Balancing the room

By Patricia Nugent

“The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize.” —Clairee Belcher

As Olympia Dukakis’ character sagely stated in the movie Steel Magnolias, the innate ability to put things together smartly is our God-given right as higher-level beings.

But many of us lack the design confidence to assemble the perfect blend while swimming against a sea of florals, stripes, checks, plaids, damasks, toiles, geodesic, geometric, chevrons and animal prints. 

Luckily, local designer Eileen Zimmerman—who has spent her career in the window treatment business, and, along with her husband, Don, owns Well Dressed Windows —is a virtual magician when it comes to juxtaposing patterns. With a degree in fashion merchandising from Kent State University, Eileen joined the family business of Paint & Pattern Centers. In 1995, Well Dressed Windows was born. Don joined five years later to handle marketing, accounting and, as he likes to say, anything else he’s told to do. 

Getting the Balance Just Right
“Before the client and I begin going through fabric samples, I like to get a feel for him or her,” she explains. “Does the client want the window to stand out and pop, or fade seamlessly into the rest of the decor? I also like to assess the homeowner’s sense of style, from casual to formal, farmhouse to modern.”

Though creativity should never be dampened, Eileen says there are a few cardinal rules to follow when mixing patterns:

• Rule #1: The patterns should have unifying colors, and at least one of the colors should already appear somewhere in the room’s decor. 
• Rule #2: To achieve an eye-appealing balance, the scale of the patterns you’re mixing should be varying, for instance a big floral with a small check, or a plaid with a small floral.
• Rule #3: When adding a totally new color, add it in small doses. For example, to a neutral grey décor add orange or teal pillows, window treatment trim or pictures. 

Case Studies: Daring Meets Demure
“As you can see in the accompanying photo of the wild window treatment for a teenage girl’s bedroom, I pulled patterns and solid colors that already appeared within the wall mural,” Eileen says. “In addition to the stripes, mod pattern and unifying solid orange (Rule #1), I tied the wave shapes together with a darker border color, also mirrored in the murals. The layers of waves were meant to play off the mural as well as the round light fixture.”

Eileen also mentions that since nearly every inch of the room, including the ceiling, is covered in heavily saturated color, she opted to go with a clean white look with the wood blinds to provide a little relief.

The other photo of a window treatment is a kitchen using both rules #1 and #2. The stripe used for the ties repeats the same colors as the floral of the valance and is in pleasing proportion. 

Eileen notes the mixing of textures also adds sophistication to a finished window treatment. For instance, if you have a light, nubby gauze, you can trim it with something smooth with a bit of substance to the fabric. 

Whichever look clients are aiming for, Eileen brings hundreds of fabric samples (most of which you cannot find at local fabric stores) with her on consultations. 

“People like to see how the fabrics look in their rooms, with their furniture, paint and carpeting,” she says.

Well Dressed Windows is headquartered in Wickliffe and beautifies windows all over Northeast Ohio. Call 440-498-9119 for a free consultation or visit DressedWindows.com for details and to see a gorgeous gallery of inspirational window treatments Eileen has created.