I’m a firm believer in treating windows in a house and have long enjoyed hanging window treatments in all the houses I’ve lived in. Â They have all been different, from the swags and jabot days, to fancy valance treatments to simple and classic panels, which is my preference these days. I love simple drapery panels and they truly do make a difference.
One thing I’ve enjoyed splurging on is getting some custom window treatments made for my house. Â I haven’t done every single room, I’ve mixed it up and even have a stenciled treatment in my master bedroom, but in the living room, dining room and my den, I have opted to choose my own fabric and have drapes made. Â My mom used to make my window treatments for me for years, but she is just not able to sew like she used to.
Finding affordable window treatment that are custom made can be a daunting task. Â I remember when I worked for Ethan Allen back in 2004 and had to learn how to quote their custom fabrics and window treatments. Â One time I had to call a lady and tell her it would be $6,000 for her great room windows. Â I almost choked on that one and knew that I’d never make it in that industry. Â I’m just too frugal for that kind of price.
No one should have to pay that much to get nice window treatments in their home.  When I heard from founder, Trisha Roy with Barn and Willow, I loved what she shared with me about how she started her business. When she was looking to get custom-made curtains for her bedroom a few years back and got a quote in the range of $3200 just for 1 (not too wide) window, she was astonished and frustrated. When asked about the fabric, she was told the price is high because it’s “90% polyester and 10% linen” and price would go down marginally if it were nylon and polyester. Isn’t that amazing? She ended up getting off-the shelf curtains which obviously did not look great.
Barn and Willow prices are 1/3 the price of other major retailers that you’ve probably shopped at before.
Most ready made drapes just don’t look that great, so it is nice to choose your fabric and get what you want. Look how beautiful all of these rooms look with their drapes, either in a print or neutral fabric.
Drapery panels truly do make a difference in a room, softening the windows and adding another dimension of texture and beauty to the room.
Imagine this room with no drapes on the windows. The drapes truly do “dress” the windows, making them a nice focal point in the room. I still love the trick of hanging drapes high and wide to elongate and widen windows.  It definitely works!
Just adding neutral drapes is a great way to soften and add texture to a room. Â This bedroom keeps the drapes very neutral in a creamy white and lets the bed shine with color and print.
(all photos above from BHG online)
This room has lots of color injected and the homeowner went for a nice bold print on the windows, sort of like I did in my den recently.
Drapes make all the difference!  You’ve probably noticed how some of the big retailers mark up their custom drapes and the price points are very high.  Trisha’s online shop, Barn and Willow has found a way to keep the prices affordable and yet offers custom fabrics, luxurious Belgian linens and the turn around time is just 7 to 10 business days.  Fantastic turn around!
Trisha also uses 100% natural fabrics (Belgian linen for drapes) and her other products are all natural fabrics as well, cotton or wool. Â She works directly with the factories and keeps costs down that way. Â You can order FREE swatches to see exactly what you are getting. Â Those go out really fast. Â She sent me some of the swatches and the fabrics feel SO good and are just beautiful. Â They encourage their customers to call them, send in pictures of the room needing treatments, and answer a few questions to make sure they are getting exactly what they want. They assist all the way through the fabric selection and measuring process to ensure the homeowner is completely happy with the purchase. Â They take a very friendly approach to helping their customers, which is a wonderful thing when you are ordering drapes.
One more thing! Â Barn and Willow will be launching their Roman shades next month, so be on the lookout for that, if you are in the market. Roman shades are a beautiful way to dress your windows too. Â You can sign up for Barn and Willow newsletters to stay informed of all their news.
Barn and Willow is offering my readers a 12% discount off the price of drapes ONLY through July 15th, with the discount code: Â SOUTHERNHOSPITALITY
If you’re in the market for custom window treatments out of beautiful Belgium linen, I would definitely tell you to check out Barn and Willow. Â The fabrics samples I got feel and look great. If you’ve been thinking about adding some drapes in your house, this might be the time to find affordable custom drapes.
Note: Â This post is sponsored by Barn and Willow, but all these ideas are my own.Â
I work at a store that does custom draperies, and I’m with you – the prices are outrageous! Even the high-end drapery hardware costs more than I’d spend on all my curtains combined. Window treatments DO make a difference though. Yours always look so great.
This post could not have come at a better time. I just had drapes quoted for my home and I just can’t do it!! It’s too much money!! I was going to order from an online retailer but that was really adding up as well and I wasn’t even sure I was ordering the right thing. This sounds like it will meet my needs exactly!! Thank you for sharing Barn and Willow with us!! I’m ordering swatches right now so I can place my order before the end of July! Maybe they will be in by Haven so you can stop by before the event to see my new Barn and Willow drapes. XOXO
Rhoda, I’m in the early stages of construction on a new house. I’m looking forward to dressing it up with drapes, but not looking forward to the cost. I priced having one Roman shade made for the house I just sold and you would not believe the price! I tackled it myself and it turned out pretty nice. A whole houseful is a different story., though. Thanks for sharing.
We just bought a new (old) house and I’d like to use some drapery panels…and missing my mom so much, as there was a time she would have stitched them up for me. I’ve not had drapes of any kind in over 10 years, but do have plantation shutters on all my windows in my current home. Our new (old) house was a ‘flip’ so there is NOTHING on any of the windows. I’d like to do some drapes (yours always look so beautiful), but when I’ve had drapes in the past THE DUST makes me not like them. I’m not a bad housekeeper, but the chore of taking them down and either dry cleaning or laundering or just shaking them out does not fit into my 10-hours a day work schedule. But I may give serious consideration to bedroom windows (if the $$ isn’t outrageous). Thanks for the tips/website. Rhoda, your blog is the best!
Thank you so much for this post. We bought a new (OLD) house 8 months ago, like the commenter above, and will be ordering window treatments this summer. I’ve been looking around and the prices are way more than we can afford. So, I am definitely going to look into this shop! Thanks again for sharing this info! Happy Summer :).
Agree that custom drapery prices are in 2nd mortgage land. That said, you can always tell when you’re looking at custom, from the construction to the installation. (Installation is important too; there’s an art to “dressing out” certain types of drapery so it doesn’t look like a drunken monkey hung it.) Barn And Willow looks like a super resource. Faaantastic share, Rhoda!
Good recap, Jane, custom drapes are so out of sight for the most part.
A “drunken monkey .” LOL
I will pass along this resource to my sister-in-law who is building a new home next to us! I can’t remember if I’ve already told you but I love your new drapes!
Thank you, Jane!
Hello where did you find that stencil paint? Do have exact name brand and color? Thanks a bunch…
What a timely post for so many of us! Just moved into our new home in November and thankfully brought one pair of custom drapes from our other house. They work for one window thank goodness! But this house has so many windows and I’ve already had one quote for one tall dining room window and gave up because I could buy a whole new dining room furniture for what they want for two panels. I’m checking out your friend at Barn and Willow now! Thank you for “hearing” all of us who, like you, want a beautifully appointed and decorated home, but not at the cost of the whole house! Love your blog, Rhoda! Keep up the great work for us.
Thank you, Victoria, hopefully you will find something that works for you over there. I think they have really nice products!
Hi, Corey, the owner emailed me back and assures me she has contacted your wife and let her know the order status. There was a little downtime going on, but they are definitely in business. Thanks and I hope you enjoy!