Looking for suggestions

[mac78]

I have the fever again.....I want to repaint but Ashley keeps telling me I am crazy since I just did it last Spring. So, I want to put new curtains up in the front living room and get rid of the vertical blinds. So I need suggestions on what to put up. I want something casual, that I can pull shut. For color, I could go either greens, burgundys, blues, or a neutral color. I am trying to pull a color out of my couch, which is very floral. ;) You can see there are a variety of colors in it. The walls are a neutral color, and it is hard to tell in the picture exactly what the color looks like.

I have a daycare business, so I like to be able to make my windows so that I can see out, yet not everyone can look in and see thru my house. (This is why I kept the vertical blinds so long). Not sure how to do that with curtains.

I want to stay with the coastal/cottage theme, but do realize my couch is not coastal at all. I am thinking green, burgundy, or blue for curtains. I also want to make some pillowcase type covers for my 2 couch cushions because the dogs lay on the couch all the time, and I keep a blanket tucked over them now.

I also keep a 5 x 7 area rug in front of my front door because of all the daycare traffic in and out, and I don't have a real foyer. I can replace the area rug to pull off the color I go with. I can repaint the front door too.

I know you ladies will throw out lots of suggestions. Thanks much.

[shabbychick]

Maybe you could find some striped curtains that would pull out some of the colors in your couch. You could put a sheer behind them (or layer a darker and lighter sheer on separate rods) that you could pull across the window to give you some privacy without blocking the light during the day. Then at night you could just close the curtains across the sheers. If I remember correctly, stripes and florals work together if they're the same scale. You might be able to sew some slip-on cushion covers that just had little ties in the back so you could remove them for easy washing. I would think any solid color that was on your couch already would work. Have fun with the makeover!

[vintage girl]

I think Shabby's idea of sheers with curtains over them would be great. I would go with a solid, but maybe something that has a texture or a stripe on stripe effect in a solid would be wonderful. You could easily get a new rug for your foyer in the same color as your drapes and that would tie it all together. Something nubby with texture would look really nice. Maybe a nice loopy shag or a thick plush berber. I have the same problem with the dogs lying on my couch. I use small lap quilts and drape them over the cushions. I have a solid couch so that works for me. I think the suggestion of sewing something almost like a pillow sham that would go over the cushions would be great. Or you can take a solid fleece blanket and fit it in over and under the cushions, almost like a slipcover. than you could just take it off when necessary and shake out and wash when necessary. I used to do this and it worked out really well. Fleece does not wrinkle and stays in place really well. I am excited to see what you do. I am sure it will look really nice and fresh:)

[vintage girl]

Marie,

I found a wonderful website that has all different drapery fabrics. I would not order form them as they are too expensive, but you can get some great ideas from them on color, texture, etc. Here is their website:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fs earch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dsolid%2Bstripe%2Btone%2Bon%2B tone%2Bdrapes%26ei%3Dutf-8%26y%3DSearch%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701&w=295&h=290&imgurl=www.prioritywindows.com%2Fimages%2Fproducts %2Forange-london-295.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prioritywindows.com%2Forange-sateen-and-gingham-stripe-valance-for-french-door-or-small-window.html&size=10KB&name=Sateen+and+Gingh...&p=solid+stripe+tone+on+tone+drapes&oid=307907d1b77192377159894af5233a46&fr2=&no=12&tt=33&sigr=13cjh9dhi&sigi=11tcrab1b&sigb=13egkn40b

One fabric that really stood out to me and has wonderful texture was this one. It is a fantastic color and the design is wonderful, but also subtle. Would add some great interest and texture. I just picked a red tone, but you could go with many colors, as your couch has a lot of different colors in it. This drapery with a lovely soft sheer underneath would look great. I know that Walmart and Target carry some great draperies and a lot of them have patterns such as this. As for a rug, you could again match your draperies or even the sheers. Here is a wonderful soft rug with great texture.

[mac78]

Thanks so much. I really like those curtains. I think sheers and curtains would work out well too. I like the red too. I love love the rug pic, but, with all the rain, snow, etc that is tracked in each and every day, I am not sure a plush rug would work.....but maybe somewhere else....as I really like that.;)
Thanks ladies, I can always cound on you to help me out......I think I have a disorder or something, I just sit around thinking....What can I do next........:D

[Gigi]

I also love the curtain with sheer idea- The sheer will allow a little peek through the window, and then when you want privacy- you can close the curtains....

I think curtains with a pattern in the color would work well- like one with leaves, etc...

[farmgal67357]

Thanks ladies, I can always cound on you to help me out......I think I have a disorder or something, I just sit around thinking....What can I do next........:D[/QUOTE]

No disorder hun. It's just that you work from your home and you are there, day and night! It's not a wonder that you want to change things up a bit. I worked in a home daycare with my aunt for over seven years. It is HARD work and you don't get rich. Kudos to you kiddo for picking such a profession!

[shabbychick]

You know, Marie, I actually like the rug in front of your front door, and I like the color of the door, too. However, you could certainly change either of them to any of the colors in your couch. Another thing you might think of that would be a casual but fun approach would be to make an area rug out of a canvas drop cloth and paint or stencil designs (maybe shells?) on it. If you trimmed it out with seam binding, you'd have an instant rug, and they're inexpensive enough that you could make a few to change out for different seasons. Also, they're thin enough that you could roll one out on top of the rug that is there when the kids are in the house, then fold it up and put it in the closet when the last kid leaves at night so your other rug shows. You can buy a similar sort of canvas-type material at Michaels to make a rug, but the drop cloth is cheaper. They say you can use the same paint you use for your walls, so that'd be a good way to recycle and leftover paint you have from previous projects.

I'm going to be making a canvas rug for the school library, so I'll let you know how it goes.

[mac78]

What a neat idea making a rug. I do like the rug I have there now. I know because I work in my home I am constantly thinking.....what to do next.;) I wish I didn't need a big rug like that in front of my door, but too much in/out traffic especially in the winter and during rains. Maybe I will go easy at first....new window coverings and cushion covers that will match the existing rug.