Fabric Cornice Board
The homeowner loved this fabric when she saw it, but didn't love the price. It was pretty expensive. She wanted to use it in her master bedroom but knew that if we bought enough of the fabric to make a king-size bedspread that our budget would be blown before we ever even made it to the window treatments.
The solution? We bought enough fabric to make a custom dust ruffle and shams that would coordinate with a store-bought bedspread and then bought two extra yards to make fabric cornice boards. This helped give the homeowner a custom-looking bedroom at a fraction of the price.
To make a fabric cornic board...
(1) Measure the width of your window including the trim. If you want your window treatments to make your window appear wider than it is, add at least six inches on to either side.
(2) Next, determine how far you want your cornice board to come out from the window. I recommend at least six inches...any less than that and you won't have room for your drapery hardware.
(3) Cut MDF board to your specifications and put together using wood screws and wood glue.
(4) Using a staple gun, attach cotton batting to the board.
(5) Then attach your fabric. For a professional finish, fold hospital corners in the same direction. NOTE: If you are working with a fabric that contains a motif such as this one or a large-scale print, make sure you center it onto your board. If you are making identical boards for matching windows, take care to match the two.
Another challenge we needed to address with these windows was the street light outside. The client's husband wanted a drapery that could be closed every night because the streetlight at the end of their driveway shown right into his eyes at night...even through the blinds. We made drapery panels out of a much less expensive coordinating fabric and lined them with black-out lining and here was the final product.
Wooden Cornice Board #1
We opted for a cornice board in my daughter's room because it's a rear-facing room that doesn't get a lot of sunlight and we wanted to take care not to block any light if we could. We also wanted to use the existing blind, but wanted to be able to hide it. We could have gone with a fabric window treatment and still hidden the blind, but one of the beds sits very close to this window and I was afraid it would make that side of the room appear "fabric-heavy."
Wooden Cornice Board #2
We chose cornice boards for this room for a couple of reasons. First, this is a very traditional room in a Colonial Williamsburg home so cornice boards are appropriate to the style of the home.
Secondly, the window on the left sat closer to the entryway for the room than the other window did to the wall. If we'd gone with traditional drapery hardware, it would have appeared cramped and awkward...and even blocked the entryway somewhat.
The cornice board was the perfect solution to hide the drapery, yet still give the room the symmetrical appearance that Williamsburg Colonial is noted for.
We also chose to hang the cornice boards in this room higher up the wall in order to make the windows seem larger and more elegant.
To make wooden cornice boards:
Follow the steps above, but attach a crown molding of your choice. You can attach it to the top only or to the top and bottom as we did here. You will need a miter or coping saw for this project...or of course, you can hire me!
NOTE: In these examples, the cornice boards are decidedly traditional, but they can be made to suit almost any decor. If you prefer a modern, more streamlined appearance you can use anything from metal flashing to a simple wood box painted silver.
I have also done upholstered cornice boards with metal upholstery tacks and painted a faux leather finish that turned out better than I expected it would!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments and questions are always welcome.