Author: Karen Steed

Karen is a professional curtain maker. She developed her skills originally through training at Cambridge Fine Furnishings. Karen has always loved fabric & colour, she has studied textile design as well as interior design.
Inspiration & Information

New year, new colour

by Karen SteedLeave a Comment on New year, new colour

e931d97ad9904efcb9d22b89db286531

Pantone’s colour of 2014 is Radiant Orchid; a soft, vibrant purple.. As an early teenager I was allowed to decorate my bedroom as I wished & I chose lilac paint for three of the walls & a very dark moody purple for the other wall…not to everyone’s taste I admit & I would’nt want to live with it now but I loved that room & have fond memories of it, especially as it was a creation of my own.  From the softest lilac to the deepest shade, purple can be a great accent colour for cushions, tiebacks & lampshades.  So if you want to add one burst of colour to enliven & update your neutral scheme why not consider purple or one of the other lovely shades above which are so on trend for the new year.

Inspiration & Information

Fabulous inspirational day…

by Karen SteedLeave a Comment on Fabulous inspirational day…

One of my professional highlights of 2013 was when I was invited to spent an evening & the following day in the company of 50+ fellow professional curtain makers at the beautiful Redbourne Hall, home of Merrick & Day. We were treated to a fabulous day of great hospitality & inspirational guest speakers with demonstrations by the talented Rebecca Day.

We were awed by Bert Chapman MBE whose company holds the Royal Warrant.  He spoke about the restoration of Windsor Castle following the fire & showed us a selection of fascinating sketches, technical drawings, bespoke fabrics & gorgeous passementerie.  It was an honour to have this opportunity to meet Mr Chapman who has such fascinating & long experience at the pinnacle of our industry.

My thanks go to the MyDecozo team, Catherine Merrick & Rebecca Day as well as their welcoming Directors & staff at Merrick & Day, Bert Chapman MBE, Wendy Shorter for informing us of the opportunities through Association of Master Upholsterers & Soft Furnishers & the many others who made it such a success.

I can’t wait for the next MyDecozo meeting!

rebecca day

Rebecca Day demonstrating swags

Mrs Steed

Curtains

by Karen SteedLeave a Comment on Curtains
Curtain stacked back
Curtains for Bi-fold doors
French double pleat
Pelmet with cartridge pleat
Pelmet with taped heading on curtains
Eyelet
French double pleat on track
Copper detail holdback
Tete de Versailles
Eyelet
Tie backs in accent colours
Slim stack back in limited space
Testimonials
by Karen SteedLeave a Comment on

IMG_3449

…Couldn’t be happier

“I am so happy with my new living room, beautifully finished off with these lovely curtains made by Mrs Steed.  She has done a fantastic job, had some great ideas, guided me with colour & samples; pleat choices and was totally professional throughout.  Highly recommend and will not hesitate to use Mrs Steed again.  Thank you Karen.”

“Just wanted to say that the curtains look fab – they are perfect.  Thank you so much for a great job.  You will be impressed I’m sure.  The chaps did a great job fitting it – in and out in an hour, no mess.  Very happy customer.  And all your men were bang on time – upholsterers arrived at 9 and fitters at 9.30.  Couldn’t be happier.  Also like the tie backs”    –   South Woodford

Curtains

Square bay window

by Karen Steed1 Comment on Square bay window

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Square bay windows always pose a challenge & this lovely window was no exception.  Our busy client had disliked this room since moving in & was more than ready to make changes. The brief was to replace the old curtains & valance with a smarter upholstered box pelmet & 216 cm sill length curtains. We also needed improve the thermal efficiency & provide some privacy.  There was little space to fit the pelmet & track between the window architrave & ornate coving which meant that the track had to be mounted under the pelmet.  We selected a Silent Gliss double corded track & had it bent to a tighter angle than usual to allow the curtains to sit on the window sill. The curtains were interlined & thermal lining was also used. A neat single pleat heading was suggested to allow the curtains to stack back well at the side windows. To provide an element of privacy our client wanted plain voile panels fitted to the lower half of the sash windows but didnt particularly like the usual fittings available for cafe curtains.  With this in mind we sourced some brass sockets & rod, the bottom of each panel was weighted with a roman blind rod.

We are delighted to have worked on this project.  Our client has decorated the room beautifully & now has an elegant, comfortable sitting room

“I am so happy with my new living room, beautifully finished off with these lovely curtains made by Mrs Steed.  She has done a fantastic job, had some great ideas, guided me with colour & samples; pleat choices and was totally professional throughout.  Highly recommend and will not hesitate to use Mrs Steed again.  Thank you Karen.”

 

Lampshades

VA lampshade

by Karen SteedLeave a Comment on VA lampshade

IMG_2544

This lovely blue striped fabric from Vanessa Arbuthnott was used to make a lampshade for a boys bedroom.  It will be used as a ceiling light with a diffuser to stop the glare from the light bulb (image to follow).

Inspiration & Information

Gift Vouchers

by Karen SteedLeave a Comment on Gift Vouchers

IMG_2784

Gift vouchers from Mrs Steed can be for any value & may be used in part or full payment for products or a workshop.  All gift vouchers are valid for 12 months & arrive with a pretty card & envelope.  I can post them directly to the recipient for you.

If your gift is a Lampshade workshop & you would like the recipient to have something more than the gift voucher to open, the lampshade kit can be provided with a voucher for the workshop to be redeemed at a later date.  The kit comes packaged in a crisp white bag with a complimentary card, envelope & gift voucher for the workshop.

Email me your requirements; mrssteed@trustysteed.co.uk

Terms & conditions apply; gift vouchers cannot be exchanged for cash & no liability will be accepted for lost, stolen or damaged vouchers.

https://mrssteed.wordpress.com/courses/