If you were to fast-forward 1o years into the future and research homes that were decorated solely from online purchases during the pandemic, you would see my house.
When I say I only shop online, I truly mean I only shop online.
I don’t remember the last time I stepped foot inside a store. It may have been Target earlier this year. And it was only because I needed a humidifier.
Before that, it was probably an At Home store last fall for bathroom accessories. And Macy’s in December, but that was for Christmas shopping.
I was slowly decorating the home and buying pieces as I gave myself permission to.
But when you’re in a pandemic and strongly encouraged to stay home, what do you do? You put the decorating plan into high gear.
And when you shop only online, you have to hope your vision for the space plays out well in real life.
I have been fortunate when shopping online at Target because I already know what the decor items look like. Besides, a faux plant is a faux plant is a faux plant. How wrong could it be?
But there are only so many fake ferns that one can buy before you have to face the fact that if you don’t want your style to grow weeds, you’re going to have to trust your judgment and take some chances.
Enter window treatments.
The house came with blinds as a standard feature, and they are perfectly fine on their own. But I always envisioned adding curtain panels to spruce up the window and add a touch of elegance to the rooms.
But a professional job would have meant booking an appointment for someone to come into the house to take measurements and install.
And as you may recall from my last blog post, I am not allowing strangers into my home for the foreseeable future. (See “Home repairs in the age of Covid,” August 3, 2020.)
So that meant shopping online for rods and curtains. Because neither John nor I had hung curtains before, we decided to start small: the window in the bar room.
John wanted a green valance to go with the Irish vibe in the room. So I searched. And searched. And searched some more. But the only green valances I could find were for kitchens or Dutch doors. Not exactly the look we wanted in a home bar.
Also, the bar room is adjacent to the living room. So whatever style we chose for the bar room would have to complement the living room.
Then finally, I happened upon a maroon valance at Target with a swag reminiscent of a herald’s banner, which ties into the pub vibe. The valance scrunches a bit too much for my liking, but it only came in one size.
The color wasn’t our first choice but the maroon works with the dark wood tones in the bar and mirror. And it complements the grey, black and white colors in the living room.
For the rod, I picked a simple matte black French pipe that matches the foot rest at the base of the bar. Of course you can’t see the curtain rod, but I know it’s there.
The rod and valance were delivered the following week. The rod came with an anchor, but the weight of it was light enough that we would only need the screws.
The next weekend, John set up the ladder and drill and got to hanging the rod. For those who are new here, John suffered three strokes almost three years ago that left his right hand almost useless.
So that meant drilling the screws into the wall and holding the rod with only his left hand, all while standing on a ladder. Did I mention he was right-handed before the stroke?
Because I tend to overly supervise in these situations, I was more useful to John siting around the corner while he did the installation himself. And can I tell you what a wonderful job he did?
The rod extends evenly across the window. The valance is straight. And the treatment provides the warm homey feeling we were hoping for.
With the window in the bar room done, it’ll soon be time for bigger DIY projects: curtain panels and rods for the large window in the living room and – gasp! – the sliders in the kitchen.
I’ve already started shopping online. But don’t tell John just yet. I don’t want to scare off my personal handyman.
Designing Goldilocks 