Fourteen months ago I discovered Thomas Paul and his Aviary Fabric.
I saw the fabric in a model home and was smitten at that very instant.
Later I was tickled pink orange when I found out the same fabric also came in tangerine. At that moment, my dining room’s fate was sealed.
Well, the day has come. The fabric has been purchased, and the dining room Thomas Paul Aviary curtains are D-O-N-E.
Wanna see my newest most-favoritest-accessory in the whole wide world?
I can’t stop grinning from ear to ear. And honest to God, they look about fifty bagillion times more awesome in person. Can you even image more awesomeness than this?!
When I finished them last week I stood in the dining room just staring and grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. I think I stood in there a good 20 minutes with a stupid grin on my face.
You guys know I love me some orange. You don’t have to look far (my blog layout!) to realize I’m a little obsessed with the color. So FINALLY, finally I now have some orange incorporated into my home decor. And it’s lookin’ mighty fine if you ask me.
I’m seriously so thrilled to bits about these new curtains. Like, as in, these curtains are of EPIC AWESOMENESS. Yes, I said EPIC. You know I’m excited when I bust out the word EPIC.
I’m breaking these curtains into a 3-part series here on the ol’ blog. The first post (this one) I’m just going to show you EPIC AWESOMENESS (there’s that EPIC word again…). The 2nd & 3rd posts I’m going to actually break down the sewing of the curtains and the making of the curtain rod with full-blown tutorials. They both are detailed posts and need their own spotlight.
Isn’t that orange just so yummy? I literally want to go up and lick the curtains. They are THAT. GOOD. I may or may not have stood in the dining room hugging the curtains. I have considered taking them to bed with me.
I’m going dive into a curtain rod post very soon, but here’s a shot of the darling finial I found at ikea. Did you know they now sell finials? And they are only $7 for the 2-pack! Woot!
And when I bust out the how-to-make-your-own-curtains tutorial, they will come with full instructions on how to line the curtain fabric as well.
I busted out the big guns for these curtains. I figure if I’m going to spend $120 on the Aviary Fabric (ya, that number made me choke too), I should actually take my time making professional quality curtains.
I’d never made curtains before, much less lined ones, but let me just say, they are not hard! I made these in an afternoon.
How can I make a dining room post without pointing out my two most favorite accessories in the room (and in my whole house)?!
I’ve been watching a lot of design shows lately, and one thing they harp on all the time is to go big and bold and do things that make a statement. Sometimes your idea totally flops, but if you can pull it off, it will set you apart from everyone else.
I was terrified to go as bold as birds and orange, but I decided to take their advice and just do it. This could have ended up a total train-wreck, but I took the risk anyway. I think it paid off in a big way! Now I have these fabulous bright curtains that are obviously the focal point of the room.
These curtains are the most bold decision I’ve ever made in my home. And, my goodness, they were so worth the risk.
No dining room post of mine can truly WOW anyone without a before and after. The room is still not done (ahem, chairs, ahem), but I’m getting so close!
Currently:
It’s hard to believe they are even the same room! Isn’t it amazing what a little paint, a few accessories, and a lot of hard work can do to a space?
Check back very soon for the posts about the DIY curtain rod (you’ll never guess what I made it from!) and the tutorial for making your own curtains.
Are you totally obsessed with this fabric too or is it just me?
Are you an orange person?
Oh, and PS, I can now check “Project 2: Make and hang curtains” off my to-do list. 🙂
Beauteous! I absolutely love that print! I would stand in your dining room with a goofy grin on my face for 20 minutes too.
I love this idea but need to ask if you used any support brackets because of the length? I need a long rod also and don’t want to spend a fortune. I will be following your posts now that I found you!thank you for your creativity .
i just love what you did in the dining room but i have a window and patio doors that is 158 inches… any ideas?? I can get more brackets = that’s not a problem – but how can i find a rod that long???
Try getting a conduit connector piece and connect two rods together.
Okay, I know this is old news, but for anyone wanting to see, I used two pieces of conduit that together spanned about 18 feet. I put a bracket in the center and found a piece of connector pipe that fit snugly in them to join them. (I should have written down what size the pipe was, but I didn’t.) Anyway, if you want to see, it’s here: (and I’ve since hemmed my curtains so they look much better, but oh well!)
http://hedengrens.blogspot.com/2012/10/progress-on-western-windows.html
That fabric is gorgeous!!!!!! I’m having definite curtain envy over here. They make such a statement. Congrats on all your hard work:)
Love the new curtains! They came out beautifully!
Those curtains are gorgeous! I love the orange and grey. Simply stunning!
I love the orange too and the print is great. What an amazing before and after!
WOW!!! I love those curtains. Great choice. Looking forward to the tutorials!!
Absolutely beautiful. LOVE them.
LOVE THEM!! You did a fantastic job girl! And I think I said I could lick something in my post too…no wait, it was eat it with a spoon. Either way, I get you!
Bravo! Looks fab-u-lous! I think I need to make a list and actually check things off of it. 🙂
These look awesome Allison! the fabric is just so fun! Love the orange and grey together!
These curtains are TO DIE FOR!!! LOVE the color, the fabric, everything! They are really making the room look tied together. Makes me want to go and work on my dining room…. aka, the catch all room 😉
EPIC is right girl! These came out stupendous and I so wanna be invited to your first dinner party! What a room this is going to be 🙂
I am not an orange person, but you could convert me with those curtains! They look fabulous and I’m loving the punch they give the gray walls. 🙂 Kudos!!
Rock it, dawg!! I love how your dining room is coming together. The chandelier, the curtains, the shelves… everything! Can’t wait to see those chairs refinished.
I feel the depth of your admiration for these curtains . . . enough to say “get a room!” . . . oh! wait, you did! I share your adoration – you did a spectacular job!
I love the curtains. The pop of orange is great. I was originally worried that it would be too much – Oh I of little faith. Every time I see your dining room I get excited to see the table. I know it had to be more work than I can imagine. But (based on pictures) you got the color look you wanted to get with paint, but preserved the beautiful wood work. I love much of the painted furniture shown in blog-land. However there are some pieces that just need to retain the orignial look.
Oh how I LOVE bold curtains. Those are fabulous, lady. Well done!
Those are fabulous. They absolutely make the room. Can’t wait until you are able to get to the chairs.
WOW! So chic and happy at the same time. I love the orange in that room. Well done!
Nu-uh.. That is EPIC. I’ve been searching for a graphic print like that. I searched and searched when I was in the market for my dining room curtains. AAAHHH! Well, I love what I got, but maybeee in the Family room…..
Love the curtains!!! Awesome!!!
LOVE that fabric choice!
I seriously LOVE to see someone get that excited over draperies ! I make them everyday so I’d have a heart attack if I got that excited every time. lol They look amazing. I’m a big fan of orange, especially when it’s on fabric.
That fabric is absolutely to die for! Gorgeous!!!! I can’t wait for the curtain tutorial. I currently have a ton of fabric sitting around my house just waiting for me to actually make the curtains it is intended for.
Hi! Your dining room is just gorgeous..Love the aviarynfabrics and I am living vicariously through you…getting all of those projects done! What color are the walls, by the way?
I swear it looks like you made that window bigger. That barney paint job was sucking all the light right out of there.
Love it! Looks amazing…hmmm…imagine that color on the ceiling, with an opalescent glaze over it, just all aglow in candle light…:)
Have I found someone who loves orange just as much as I do?! It is my favorite color too!! That is my trademark, my parents and friends buy stuff that is orange for me just because it is orange; most of the time it is useful stuff too.
That is awesome that you were able to use such a big piece of orange as decoration, I LOVE it!! Orange is just the perfect pop color, IMHO. One day I will be brave like you and make orange the focal point of a room. When I have my own house someday, far far away…
I am intrigued as to the color of the fabric for the chairs now!
(I am now a follower 😉 )
They are OUTRAGEOUSLY good! I can’t wait to see the tutorials, I’ve got several yards of fabric waiting to be turned into beautiful window panels and your tutorial will help me finally get it done!
You did an amazing job on the curtains. The fabric is fantastic! It reminds me of the Marimeko duvet covers I had as a kid. My aunt sent them from Sweden when I was a teenager and now they have the same pattern brought back to CB2’s. That pattern is leaves but it’s the same orange and white as your curtains. I’m very curious what you are going to do with the chairs now. I like the Robin color and wish Target had the slipper chair in robin, but I wouldn’t spent that much on a chair so it’s just as well. lol
WOW! Absolutely LOVE what you’ve done with this room. Isn’t it amazing how everything just pops against that beautiful gray? I’m also a sucker for anything with birds on it 🙂
spectacular!! ;looks so very great
KAT
In. AWE. I’ve been in love with that tangerine fabric ever since I saw it on Allison Janney’s office chairs in Mr. Sunshine last year. It’s phenomenal as drapes! SO JEALOUS!
oooohhh i luve them!! now come on and get those chairs done i cant wait to see it done!
WOW! Beautiful and stunning. The chandelier is also great.
This has to be the best before and after I have seen:)
Great job
Do you have any fabric left for a couch pillow, to tie it in to another room?
Oooooooh, Girl-eena, I am loving those curtains! Loving that light fixture, too! Can’t wait for your curtain-making tutorial. If you don’t use very many big words, and have lots and lots of pictures, I just might be able to follow along and make my own bedroom curtains. Seriously, I felt a little sick when I saw how much it was going to cost me to do two windows. I thought about making my own curtains, but then remembered that I’m really, really lazy, and I don’t like to sew. After seeing how awesome your curtains look, I might give it a try, myself.
Especially burnt orange!
Need that fabric now!! Please! I have been looking for the perfect orange fabric for pillows. I think I found it! Your curtains are amazing! Bold and beautiful.
I would happily stare at those curtains for an afternoon! I am loving your dinning room so far. Those curtains, that light fixture, the table….VERY nice!
I am an orange girl myself. As a matter of fact you can see a sneak peak into my orange curtains on the blog. And if you could help a girl out with a fashion question I would appreciate it.
Keep on being awesome!
Was making my grocery list this morning, and guess what I found in my store’s online sale ads? A chair – with the same orange fabric! How crazy is that? (http://meijer.shoplocal.com/meijer/default.aspx?action=entryflash&storeref=216 – see page 27 of the weekly ad)
Hey Allison! I love, love LOVE your curtains!! I’ve been a fan of that fabric ever since you posted it from that model home, and they came out beautifully! And the orange totally rocks. Great job!
They are DIVINE !!!!! I love them. Now I just need you to come here and do the same for me….lol
I love orange too! I have four – yes FOUR – rooms in my house painted orange! That fabric is amazing, I love the way it contrasts so sharply against the white. The flat grey is perfect as a backdrop. I think the idea to create pinch pleats with the rings is a super simple idea. Off to read how you make the curtains – maybe you will inspire me enough to dust off my sewing machine – maybe…
hah! I guess I will just have to check back for those instructions.
These are BEAUTIFUL!! Wow! My parents used to have bird curtains and bird wallpaper in our dinning room…I love yours much more! And I adore the chandelier! I saw it in the store a couple weeks ago and wished I had a place for it. I also saw it put into a kitchen on “The Next Design Star.”
Heidi@HomemadeBeautiesByHeidi
They are stunning!!!!! Your dining room is turning out amazing!
It looks so much bigger now! And GORGEOUS! Thanks for the tutorial! That’s right up my alley! Now I can have curtains in my living room that I actually like! (I HATE the ones I have now, but they match) 😛
Wow…loving the curtains and the simple instructions. I have my fabric, and am so ready and anxious to do this. But every time I pull out the fabric and try to get to it…I feel kinda stuck on stupid. Where do I start. Well, now I know.
One question, though and maybe you can answer it…any suggestions on cutting the fabric straight? I seem to have a hard time with that and have almost been tempted to take it back to the fabric store with my measurements and beg them to cut the pieces for me.
Anyway, you’re amazing…this and the curtain rod tutorial are the most helpful things that have ever ended up on the internet. Thanks.
Kristin
I LOVE ORANGE TOO!!!!!!!
what a miracle to find your blog thru pinterest. i’ve been pining for curtains for several years now. it took me almost two years to find my fabric (and at a decent cost) and actually order it. now the fabric is sitting waiting for me to not be scared of the sewing machine. i actually think i can do this. thanks so much for your detailed instructions. wish me luck!
Allison, so fun to meet you a couple of weeks ago! I LOVE this three part series. I was just contemplating what I wanted to do about curtains tonight, as the ones from the previous house weren’t quite right for one of our rooms. Leave them anyway, make some, customize store bought ones, etc. If nothing else, I will use these tutorials in our new house once we find it/ buy it. Very very well done tutorials. I now believe that with my limited sewing skills I can actually make a lined curtain thanks to you!!
So glad I stumbled upon your blog and this post! LOVE your dining room panels. I am awaiting a delivery from fabric.com as I write this comment with the fabric to make panels for my family room. They’ll be a red damask. They’re definitely bold for me and I’m very excited to see them hanging. You’re post makes me even more sure I made the right choice.
I am love love loving Orange too….and I love it with gray too….so I am sooo in love with your amazing dining room!!! In case you’re not picking up on it…I love what you have created! 😀
And I very much enjoy your writing style too….so fun!
Love your tutorial on sewing lined curtains. I’ve been sewing since 5th grade and it’s the best one I’ve seen.
Where do you purchase your fa ric? My daughter is planning on doing her own curtains and just can’t find the right design for her curtains Thank you. I’ll be following along from now on.
i love it, love it, love it!
I LOVE those curtains. Funny — I was just thinking I needed orange accent curtains for my living room (I’ve got orange accent pillows, and the sofa and chairs are dark brown) and these are really inspiring. I have taken three sewing courses, and learned a lot about making clothes and pillows, but I haven’t tried curtains yet. I’m afraid to bugger them up — but I figure I should be able to handle them, right? I’m heading to Fabricland this afternoon to take a look at some material!!
OMG – these are gorgeous!! My husband & I had our small house remodeled about 3-4 yrs ago when I retired and I bought quickly to decorate but now want something different and BRIGHTER, maybe a “greenish” but I can’t find what I want already made. I have looked online, in stores & asked around. I bet I would be able to find a fabric the right color though. I took home-ec in school a million yrs ago and I have a sewing machine that my husband makes fun of me having because I never use it. The most I’ve done is hem a few pairs of pants for the grandkids when they were little. Thanks so much for posting this – I think I CAN DO IT!!
These are GORGEOUS!! I’ve just decided to make some curtains (havent used a sewing machine since 3rd form in high school) but I think these will be super fun to make (not to mention REWARDING!) Thanks so much for the Tut!
Made the curtain rod and curtains that you so graciously showed us how to make. I made my curtains without a liner but did pleat them the way you showed us. I love them. Thank you again for sharing to help us save money!
This is great! So excited for you. Glad I could help you save some money.
I made the curtains according to your instructions and if I say so mysself… I had to have an open house on my block, my neighbors threatened to throw rocks and break my window if they couldnt get a glance at this handy work, only took an hour or so. plus shopping time for the right fabic.
Next time I will have my personal assistant do the shopping while I sit around looking at my fine drapery panels… In fact right now, if I wanted to the new ones are available for me to see, all I have to do is take my hand and move a drapery panel over to reveal a vurtual Mona Lisa kind of drapery bonanza, all up in here…. and up in there… I got it going on all over this bitch. My gratitude, Now the orange is uhber phasntastico as they say in my home land. Now I hope to have at least one orange left in the fridge for breakfast, sew another panel, have lunch… possibly some berries and that is my next color… Tahdah, dont get a needle stuck while sewing too fast… Like through your nail, like that….
Shoot I almost forgot, as Im eating my Orange Im getting ready for the trip to West Sacramento to Ikea. They have a drapery Rod I simply adore, they wont ship it though. It is a post you screw in to a stud (like me) then a wire goes in between the two post, very tight. Like a piano wire. 12.99
The clips for the panel 6.99? then are applied and the clippies run along the wire. Slick as western union.
there you go, and so do I on that one hour drive. Bonsoir…
Unfortunately, the fabric seems to no longer be available on that Fashion Fabrics website (as of Oct 12 2014).
I’ll see if I can find it again and update the link.
Love these curtains! Did you know that Target makes an upholstered chair in this same fabric? My husband got 2 of them for me for Christmas for my living room. They are super cute!
I saw those! I love them so much!!