SFGate

Dee Gould Havent any idea as to how to work with this...so very sorry this happened to you...anyway you could get a portion of the money back....

thewhitefeather I don't have any advice for the piece in the photo except, perhaps, you might find another use for it? However, for your problem at hand,
you might want to look at some varieties of valances - and hang the valance low instead of high - to cover the window unit?

houssaon How in the world do these two windows cost $2,800???? This has to be a mistake.

First of all they need to be steamed to get the wrinkles out. I would let them down a bit. The one covering the air conditioner should cover the trim on the bottom. Let other one down more, too. Maybe paint the valance to match the brown or the grey.

Jayme Hobbs Wow..I would try to work out a solution with the designer. The job looks poorly done, I am sorry to say anything negative, but I think you got the shaft and need to approach whoever charged u all that cash and ask for more accomodations...good luck to u!

solraven $2,800?!! The fact that they actually took your money speaks volumes about their character. That's ridiculous. In any case, the fabric is actually pretty nice, and it seems like you have plenty of it. If I knew how to sew, I would trim the ruffles off and put in some boning to make it a structured Roman shade like the ones attached.

Natalie Wow---ridiculous! Check your bill, read their agreement, then discuss your situation with the manager or owner---hopefully you will be compensated in some way. Good Luck!

blindsdirectcanada $2800 are they made out of gold? I would contact the BBB and file a complaint based on the pricing. Get your money back. Even if it was done perfectly It should at most with the cornice not more than $500-700 depending on fabric and who was sewing.

http://www.blindsdirectcanada.com/

designideas4me Take them to small claims court. you got ripped off.

taywel Thank you all for your responses and support. I learned a very valuable lesson.

housemamma Did the person who made these see them installed? I would definitly see if they could make them into something more streamlined. I have had many custom window treatments made and have always been pleased so I'm sorry to hear and see your end product. Certainly ask for an itemized bill with price of fabric, cornice, labor, etc. I can not stress how overpriced those are.

decoenthusiaste A black plastic trash bag would have done the same job on the window ac unit and looked better doing it!

Architectrunnerguy They look like bloomers hanging in the window.

bhelmore Oh, I am so sorry! They are horrible.

One of my "things" is that the curtains must never be darker than the walls and I doubt you would ever want to paint the walls that dark.

Please speak to your decorator and and whomever made then for you.

There is always word-of-mouth regarding the people involved and their reputations. So, if it comes to that, then threaten to speak of their shoddy work and customer satisfaction(lack of) to all your friends

If you don't have an agreement in writing that they are nonreturnable, then maybe Small Claims Court.

Jayne Smith Ok so there not the nicest curtains I've ever seen but you need to work with what you've got I guess !!

Try lightening the. Wall colour , blend the moulding in by painting the same or a contrasting colour , the. Bright white against a grey wall with brown blinds is not. The best choice ! The moulding doesn't look big enough - can u get someone to lengthen it or better still take it down !!!!

Hope this helps !! X

taywel Wow, I never thought this would evoke such passionate responses. I even had take some comments with a grain of salt and a note of humor. I think we are all in agreement, they are an eyesore--even bloomers waving in the wind! All of your comments have given me the extra push to scrap them and start over. Some things are just not salvageable, and even if I could, I think I have developed a hate/hate relationship them. Thank you for your candor and in some cases brutal honesty.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. Well, first thing is that they do achieve what they were designed to do...ie let light in and hide an ac unit. What is it you do not like about them? They are essentially a balloon shade, with box pleated fabric on the edges, unlined by the look of it. Depends what part of the country you are in but in some parts this look is still fashionable, and it may well be a well meaning upholsterers idea of what looks good...but maybe not yours? It would be relatively easy to convert them into a "faux" roman shade, if you are looking for a sleeker, less fussy look,....probably a stationary one. Judging by the look there is ample fabric in the width but probably not enough in the length to end up with a fully functioning roman shade.

Before you jump the gun and go sue people, get your quote and see if the fabric and labor are split out and itemized. Obviously there is construction of 2 wooden pelmets in there too.The fabric may well be expensive, and there is often considerable yardage in a balloon shade. You have already paid the price and custom work is non-refundable as you probably know. It doesn't look like shoddy work to me, it's just not a style that you probably like.

It pays to shop around when embarking on projects like this. No one ever said that custom work is cheap. Ready mades are, but they rarely are able to meet all your requirements in instances like this.

Shop around for a drapery workroom to re-work them for you into something sleeker or different styling.

taywel JT Draperies, thank you so much for your response. I don't plan at all to resort to any legal actions, like I stated they are an eyesore and I believe the professional that did them for me was well-intended. In fact I had other treatments done by this company and they turned out fine. The final job--obviously not so much. It was unfortunate and I will be ever diligent and vigilant on the next project.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. If you were happy with their work, and obviously you spent an arm and a leg here. Approach them and see if they will re-make for you...pointing out that you paid "top dollar" and are not happy with them at all, but were happy with their other work....see if you can appeal to their better nature to get either a free or greatly discounted remake......or shop around elsewhere.

Good luck. I do not like to see people unhappy with custom work, as that is what I do.

Aja Mazin Who agrees to pay $2,800 for the window treatment for 2 small windows?

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. Agree it does seem over the top.

Perhaps the fabrics are quite expensive, and I cannot judge what size the windows are, but it is possible that the larger window has about 5 yds of fabric in it. And if these window treatments were purchased through a designer, there could be mark up on the fabric, and markup on the labor and installation. Labor varies greatly across the country too, depending on whether you are near a big city or not.

In my experience I have seen clients pay this for window treatments on similar size windows by the time it is all invoiced.

houssaon I keep waiting for taywel to say not $2800, but $280. For that amount of money, a new air conditioner unit could have been installed.

Aja Mazin If you have $2,800 to pay for curtains for 2 windows, why not consider central heat and air?

Christine You have learned a very expensive lesson. This is not attractive at all and you need to rip it out and start over. Unless we see what it is covering. I don't think we can help too much other than to tell you to yank it.

Christine You have learned a very expensive lesson. This is not attractive at all and you need to rip it out and start over. Unless we see what it is covering. I don't think we can help too much other than to tell you to yank it.

lindacolleen You should talk to your decorator, perhaps send your decorator the comments posted . I know I'd be embarrassed to collect payment on that finished project .
Sometimes ideas are good on paper.
I hope they make it right for you , for the amount u invested in it ! You certainly deserve a redux .

Jayne Smith Before completly scrapping it altogether but how about a roman blind and reuse the fabric !! Save a few dollars and the straight edges will compliment the moulding , adding a liner would also enhance the natural colours of the fabric ! X

Jayne Smith Before completly scrapping it altogether but how about a roman blind and reuse the fabric !! Save a few dollars and the straight edges will compliment the moulding , adding a liner would also enhance the natural colours of the fabric ! X

sharleeg OK, so you got a bad deal. Don't dwell on it. It's not productive, nor are any of these comments. Let's figure a way to make it work since you made an investment. Your bed is not centered under that window. Can it be? The wood moulding/cornice is not really working. Perhaps it can be removed (on both) and valance moved up to ceiling. Let the balloon over bed drop down, it's drawn up way too tight.Since you own them and they likely cost more than most of your other things and painting is relatively inexpensive, consider paint the walls a more chocolate( if that is what is the color in valance and go with a romantic, chocolate palette.Lesson learned. Don't throw too much more money at the solution now.

Peg Silverwood That is unfortunate that someone would sell you something like that. Just curious... Would they have that in their own home? That is a lot of money.. I thin that I would see if they will work with you . You will need any idea of what you want...never hurts to ask. Make it a roman shade and get rid of the poofs, if you love the fabric and want to keep it.

kylemaya pull the window treatment all the way up to the molding on the ceiling. Make them shorter, and add a wooden blind underneath

JMittman Designs Gosh. All that pleating that pushed your price up is just really not working for me. I think overall you just have too much fullness. I would like to just see a simple relaxed roman shade. I don't make balloon shades to be functioning simply for the reasons illustrated in your photos. They take too much dressing. You do have it pulled up way too high over the bed. But then you are probably trying to let the light in. Steaming is not going to help if you will continue to draw them up--the wrinkles will just keep coming back. Could you keep them drawn up and add a sheer underneath?
Agreed that the first step is NOT to sue, contact BBB etc. Talk to the workroom and see what they will do for you, this is your first step. I hope you can get something your are pleased with for the money you spent.

bhelmore A couple of things.........cornice boards like that really only work if the whole room is trimmed out in the same wood. I would never angle them in like they are - they should be straight at the sides. It looks like someone is busting out of their clothes! ;-).

A dark, very full bedskirt out of the brown fabric might look wonderful with your brass bed and would not be a difficult redo for you, nor should it be expensive. You could double back on the fabric and make it unstructured at the bottom (no hem, just doubled up and not pressed seams).

If your room is small, you will get the best punch for your money if your window coverings match the wall color - a seamless look that will visually enlarge it.

Peg Silverwood How far out of the window does the air conditioning unit come out? Can your bed fit on another wall If so, move it to that wall. The cornice box is just to heavy on top. Take it down. You may be able to use it for a shelf. the balloon is just a bit to small in scale and yet so full. Take it to a taylor and see if they will take the poofs out of it. You just need to straiten it and it shouldn't take away from the width if they can do that for you . Place a dresser or small table under that window if you have one and there is room.