Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Simple Style

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A clean and simple design style can make your life less stressful. 

The look of your home can give you peace of mind and a sense of calm. Many of us have feelings of stress because we’re overwhelmed by the demands in our lives. What better goal to consider in your home decorating plans than to create a home environment that’s calming and relaxing, both on the eyes and on the soul. 

Simple doesn’t mean plain or unattractive. Simple design can create a sophisticated, traditional, elegant look or a modern, minimalist feel. The bottom line is reducing chaos and over-decoration, and minimizing clutter and confusion.

• Plan only one or two focal points per room, so you can really “see” the beauty, rather than having a hodge podge of color and design elements. 

• Limit the number of colors in your design and stick with gentle colors, rather than bold primary colors. 

• Make color transitions gentle. Avoid making too strong a statement between dark and light colors, such as black and white. (However, keep in mind that you may want energizing colors in a room; for example, in a kitchen or home office where you’d like to be engaged and active.)

Once you’ve created a simple, clean design, enjoy it! Allow yourself relaxing time to read a book or watch your favorite TV show, without answering the phone or responding to text messages. Spend time with your family or friends in a quiet way, without over planning your activities. 

Achieving a calm and simple home environment can help you find peace of mind every day. 

Silhouette Window Fashions - Light Perfected

A Room is more beautiful when you design with light. Light speaks to you, it makes you happy. A room filled with light feels like home. When light flows through Hunter Douglas Silhouette window shadings, with the Signature S-Vane, the light and the room are transformed.  Harsh rays from the sun are softened and diffused into stunning lightscapes, enhancing the beauty of your surroundings.

For over two decades, Silhouette window shadings have been engineered and refined to create beautiful, pleasing light. No other sheer window treatment can match our attention to detail, fabric selection, exclusive operating systems and lifetime limited warranty.  Silhouette window shadings let you see your home in a more perfect light.

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HARSH GLARE WITHOUT SHADES

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INFINITE VARIATIONS OF LIGHT

Throughout the day, light moves. It gains strength and depth as it washes across a room, changing your needs for privacy or protection from harsh rays. Fortunately, Silhouette Windows Shadings are designed for optimal living with light. Simple tilt the vanes to reduce glare, add privacy or create a mood. Regardless of vane position, when the shadings are lowered the sheer fabric provides UV protection for your furnishings.

Silhouettes can be ordered with all of the lift systems including the NEW PowerView Motorization. This advance motorized operating system controls your shadings with the artfully designed Pebble Remote or your mobile device via out PowerView App. Easily adjust your Silhouette window shadings at will or schedule them to operate automatically.

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A recent Customer from The Keller area contacted us. We scheduled an appointment via one of our Mobile Showrooms. She wanted a New Look for her Family and Breakfast Room which faces southwest. We suggested 4” Silhouette in the Nouveaufabric.  The 4” louver size will maximize the back view which is beautiful and the Silhouette will control hard west UV rays.   This fabric has a little texture which I thought was needed. We had her walls painted a soft Gray and the Candy Coconut color provides a beautiful contrast. We also added PowerView Motorization with the Smart Phone Hub. Because she works late some evenings we thought this would make it easy to control .

Eventually we will be adding Drapery Panels and will be helping her with Reupholstery.

Call Read Design for all your Interior Design Needs including Hunter Douglas Shades and Motorization. Read Design Southlake and Read Design Plano have been Dallas / Fort Worth leaders in Window Covering and Interior Design for over 26 years. Stop by either of our Hunter Douglas Galleries to see all of our working samples including the New PowerView Motorization. Our Designers have been to the January Market and are excited to show you all of the latest trends. Or give us a call and we would be happy to send out one of our Mobile Showrooms.

Read Design provides service to Dallas, Highland Park, Park Cities, North Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Prosper, Celina, Richardson, Murphy, Rockwall, Garland, Allen, McKinney, Little Elm, Southlake, Keller, Trophy Club, Grapevine, Arlington, Flower Mound, Robson Ranch, Denton, Colleyville, Fort Worthand everywhere in between

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Piano

Adding a piano will create harmony in your decor. It's a beautiful statement that adds rhythm to a room.

A piano is the ultimate piece of furniture to “make” a room, even if no one in your household plays it! A piano adds elegance, class and sophistication to any setting and any décor, from traditional and elegant to contemporary and modern.

Pianos come in many shapes, sizes, colors and styles; from the largest grand pianos
to more petite baby grand and even smaller upright styles.

• A black grand piano is classic; with white walls and flooring around it, it pumps up the drama.
• A polished wood finished piano is perfect to complement your furniture and flooring and brown hues in your rugs, upholstery and draperies.
• A white lacquer piano is also quite stunning.

Before you purchase a piano, think carefully about its size relative to the size of your room because a piano does take up a lot of space! Then think of the practical issue of lighting. It’s good to have a table lamp sitting on the piano or a floor lamp nearby to illuminate sheet music.

Then think about the wall art you’d like near your piano. Music-related art is always fun, such as framed concert posters, photographs of musical instruments, pen-and-ink drawings of composers or abstract art showing musical themes. Make sure artwork is hung at the right height above a grand piano so you can see it when the top is open or partially open.

Want a new bold and beautiful piece to set the tone in your living room? Just add a piano!

Providing Services to all of these areas: Dallas, North Dallas, Plano, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Addison, Coppell, Southlake, Denton, Keller, Roanoke, Benbrook,  Westlake, Fort Worth, Lewisville, Grapevine, Trophy Club, The Colony, Frisco, Prosper, Celina, Savannah, Aubrey, McKinney, Allen, St. Paul, Wylie, Sachse, Rockwall, Rowlett, Lucas, Parker, Melissa, Anna, Fairview, Heath, Garland, Richardson, Irving, Las Colinas, University Park, Highland Park, Kessler Park, Euless, North Richland Hills, Colleyville, Flower Mound, Corinth, Arlington, Little Elm, Hurst, Saginaw, Haltom City, Bedford, Watauga, Haslet and many more!

Hunter Douglas Silhouette A Deux Shades

The latest innovation from Hunter Douglas, Silhouette A Deux™ offers a room-darkening option by combining a classic Silhouette shading and a room-darkening roller shade in a single headrail.  Available as an option on LiteRise®, PowerView® and EasyRise™ operating systems.

By sharing a common head rail, the sleek design of these two shadings allows you to enjoy the sheer look of Silhouette without the interruption of the second shade, as it stays rolled completely inside. Release it only a portion of the way down to enjoy half the amount of natural light, still providing the ambient glow. This dual function that allows each shade to operate separately is the success of this system.

Providing Hunter Douglas Silhouettes to all of these areas: Dallas, North Dallas, Plano, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Addison, Coppell, Southlake, Denton, Keller, Roanoke, Benbrook,  Westlake, Fort Worth, Lewisville, Grapevine, Trophy Club, The Colony, Frisco, Prosper, Celina, Savannah, Aubrey, McKinney, Allen, St. Paul, Wylie, Sachse, Rockwall, Rowlett, Lucas, Parker, Melissa, Anna, Fairview, Heath, Garland, Richardson, Irving, Las Colinas, University Park, Highland Park, Kessler Park, Euless, North Richland Hills, Colleyville, Flower Mound, Corinth, Arlington, Little Elm, Hurst, Saginaw, Haltom City, Bedford, Watauga, Haslet and many more!

Call 817.416.7164 for Read Design Southlake

Call 972.608.4999 for Read Design Plano

Client Work: Silhouette Shades For North Dallas Home

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We are so pleased with our Silhouette installation in North Dallas. Our customer’s Dining Room faces east so that harsh morning sun comes in without remorse. She is not someone who loves shutters because of the way they close in a space, so we suggested Silhouettes by Hunter Douglas in the 4″ vane size for the maximum amount of light to come through. As you can see, this window is on the front of the house, so privacy was a concern. One of the benefits of the Silhouette Shade is that it offers daytime privacy. Because of the way the sheers interact, they create a distortion so the view from the inside isn't obstructed, while the view from the outside is completely distorted.

Hunter Douglas makes a Silhouette arch that goes right above the Silhouette shade. The arch can be made in either the open or closed position and is non operable. The best way to get it, we believe, is in the open position so it looks beautiful and filters the light inwards. Next we will be adding drapery panels to the sides of the window to finish the look.

Custom Drapery

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We just finished a fun job in Grapevine, Texas. We installed custom drapery panels in nearly every room of this beautiful California Contemporary home including in the master bathroom. These sheer draperies perfectly frame the window and really make this tub feel like an oasis. For privacy we used the Silhouette Shading by Hunter Douglas in the Alustra Brio fabric. For convenince, we used the new PowerView Motorized Operating System. The drapery panels are made of a soft gouzy fabric and they frame the window beautifully. We love the simple iron rod made by the Antique Rod Company.

Celebrate Fall By Updating Your Home Decor!

'Tis the season to come indoors and redecorate! Start planning now for fall entertaining and the winter holidays. Call on us to help!

Think Marble for a Marvelous Addition to Your Home

Marble adds a classic and elegant touch.

Marble is a natural material, created when sedimentary rock has been subjected to great heat and pressure from the earth over many years, resulting in a durable and beautiful stone. And marble has been used as a decorative and durable material almost since the beginning of civilization.

So many beautiful looks in marble are available - from the simplest, pure white to wildly colored patterns of blue, gold, green and more. Some choices even have a sparkle. Carrara marble from Italy is the most popular today, with its white background and greyish veins.

Marble is most often used in kitchens and baths, for flooring, countertops, showers and sometimes even walls. But there's so much more you can use marble for. Think hearths and fireplace surrounds, table tops, small pieces of furniture and even small decorative pieces like cutting boards, Kleenex boxes, lamps and coasters.

Add a touch of refinement and sophistication to your home this fall with marvelous marble!

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Abstract Art - It's an engaging element that starts a conversation

According to the famous Tate Gallery in London, abstract art is art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality, but instead uses shapes, colors, forms and gestural marks to achieve its effect.

Much of the artwork that's being created today is abstract art, so it's an easy element to add to your home. It can be fashioned from most any medium, from water color to oil paint, sculpture to collage, and more. It comes in almost any size and shape. Abstract art can be serene or edgy, colorful or monochromatic.

What's fun about abstract art is that you can make up your own mind about what it shows. Even though the art doesn't explicitly portray reality, often the brushstrokes or composition show movement, energy and emotion. Abstract art creates a feeling.

Add a piece of abstract art this fall. It will pull a room together beautifully and start a conversation.

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• Add autumn accents and Halloween decorations to your home, with pumpkins, gourds, fall leaves, earth-toned wreaths and more.
• Display chrysanthemums and autumn-hued orchids to bring fall alive in your rooms.
• As the weather cools, treat your family to fall comfort foods like savory soups and stews, apple pie and hot chocolate.
• Start planning for holiday guests by adding a coat of paint in guest bedrooms and baths.
• Order translucent window coverings that let in more precious light as the days grow shorter. Silhouette® Window Shadings or Luminette® Privacy Sheers may be the perfect choice.
• Get ready for cooler, fall evenings with warm cashmere or wool throws set out on your couches.
• Have your fireplaces cleaned and inspected for winter enjoyment.

Custom Drapery

Designing draperies or any window treatment starts with a plan. A designer will ask you a series of questions:

1. What is the character of the room - traditional, contemporary or transitional?
2. What colors are you interest in using?
3. What directions do the windows face?

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For this living room in a North Dallas home we started pulling fabrics together with a color scheme of navy and cream and threw in a bright orange accent color. We combined traditional and contemporary fabrics for a popular transitional design. We abolutely love texture, so we added a "faux" vinyl which we plan on using on an upholstered cocktail table.

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We used a Silhouette Shade from Hunter Douglas in the Neuveau Candied Coconut fabric on the windows that are on the front of the home. For the drapery panels, we used a navy and cream geometric linen fabric and used a chrome drapery rod with an acrylic finial. The panels framed and softened the window and added a punch of color.

Stop by our shop in Plano to see how our draperies are made, the linings we use and samples of our rods and finials. We will show you why we use the lining we do and educate you on the look of a quality product.

Remember we serve all of the following cities: Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Parker, Prosper, Celina, Gunter, Sachse, Wylie, St. Paul, Little Elm, The Colony, Lewisville, Aubrey, Melissa, Van Alstyne, Anna, Lucas, Fairview, Rockwall, Rowlett, Garland, Richardson, Heath, Carrollton, University Park, Highland Park, Dallas, North Dallas, Farmers Branch, Coppell, Irving, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Euless, Grapevine, Southlake, Westlake, Trophy Club, Flower Mound, Keller, Roanoke, Argyle, Highland Village, Corinth, Denton, Fort Worth, Kennedale, Benbrook, Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Desoto, Lancaster, Red Oak, Balch Springs, Mesquite, Forney, Crandall, Kaufman, Mabank, Gun Barrel City, Kemp, Seven Points, Cedar Creek Lake, Enchanted Oaks, Payne Springs and many more! We have even traveled as far north as Oklahoma and as far South as Waco!