Choosing curtains, blinds or upholstery for a room is a considered decision, and it helps to know how the process works before you begin. Here is what happens from the first conversation to the final fitting, and how long each stage takes.
1. A home visit
Everything starts with a complimentary one-hour home visit, by appointment, across Hertfordshire, London and the Home Counties. We look at your windows, the light in each room and the way you use the space, and talk through how you would like the finished room to feel.
If you are renovating, please invite us in early. Decisions about recesses, curtain pockets and wiring are much easier before the walls are finished, and early planning gives you the widest range of options.
Nothing needs to be prepared in advance. It helps to have a rough idea of your budget, a note of any furniture, flooring or paint colours that are staying, and photographs of rooms you admire, but none of it is essential. By the end of the visit you will have a clearer idea of what would work, with no obligation to go any further.
If other trades are involved, such as decorators, electricians or floor fitters, let us know their timings so that fitting can be planned around them.
Before and After Bay Window Recessed Track
Client visit
2. Choosing fabrics and details
We recommend fabrics, headings, tracks or poles, linings and fittings to suit each room, and explain why we have chosen them. We work with fabric houses such as Sanderson, Harlequin, Linwood, Morris & Co, Andrew Martin, Designers Guild, Romo and Zinc to name a few.
Fabric is usually the largest part of the cost and the biggest influence on how a room feels, so it deserves time. We look at colour, weight and drape, how the fabric will behave once it is made up, and how it will cope with sunlight and daily use. For curtains, we also talk through the heading style, lining and interlining, and the track or pole, because each of these changes how the finished curtains hang and what they cost. It is always worth viewing samples in your own room, in daylight and in the evening, before you decide.
Measuring for cafe curtains
3. Measuring
We take the measurements ourselves. We agree the position of each track, pole or blind, how far curtains will stack back and where they will finish, and we explain each decision as we go, so there is no guesswork about how the finished curtains or blinds will sit in your room. At the same time we talk through the choices for making, including lining and interlining, so every detail is agreed before anything is cut. It helps if the windows are easy to reach, but you do not need to take down any existing curtains or blinds.
Double Pleat Velvet Curtains
4. Ordering and making
Once you are happy with the choices, we confirm the details with you. We check fabric stock when you first enquire, and we can hold fabric with the supplier so that there is stock available for your order, as availability varies between fabric houses and ranges.
Because every item is made to your measurements and specification, we place the order when your deposit has been received, and the full terms are set out in our Terms and Conditions. We are always happy to talk them through before you decide. Fabrics and trims are then ordered from the fabric house, and making begins when they reach us, which is why several of the lead times below run from the day your fabric arrives.
Our usual lead times are:
Curtains: 6 to 8 working weeks from receipt of fabric and trims
Roman blinds: 6 to 8 working weeks from receipt of fabric and trims
Roller blinds: 3 to 4 working weeks
Shutters: 16 to 18 weeks from order confirmation
Reupholstery: 8 to 10 weeks from receipt of fabric and trims
The lead times above start when your fabric and trims reach us, so the total time depends on how quickly you decide and how long your fabric takes to arrive. We can tell you the likely timing for the fabrics you are considering before you commit.
Fitting day
5. Fitting
We offer a supply and fit service for curtains, blinds and shutters. Curtains are hung and dressed so that they fall correctly from the first day, and blinds and shutters are fitted and checked before we leave.
Please allow clear access to the windows, and the floor beneath them, on the day. If you are redecorating or having building work done, fitting should come last, once painting, flooring and electrical work are finished, so that new fabrics are not put at risk.
6. After the fitting
New curtains need time to ‘learn their place’, so we usually leave them with soft ties in place. This helps them return to their dressed folds once they are in regular use. Fabrics differ in how they should be cared for and cleaned, and we are happy to advise before you attempt anything yourself. If your window treatments are motorised, put a date in your diary to recharge the components, such as the remote controls. If you have questions once everything is in place, or you would like to carry the scheme into other rooms, we are always glad to hear from you.
Want to Talk It Through?
The first step is simply a conversation. If you have a window, a room or a piece of furniture you would like to talk about, we would be glad to visit.
