Wake Up Your Windows

We love working on jobs where we can use our imaginatio! This is one project that was a lot of fun and where the window treatments really added to the design of the room. For most of the windows we used Plantation Shutters with 4 1/2” louvers. But for this Family Room we decided that all we would use at the windows would be custom drapery panels. We wanted a light fabric because the patio has a large overhang and not much sun gets in. On the back windows in the Breakfast Room and Study we will be using a simple roller shade with an organic feel made by Hunter Douglas. These shades will give protection from the sun but when the sun moves to the west, up will go the shades. And everything is in a light bright fabric. We all are very happy with how everything looks. And as you can see there are many windows so our customer decided to use the PowerView Motorization Lift system. This will be very convenient once the sun is overhead and then again in the evening.

Stop by one of our Hunter Douglas Gallery’s - one in Plano and one in Southlake. Our Designers can show you all of the newest products along with the lift systems. They can show you and explain the exciting PowerView lift system and explain haw it can connect with “Alexa” and other programs. And if you love the softness of draperies, we can help you can up with a design and fabric selections that will Wake up Your Windows.

You can find Hunter Douglas products and Custom Draperies at Read Design in Plano and in Southlake. We service the following areas- Frisco, Celina, Prosper, Dallas, Highland Village, Richardson, Plano, Allen, McKinney, Southlake, Grapevine, Colleyville, Fort Worth, Trophy Club, Rockwall, Rowlett, Highland Park, Preston Hollow and everywhere in between.

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Complementary Colors

Complementary colors beautifully finish almost any design plan

Use them for harmony and a sense of calm.

The old adage that opposites attract is often true; and especially in selecting the colors for decorating your home. Using opposite colors (also known as complementary colors) adds energy to a room, yet at the same time, makes us feel comfortable and complete.

Complementary colors are the shades that are opposite on a color wheel:

• Red and green

• Orange and blue

• Purple and yellow

Nature is full of complementary colors, such as dramatic red roses on stems with bright green leaves, delicate pansies with their purple and yellow color combination, and bright blue sky and sea positioned near golden sand.

For a more modern take on complementary colors, you can use shades that are not exactly across the color wheel, or you can be a bit creative with the complementary color concept. Think about innovative hues like:

• Sky blue and terra cotta

• Pink grapefruit and acid green

• Burnt orange and sage green

• Soft aqua blue and tomato red

If you feel cautious about adding complementary colors, start small with elements like a painted wall, sofa pillows, throws, flower arrangements or slip covers. Then, as you become more confident, you can ratchet up your color scheme with larger and more permanent items like upholstery fabrics and window fashions.

Balance your interior design plans beautifully by selecting complementary colors.

Plantation Shutters

Custom Plantation Shutters... and best of all - Made In America!!!!

Yes, Plantation Shutters are still as popular as ever and are still a great way to add value to your home. Shutters for your windows will last for generations and is one window treatment that is seldom changed if you sell your home. This is especially true with Wood Plantation Shutters. The beauty of wood is classic, will add warmth to your home and will last a lifetime. And today their are many different choices you can make including louver size, trim design, hidden or standard front tilt, divider rails, custom paint or stain color, and hinge color.

Introducing Heritance Hardwood Shutters by Hunter Douglas.

The simple elegance of rich, hardwood shutters gives lift to any room. Now, the maximum strength and durability of our Heritance Hardwood Shutters make them a wise investment in many ways. They feature dovetail construction and a vast selection of frame choices, specialty shapes, and louver sizes- and a variety of paint and stain finishes, as well as custom colors. Also available in six Handcrafted Series Techniques to enhance the inherent character and color of the genuine hardwood and making your shutters truly one of a kind.

Six Techniques

The first technique is textured, which enhances the woods natural grain and creates a contrast and depth of the natural wood grain. You can also choose glazed which enhances the richness of the stain finish with a hand rubbed glaze. The Glazed and Burnished technique creates an antique effect. With the Rustic technique the natural characteristics of hardwood are arranged so you will have your own unique shutter. The Heirloom distressed technique will give your shutters an Old World effect with the addition techniques. Including burnishing,, rasping, and flyspecking. An finally the Classic Technique give the wood a beautiful worn finish with the techniques including glaze, dents, cracks and wormholes.

Or you can choose any of our paint selections including Custom Paint Match.

So how does it work? Give Read Design Plano or Read Design Southlake a call and schedule an appointment with one of our Designers. We will gladly meet with you at your home and check out the windows where you would like shutters. We will suggest louver size keeping in mind scale of the window and room. We will also help you decide on the trim and which tilt system is best for your look. And finally we will help decide if paint or stain is best for your design and walk you though the different techniques.

Read Design is a leader in Hunter Douglas Window Coverings with 2 Gallery locations, one in Plano and the other one in Southlake. We offer personalized service that you will only find with a locally owned store. This is our family business and we are here to help you personalize your own design. Stop by and see over 60 working displays including PowerView, the latest in home automation. Our designers can also help you with drapery and window treatment selections as well as anything you might need for your home including furniture, rugs, lamps and home decor items.

Here is one of our projects which includes Custom Plantation Shutters. We had the walls painted and then came back and designed drapery panels to finish off the look. Next we will be moving on to the Dining Room.

And at our Plano Store you will see our new displays of our RD Home Collection where you will find anything you might need for you home. New products are coming in weekly! 

Don't miss out on Hunter Douglas rebates going on now (shutters excluded). Give us a call now to learn more about all our different products and features and benefits of each. We look forward to working with you!

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Built In Seating

Built-in seating provides storage and display space.

And, yes, this beautiful design element also offers a place to perch.

Built-in seating feels cozy and inviting – and it’s so versatile, providing not just an additional place to sit, but also display space and even storage underneath. It can maximize space in a tight area or add a new casual place to read, have a meal, chat or just look out the window.

Built-in seating can be manufactured to complement almost any building style. It can be upholstered or not; it can have simple and straight lines or lots of detail; it can have seat backs or not; it can have closed shelving inside, open shelving or no storage at all.

Best of all, built-in seating can go almost anywhere in your home:

• Most popular, in a breakfast room or kitchen, for added places at the casual family dining table

• In the window of a bedroom or living room, to create a lovely place to daydream and view the outdoors

• In the den or home office, for a quiet space to talk on the phone, answer emails or respond to texts

• In the foyer, to put on shoes and socks, and drop off your stuff when you come in the door, but do watch for clutter!

Built-in seating can also be a creative way to finish a room that looks a bit incomplete. It beautifully fills up an awkward space in a corner or completes a room plan near a window.

Built-in seating is a clever choice that adds beauty and function and can help organize your home.

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Decorative Moldings

Decorative moldings can help frame your home design plan.

They're the perfect finishing touch for windows, doors, walls and ceilings.

Decorative moldings on walls, windows, doors and ceilings add texture and interest to your home, no matter what your design style. 

Moldings come in so many shapes, sizes and finishes. They can consist of one simple layer or several stacked layers to add embellishment. Traditionally moldings have been made of wood, but today they’re often constructed from materials that look like wood, but are more durable and budget friendly. 

Molding usually works best when it complements the design of your home; for example, a Victorian home may have heavily ornamented moldings, while a modern home has squared, simple moldings or no moldings at all. We tend to think of moldings in white or off-white colors, with walls painted a different shade. However, light colored walls with dark molding can be a dramatic choice too!  Just consider your options: 

Windows: 

• Casing around the entire window frame 
• An apron on the bottom 
• A pediment on the top 
• A decorative or fluted design on the sides 

Doors (both exterior and interior): 

• Casing around the sides and/or tops 
• Raised paneling on the door itself 

Walls: 

• Baseboards at floor level 
• Crown molding at ceiling level 
• Raised paneling, possibly with wallcoverings or mirrors in insets 
• Wainscotting and picture rails, with the choice of different paints or wallcoverings above and below 
• Paneling around a fireplace or built-in shelving 
• Wall paneling behind a bed instead of a headboard 
• Stepped paneling going up a stairway

Ceilings: 

• Around chandeliers in the dining room or foyer 

Decorative moldings can help shape your décor. They’re like adding just the right accessories to a beautiful outfit!

RD Home

We have exciting news at Read Design, the expansion of Read Design Home (RD Home Collection). New Products are coming in everyday and we are busy in our remodeling mode. Our shop is taking on a new and fun look. Stop in and see us soon!

At Read Design Plano, we are a full service Interior Design studio. It all starts with your window coverings. We have a Hunter Douglas Gallery and can show you Blinds and Shades - including Silhouettes, Pirouettes, and many other styles of Shades. And do not forget Plantation Shutters. An attractive window and the right light can change everything - from your room to your mood. Hunter Douglas has mastered the art of window dressing by engineering innovative functions into stylish, versatile looks for every window in your home. Hunter Douglas is the leader in light control, energy efficiency, operation systems and motorization, which makes your home smarter, your days easier, and every room more beautiful. When you stop in make sure you ask for a free copy of our Art of Window Dressing book.

Now that the windows are taken care you can move on to softening your windows with drapery panels, cornice or valances. With so many fabrics to choose from we are sure that we can find the perfect solution for your home.

​We recently helped a customer in Dallas who needed window treatments and more. First we started with Roller shades from Hunter Douglas. The shades are there for sun control and privacy and when they are up, they completely disappear into the headrail. We also added the PowerView motorization options which give give our customer ease of operation. Next we added drapery panels in a navy pattern that coordinates with the new color scheme of her home. They soften the windows and draw out the view to the back yard.

For the master bedroom our customer wanted to keep her king size bed. It works nicely in this large room with tall ceilings. First from RD Home Collection we used a 9’ x 13’ Rug in a contemporary design that brings together the soft grey, silver, and blue colors. We added a blue velvet throw at the end of the bed, blue linen euro shams and 3 custom pillows. All of the fabrics are from Kravet. To finish the look we hung 2 large art pieces behind the nightstands. What you don’t see are the 4 1/2” louver Shutters from Hunter Douglas and 4 drapery panels. The room looks very inviting and comfortable. 

In her sitting room we selected another piece from RD Home. This is a versatile piece that can be used in a Living Room, Dining Room, or just about anywhere. We also used a large rug to set the tone for the color pattern. We will soon be continuing furnishing this room with chairs and a cocktail table.

Below are some of the new pieces you will find at Read Design Plano and RD Home. We will continue get new pieces weekly. Or if you would like to have one of our Interior Designers help you with floor planning and design, just let us know. We can put together a Interior Design Plan just for you. Because we have a ton of furniture in our showroom, we are able to get you a new piece for your upcoming holiday party! We deliver! Give us a call at your earliest convenience to set up your consultation today!

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Nail Heads

Dressing up your furniture with metal trim will nail your design plan.

Decorative brads, nails and tacks will hit the mark.

Metal trim is a classic embellishment for furniture and more. Brads, nails and tacks were used as early as the 17th century and maybe even before, in almost every country in Europe, and in the United States too. Think of them like jewelry for furniture – adding a beautiful necklace around the edges.

Metal trims work just as beautifully today as when they were first invented. They add a sense of craftsmanship and can complement almost any style of décor, from the most traditional to ultra contemporary.

Decorative brads, nails and tacks are mostly used on upholstered furniture,
but can also be applied beautifully on headboards, upholstered walls and doors,
and even as an embellishment on table tops, table fronts and table legs.

You can make a subtle design statement by using metal trim as a stripe on the edge of upholstery or you can go wild, using the trim in patterns or a patchwork design. Leather especially lends itself to metal trim, but many other fabrics can be adorned too, including velvet, tapestries and other heavy fabrics.

Metal trim comes in many shapes and sizes, with or without facets, and with matte, glossy or distressed finishes. Shapes include square, round, diamond and pyramid. Brads, nails and tacks can have a variety of metal finishes, including silver, antique gold, nickel, brass and even black. Newest of all are trims made from stone and crystal.

Adding decorative metal trim to your décor is a timeless look that’s modern even today. Nails, brads and tacks will secure your design plan beautifully.

Turn Your Bedroom Into A Relaxing Sanctuary

Bedrooms just make life better. Full of everything warm and plush, these spaces act as a balm to life’s stresses. They’re the place where you can fall into a cloud of blankets, turn off the lights and unwind at the end of a long day. Hunter Douglas, a manufacturer of window treatments, offers some tips below to help you get the calming, cozy bedroom of your dreams.

Maximize Automation

Imagine you’re tucked into this cozy bed, ready for a lovely sleep, when you realize you’ve left the blinds open and a light on. Now imagine that instead of getting up, you can fix everything with a click. Smart-home systems let you adjust window treatments, lights and temperature using a smartphone or tablet, all from the comfort of your pillows.

Make a scene. Certain systems let you create and schedule ideal “scenes” that shift throughout the day. Motorized bedroom blinds, for example, can slowly let in the morning light or instantly close for a nine-o’clock-sharp bedtime. Some window treatment automation systems even adjust to ever-changing sunrise and sunset times. 

Don’t want to use an app? You can also operate many of these systems with a remote control — perfect for stashing in your nightstand. Combine smart products into a whole-home automation system to create your perfect sleeping environment without lifting a finger at bedtime: lights out, blinds shut and the room an optimal 65 degrees.

Get the Light Right

Light and, perhaps even more important, lack of light are integral parts of any tranquil bedroom. Pay attention to both sunlight and electric light when planning your sleep haven. The bedroom seen here, for example, strikes a pleasing balance with cellular roller shades, drapes and a sleek bedside lamp. Cellular shades gently diffuse light and lend a soft structure to windows.

If you prefer sleeping in complete darkness, try shades with a room-darkening option or pair your blinds with blackout curtains. If you love the morning sun, consider semi-opaque shades, which offer privacy yet let in some light. Also keep color in mind when choosing window treatments; your bedroom will take on a muted version of their hue as the sun filters through.

Layer your illumination. Even if your bedroom has an overhead light, add bedside lamps for a calming ambiance. The perfect partner for late-night readers, a pair of bedside lamps also provides a pleasing symmetry. Keep the switches within arm’s reach and pick a height that won’t blind you when you’re sitting up. Add other lighting where needed, as well as some aromatherapy candles for a softly scented glow.

Focus on Softness and Flow

Up the cozy factor in your bedroom for an irresistibly snuggly space. Take cues from the airy space seen here and add fluffy pillows (but not enough for a leaning tower), a cloud-like duvet, a comfy reading chair and a cushy rug. 

Layering textures in your bedroom creates a plush cocoon. Look for bed linens made of Egyptian or pima cotton — known for its quality — and with a thread count of 400 to 450. Add a luxurious wool rug, invest in a cuddly blanket and bring soft layers to your windows with light-filtering shades and drapes.

The way you move. Keep your sleeping space free of anxiety-inducing clutter and make sure you can easily move around the room. Add a quiet fan, consider a vented door for passive ventilation or bring in an HVAC expert to keep things cool.

Make It Personal

Fill your bedroom with elements that make you smile, whether it’s travel keepsakes or a special spot to do yoga. The cosmopolitan bedroom seen here is a minimalist’s dream (so take notes if that’s your style). Ideal for a reader, it features a delightful reading nook with a sculptural lamp and a curated tablescape. Simple, light gray roller shades finish the look.

Hang that artwork you bought on vacation, spritz your favorite room spray and choose colors that you equate with calm. Look to icy blue or dove gray for a cool palette, or select a brighter hue if that’s what soothes. When your bedroom is brimming with things you love, it puts you at ease — it feels like your room rather than a hotel room. It’s your space, after all, so why not make it all about you?

*taken from Hunter Douglas Houzz