Small Spaces by Christine Brun

Bulky draperies don't belong in a crowded space. Not when there are so many amazing new window treatment solutions these days. Not when every inch counts. As many Manhattan residents know, you can end up living in 800 square feet and consider yourself lucky. Much has been written and said about the Manhattanization of America as, suddenly, household sizes are shrinking up along with evaporating incomes. We're noticing that Echo Boomers are willing to rent or buy 450-square-foot to 600-square-foot places as long as they have style, convenience and technological modernity. All over the country, the trend toward downsizing is gathering steam and for new comers to the idea, let me simply offer this advice: Size rules!

In order to coax the most out of limited square footage, we have to be innovative, honest, practical and smart about how the area is allocated. On the East Coast and in parts of the Midwest, where the weather can be quite cold, drapery treatments have always included several layers of fabric because it wards off cold air. It is common to use inner lining behind the main drape in these states along with sheer curtains.

Those of us who enjoy the miraculous sunshine of the West also have to contend with harsh rays that demand more flexible control. Use of silk fabric in the Southwest is not very sensible because it will shred in a matter of a few years to the ultimate dissatisfaction of most clients.

We designers often have to look at hard treatments such as blinds, shutters or verticals. My focus today is an amazing development not only because of the innovative hardware, but because it is a real space-saving breakthrough. Lutron started out as an electronics company in 1961, and its first product was called a "dimmer switch" — it represented the world's first solid-state electronic device used to dim household lights. A far cry from a company interested in how to economize on the space that traditional draperies eat up.

But what they have successfully invented here is a valuable technique that eliminates the classic "stack-back" that traditional draperies require.

For example, if you have a 12-foot-wide sliding door, often you have either 3 feet of that glass always blocked by the fabric or you have the same amount of space lost on the wall next to the glass because the fabric must stack somewhere. Enter the Kirbe vertical drapery system that enables pleated fabrics to pull up and completely out of the way at the touch of a button. There is a distinctive pleat style, most similar to what we call a ripplefold drapery. The soft fold is held in shape by a unique header mechanism and a bottom bar. This magic works because the header mechanism reliably and delicately smoothes and pleats the fabric as it is taken into and let out of the mechanism that looks like a big roller.

The only limitation is that the drapery fabric must be a sheer type. However, you can pair the Kirbe sheer with a blackout roller shade for additional privacy and light control. Many traditionalists resist hard window treatments like wood blinds, pleated shades or vertical blinds, but don't have room to spare for fluffy fabric drapery when they downsize into a small apartment. This is the perfect solution for anyone who wishes for the softening visual and acoustic effect that textiles bring to a room.

There are literally dozens of room-darkening options out there, some not offered by the Lutron company. You could likely install pleated cellular shades, any kind of roller shade and even metal mini blinds for privacy control. The hardest thing for those significantly down-sizing to accept is the lack of options when one is faced with limited space and the overwhelming need to be practical.

Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by e-mail at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net. To find out more about Christine Brun and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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