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Help! I’m up to my eyeballs in fabric samples. We’ve lived in our post-renovation house for 3 years now. Can you believe that!? But I’d like to add curtains **I think** to the family room. This space is open with the kitchen so I’ve always been a bit timid with these windows because they’re so spectacular. Now depending on the time of day I vacillate between stripes, a modern print, a deep blue block print and then back to a light, white / beige floral. It’s not going well. I’ve started using pins to keep them up because coming down in the morning to a floor full of taped samples is not my fav.

The nook in our family room is intimidating because the rods will need to be custom which means we might as well hand them a blank check. Again, I’ve hesitate not only because of the rod situation but because our 1879 home has unique window moldings which I don’t love the idea of covering up. But they are throughout the house and I think I like the idea of adding some color or simply texture to the white walls more.

So I’m weighing my options. And taping up fabric samples. And then pinning them. And then waiting for more to come. As the stack grows, so does my indecision. Perhaps you’ve found yourself here too.

Here’s some favorites I’m considering:

Robert Kime

This one is high on my list because it’s so me. It’s what I gravitate to in design–classic, a floral yet light, airy, and feminine without being dated or overdone. And it would keep the room light which hubby prefers. My hesitation is that it is fully within my comfortable zone and so expensive. Do I want color? I’m really not sure yet. I think what I would do is add a wide band 3″+ on the edges of a horizontal ticking stripe, either trim or a fabric band to give me some of that stripe that I’m craving. Here’s what I’m thinking:

RALPH LAUREN

I’ve got two Ralph Lauren samples I’m loving. The first one is the clear winner in my book for going the direction of color in our space. It’s beautiful in person and has that smaller print I was after while still feeling muted and not too bright. Nakura Floral in Indigo.

I also love the Tonya swatch by Ralph Lauren.

The Indigo colorway is really pretty but it is a bolder, more robust blue. Popularized instantly by Studio McGee when she used it in her nursery in the Oyster color way. So it’s destined to be overdone and has me wondering if spending $$$ for that is the direction I want to go. But I love it in her nursery and it’s really nice to actually see material already in “drapery form” because frankly, it’s really hard to take a 6″ sample and figure out what it will look like when there’s 9 ft of it hanging on my wall. The navy would add a TON of color to my space which might be nice. But is block print a fad that will look dated soon?

SISTER PARISH

These are on my list because I think they would add color (a light blue) but not too much color and they have a unique feel to the pattern–a floral without being floral. I’ve been stalking their Instagram feed hoping to see one of my preferred color ways turned into drapes. It’s so hard to visualize these very blue samples on my wall as a 9 ft installation of material. Too much?

Of the two new colors of the Sintra Pattern, I’m leaning towards the one on the left which is called “natural”. It’s a fun print but I’ve yet to see these in curtains which I’d really love to see before committing to such a huge purchase. Here’s the only real life pictures I could find via Instagram with photo and styling by @missybweil.

Hartmann & Forbes

A new favorite of mine after seeing it in person at the Boston Design Center. It’s sheer so it wouldn’t block a ton of light but it would add a warm, softened look to the walls. I love it. Like a lot. Here’s what the panel looked like in person…

So that’s where I’m at on the great curtain debate. There’s also a Walter G currently pinned to the wall but it’s a bit scrolly, more so than I think I want. And it is hard to tell what the pattern would look when there’s 9 ft of it on the wall. Thoughts? Curtain connoisseurs out there, I need you. This is about the time I’d be phoning my mom but because I don’t have a direct line to heaven we’ll just put it out there into the blogging universe.