Oh Oh....

Like everybody I am a little obssessed with real estate in our city. For our own reasons we might be inclined to wonder about different aspects of our market. Well being a curtain maker I love to see what kinds of curtains people put in their homes. I often peruse the real estate salespeoples websites reading the HILARIOUS descriptions and looking for clues to the style of curtains that are on show in some of these grand homes. Let me tell you about dissapointment. I see flaccid poorly styled curtains, no doubt designed by someone who has never been inspired by the waterfall of sensuality that a curtain can inspire... made by anonymous faceless people who get no credit for their work, EVER... and therefore are about as inspired to create beauty as a factory farm worker is to debone your chicken breast artfully and expertly... This mess is then installed by people who are just there to hide the flaws and make them look half decent. In the drapery trade it is a commonly and closely held secret that a great installer is not great because he can hang a curtain straight... no... a great installer is one who can hide all the problems the workroom had making curtains from innapropriate materials, cheap linings etc... How backwards is that? I know I am not supposed to say all this and present myself as an affable and happy sort who would like to continue to make sales without offending anyone... pish posh. I could care less. I have been making curtains for only 6 years. In that time we have redefined curtain making as an art and as a business. And it all started when I saw something like this....

Years ago I was making a set of slipcovers for a client in Shaughnessy. I struggled so much with the fabric, it was so crooked and off grain. I stretched and wet and manipulated the fabric every which way to get it straight. I slaved over those covers for days.... DAYS! Anyhow I went in to install them on install day and coinicidentally the "blind people" were there. That's what everyone calls us in the "CURTAIN" business. The Blind People were obviously blind to the fact that the drapery they were hanging would barely pass for elevator padding let alone curtains for a home worth $7million.  It was atrocious to see such crap sitting next to my amazing hard work. From that moment an idea to actually make beautiful curtains was born and here we are 8 years after that day.
So getting back to it... I heard that recently a penthouse in the Fairmont was sold for $25million. I was intrigued by the price.... and because I wanted to see the interiors. Robert Bailey designed the interior and what an incredible job, the carpets, the art, the scale etc... but what happened to the curtains? For real. I mean you just enter a search for this penthouse in Google to see all the images and you are assailed with gorgeous images of a gorgeous home with horrid curtains! Like a well dressed man stepping out of a restaurant in pants that are cut too wide and far too short, and socks that match nothing. To see these uninspiring flaps of cloth was almost painful for me. Look at that carpet, it is amazing. Look at the furnishings... amazing. WTF is that hanging up there? What do you call that colour?  Could there not have been a more creative use of textile? For $25 million? Really this is the reason why people hate curtains, I hate those too!
Too often I see amazingly detailed homes destroyed by poor choices in window coverings. And there is no excuse. I am going to stop now because this hurts too much.
Oyvey!