• Therarebelle

the RARE belle

~ a southern gal's guide to all things fabulous in food, fashion, finery and frippery

the RARE belle

Tag Archives: curtains

belle-decor tips…on a shoestring

11 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle maison

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amazon, apartment, college, curtains, decorating, shoestring

Sending girls off to college can be pretty stressful…preparing for dorm living, rush and the rush wardrobe for freshmen…preparing for apartment living on a shoestring for the others.  We have both experienced it all…and have lived to tell about it!  

Bama-belle recently moved into a “vintage” house near campus in Tuscaloosa.  Here are a couple of hacks we feel turned out pretty well…


Inexpensive bamboo shades from Home Depot can warm up a window and disguise the plastic blinds favored by college-town landlords.


And while you’re at Home Depot, grab several paint drop-cloths…the flax kind.  They make excellent curtains!!  Here, we added grommets (ordered on Amazon  along with a grommet setter) to spruce them up a bit.  And no hemming required!  Just fold the top edge over to create the length needed (you need the thickness for the grommet anyway).  Add an inexpensive drapery rod.  Voila!


Mirrors expand the space…and can be found in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges

Talk to the other moms/parents.  In this particular case, we all combined our neutral extra furniture, lamps and pillows.  The girls decided they wanted several shades of blue as accent colors.  We picked up pillows and other tchotchkes to add those pops.

Here are some other items that became life-savers in small spaces…

For extra bathroom storage:


Use that space over the toilet.  Get one Here

To keep the tissue handy…


Hook it right on the tank. Get it here

For extra bedroom/closet storage…


We put this in a cubby in the room and disguised it with curtains.  Get it Here

We would love to hear your tips for next year!!

a&a

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decorating by the numbers…for the in-style home

22 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle maison

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Ballard Designs, curtains, decor, decorating, drapery, home decor, InStyle, lighting, Pottery Barn, sofa, Susanne Kasler, Williams Sonoma

We ran across an article in the September INSTYLE that really rang our belle!  It listed loads of helpful tips from the “experts” on how to make any room look like you really know what you’re doing on the design-front. (and when in doubt…fake it, belle!!)

Here you go…in no particular order…we think they are all worth a share…

the Collins Sconce from Pottery Barn


66 inches…

Wall sconces should be installed just above eye level…around 66 inches from the floor…so the light doesn’t shine directly at you (and if you hang them too high, they will light the ceiling instead of the room

from homedit.com


30 inches…

your bed is generally about 30 inches from the floor…so why not put your nightstand on the same level??  That makes it the perfect height for the alarm, the book, the water…whatever needs to be within reach

from bestbuy.com


8 feet…the best distance for viewing a 42″ TV (the most common size) is 8 feet.  Adjust from there for larger or smaller screens

thebudgetfashionista.com


2 inches…An insert that is 2 inches larger than your pillow covers will make pillows seem plush and generous.

the Hunter Sofa from mgbwhome.com


84 inches…this is the minimum length for a comfy sofa that will seat up to four people (or one adult lying down). This size also plays nicely with a standard 60-inch coffee table.

the Hunter Sofa from mgbwhome.com



1 inch…leave an inch between furniture and the wall…this keeps the upholstery from looking squished and the paint from getting scuffed (a win-win)


29 watts…apparently,  GE’s 29 W Halogen Frosted bulb is the most face-flattering of all bulbs out there.  Thank goodness someone is studying this!!  A belle always wants/needs to look her best.  Just sayin’…

williamssonoma.com

This one photo has a plethora of belle-ringing decorating numbers…

7 feet…always hang an overhead lighting fixture at least 7 feet above the floor  (don’t want your NBA-sized friends bumpin’ a noggin’)

18 inches…we don’t want you (or those NBA-sized guests) bumpin’ a shin, either.   Leave 18 inches between your coffee table and the sofa or other seating

62 inches…the center of your artwork should be between 62 and 66 inches from the floor…that’s the standard measurement in most galleries (and it just makes for good viewin’)

cotedetexas.blogspot.com

1 1/2 inches…for a tailored drape, allow a break of no more than 1-2 inches (too much puddling can be messy for a tailored, streamlined curtain)

So there you have ’em, belles. It’s easy as 1-2-3 (or 66-30-8-2…)

Happy homing!

a&a

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