roman shades for my dining room, I wanted to first explain my lack of posting and commenting over the last two months. Simply put, I got a new job and quit my old one. My last day at my old job was December 3rd, and last Monday was my first day at my new firm. Things were very hectic transitioning all my assignments before my last day at my old firm (I had been there over six years), so I fell behind in home projects and blogging. But, I had all these grand plans that I would get all these home projects done during the month I had off. I envisioned blogging every day with a new project to reveal. I imagined painting my kitchen cabinets, a half bathroom and two bedrooms. Needless to say, none of that happened. I had no idea how physically and emotionally exhausted I was from my old job. I barely did anything productive the first two weeks, other than visit some of my family in Chicago. I hardly got on the computer the entire month.

But, I took care of myself and recharged my batteries. I got a lot of sleep, went to the gym and spent quality time with Mr. DE. It was exactly what I needed. I'm hoping my new job will be a lot less stressful than my last.

That said, I still had projects that I wanted to get done. We were hosting my husband's family for Christmas Eve, and I knew I wanted to get the roman shades done for my dining room, even if that was the only project I completed.

After debating about how to make the roman shades, I decided to go with a kit from Joann Fabrics. I thought it would be the most mistake proof. I saved my 40% off coupons, so I was able to get each kit for about $11. There are also a few things you need from the hardware store, but the price per window is still much, much less than custom shades. Here is what the kit I bought looked like (I can't find it on Joann's website):

The fabric I chose was the Limonia Marble fabric from Calico Corners. But since I didn't need a lot of fabric for the shades, I bought remnants on eBay and saved a lot of money.

I will say, the hardest part of the project was cutting the fabric. I wanted a custom look, so the placement of the fabric's print had to be the same on each window. If you use a solid fabric, you wouldn't have to worry about that aspect of the project. The sewing part of the project really isn't hard. I just sewed the fabric and lining together, and then followed the instructions from the kit - which only called for straight line sewing. There are about eight wooden dowels in each shade, along with a metal bar at the bottom, to give it weight and make it hang properly. They open and close very nicely.

Before the big reveal, I wanted to take a step back and show you what my dining room looked like when I bought the house (these are from the inspection, so it is the seller's furniture in the photos).

It was a pretty room, but the dark paint color and wood colored trim (which was really dinged up in person) was just too much for such a small room, especially given the low ceilings in my home. So, we painted the ceiling and trim Dover White and the walls Softened Green, both by Sherwin Williams. I love how it came out.

We also updated the chandelier with one from Hubbardton Forge (a very generous wedding present from my in-laws).

Now, back to the shades. I love how the fabric still lets in a lot of light into the room. (Please excuse the pictures, I had a hard time with the light and I feel like they don't truly represent how the shades look in the room.)

And at night, I think they look really nice.
As with every room in my house, there is still a long list of things I would like to do in here. I can't wait to get new dining room furniture. I would love to get chairs that at least have an upholstered bottom, so I could put a nice, light blue fabric on them (to tie in with the roman shades, and connect the dining and living rooms). I also would love to get a wood table. This one just isn't may taste, but it works for now!

I would also love to add a fun wallpaper to the back wall of the built-in cabinet. I think it would add such a nice pop of color back there, and add more depth to the room. I would also love to paint the radiator white. I think it would look nicer than the current steel color.

So, there is my dining room. It is a work in progress, but I'm really happy with how far it has come.