Curtain Hardware, Shoes, Weather in London

I still have the curtain hardware to pin down for my office guest room in this post. In reviewing the results of my research, I thought, hmm, I should post on curtain hardware.

Ever hear hardware is jewelry for the home? 

I think curtain hardware is shoes.

The right shoe makes a good outfit great.

Love these jacquard and not skin tight pants.
Very Fallish. 
From England. Hobbs' Sapphire Efa Pants.

And let's not forget Iris Apfel's opinion on shoes.

Unlike shoes, which can be maddeningly trendy, decorative hardware is readily
available in traditional styles and all stops along the way

From England. Baroco Hardware from The Bradley Collection. Solid wood, solid brass.
While our current fashion runs more to the modern, the hardware perfectly complements
the architecture and the fabric. 

to modern contemporary.

Modern. Twine wrapped finials for steel curtain rods. Mixing materials is always encouraged.
Also from England, Walcot House.

Sometimes that great outfit, or personality, calls for a statement shoe.

 Shoes are the only red in my wardrobe. I love red shoes. I love red plaid shoes even more.
Fall 2015 Manolo Blahnik 'BB' Pointy Toe. Nordstrom.

Same with curtain (or drapery if you prefer) hardware.

Blome's Shanghai in red. From Germany via Robert Allen in the US.

Fall 2015 Saint Laurent. From Paris via Saks.

Also from France, Soho hardware from Houlès.
Great lines, nice proportions. Love that the bracket has no face but is still beautiful.
Very nice finish. 

London based Jimmy Choo's Tilly slingback.
I love these and they totally work with the below.

Another English hardware house, fabricant. Odessa finial, acrylic and nickel rods.
If the project's financial target were expanded, this would be my first choice.

Surely I'll get some blowback on my next opinion and that's fine: 

English hardware designers are the Givenchys, Chanels, YSLs of statement curtain hardware.

My opinion is completely biased, and based solely on my limited experience with weather in London. It was cold and damp. Closing thick curtains at night shuts out the chill and drafts. It feels cozy. In the morning, the curtains must open to let in light. We did both in the lovely hotel we stayed at and that requires functional hardware. Centuries of inclement weather spent working out the mechanics of functional hardware leave the English with plenty of time for aesthetics. 

However, there's no question France, Germany and the rest of the world give them a run for their money. Especially US.

Kravet, New York, family run since the early 1900s.

Kravet's new 2015 drapery hardware. Kravet.

Malachite and Tortoise finials from Kravet's Exotica collection. Kravet.

Brimar, Illinois.

I love the clean look of the curtain's heading.
Versailles collection hardware from Brimar.
Design by Soledad Zitzewitz Interiors, photography by Werner Straube.

Brooklyn is home to Van Gregory and Norton's studios.

Van Gregory and Norton

Shoes and curtain hardware styles change with the times. Rectangular rails are on the rise.

Jonathan Browning Studios, San Francisco.

Precision engineered. Hand finished. Industrial chic.
Langeais drapery hardware. Jonathan Browning Studios.

Gretchen Everett, from Maryland, gives an acrylic rail two looks. Glamorous in polished brass rings.

Gretchen Everett

An antiqued finish is earthy cool. But not crunchy.

Gretchen Everett

Not every outfit requires a statement shoe. Not every curtain design calls for statement hardware.

Sometimes perfection is achieved with an understated Ferragamo flat,

Ferragamo
When I was in my 20s and early 30s, Ferragamo was the shoe of choice for matronly women.
How things have changed.

and a simple French pole with unlined linen.

The cottage look.
French Pole from The Bradley Collection. England.

What makes a pole French? It has no finials and returns to the wall in a gentle curve or a right angle.

Newport hardware from Tuell and Reynolds. California.

Window dressings give a room a layered feel when the room may not have many other layers. Art and accessories take years to collect and get right (when does a tchotchke become an accessory by the way?). Curtains and window treatments are fast in comparison to amassing a blue and white porcelain collection.

"The well-dressed window makes a room feel finished, even when it's not."

Linda Pakravan

If your naked window looks less than fabulous, then dress it.

Please comment on the rail hardware, I'd love to know where everybody is on this. Edgy? Trendy? New classic?

Have a great weekend. I'm going shoe shopping. After we rake leaves.

This post was entirely unsponsored.

Thanks for reading,
Linda Pakravan

P.S. see my Window Dressing page on pinterest for more inspiration.