window treatment

Hello nicer,

Window treatment are very expensive. What are you looking for? I will see if I know anybody that can help you

why is it so expensive? I'm looking for a good value. I don't have a budget really but am cost conscious "by nature".In the master covering of windows only, in the living room floor to ceiling (10-11 feet).would like a bit of "heaviness" nature of textile not very important.
Primer question for u: what are the advantages/disadvantages of concrete floors (and ceiling):is it good or bad? thanks

I'd say that's $15,000 -- is that "outrageous"? If you own a loft with 17 "massive" windows you must have some purchasing power.

However, I understand wanting to get value for one's money .. I'd suggest going to Beckenstein and picking out a fabric and have them sew them. Then you see what you're paying for -- the fabric and the labor.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

^^ Unless you want to go the really dirt-cheap route, which is to buy prefab panels at Bed, Bath & Beyond and then pay a contractor like Primer cost-plus to install them so they don't look like panels.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

ali: $15k is not good. for f$%^^curtains!! no.
5k?

I agree

Beckenstein is very good.

Just used Zarin and got very fair price for great looking shades and painless installation. As others have said, window treatments are expensive, so when I say "fair price" I don't mean inexpensive. Realize that nice fabrics run from $35/yard to much much more. When you say you have a "massive" window, let's say it is 9'x6'. That means for curtains you need two panels--one on each side of the window. About 4 yards in length per side. Each panel that is to cover 3' of width on the window has to be double or even triple wide in terms of fabric so that it gathers correctly and doesn't look cheap. So at twice as wide as the space, you need fabric panels that are at least 2 yards wide per panel. That is 4yds high x 6 yrds wide = 24 sq/yds PER PANEL. One entire window would need 48 sq/yds of fabric. For this one hypothetical window, two panels of $35/yd fabric running to the floor would be $1700 in fabric. Add labor, backing to the fabric, installation, and you are at about $2700 minimum--quite possibly more depending upon cost of fabric and labor for the style you want. And I haven't even addressed the hardware to hang the treatments.

That's why it is so expensive. If you have 6 such windows, you are already at about $15K. These are a MAJOR design element. Get it wrong and it'll ruin all the other good choices you made in terms of overall impact upon entering the room. Don't skimp here. If necessary, wait until you have the money to do it right, or consult with a salesperson/designer about ways to save by selecting a different style of treatment that is less labor intensive or uses less fabric, or consider if there are windows you really don't need treatments on.

$5K (as in ~$300 per window), you might suceed at Bed Bath & Beyond or home depot if you install it yourself. Restoration Hardware will gretly exceed your budget. In fact, I would like to shop where Ali does if she could get this done with custom drapes at $15K. I paid way more than $1K per window and I installed them myself. The rods, brackets, etc. (gracious home) were probably $400 per window. 120" drapery panels (Silk Trading Company) were something like $400-500 each.

I have a difficult time with inches/yards..(i only understand the metric system.oops). design always seemed like a waste of $ to me. i'm wrong I know that.i just can't bring myself to spend on it. I need to try harder.Beckenstein I will try.
thanks

If you're patient, you may be able to find something from Rosebrand. They build theatrical curtains, and have a decent "discount" bin selection: http://www.rosebrand.com/subcategory384/discount-store-overview.aspx
The good news is, you won't have any trouble finding the lengths you'd need - many standard curtains max out at 96".

Another good bet is Ikea. Cheap and easy to hem to length. They have inexpensive rods as well. You can use the $ you save to hire a professional to install them.

Nicer,

I have only used Beckenstein once but my millshop uses them all the time. Try to get my trade discount. You can tell them that you are working with primerenovations, they can call me and I will confirm 646-436-3942

i was looking at fabric to cover my couches and found fabric.com had a great selection and great prices. the best thing about it, for $1 per sample, you can get many and then decide the one you want. going to a place to finish them off will not be too expensive.

i found microfiber that was the best out of 5 places i ordered samples from at fabric.com. some places charged $30-50 per yard (think of it as a meter) and they charge $8. $50 on samples is definitely worth the huge savings.

FWIW: I find Beckenstein obnoxious and utterly unpleasant. They cater to-the-trade and if you don't do volume with them over the year or are a retail customer, it is hard getting anyone there to look up when you walk into the showroom, let alone stand up to help. They'll let you look through all the books you want, but the sales staff will not be terribly helpful at steering you toward anything you ask for or listening to what you have in mind. I say this based on multiple visits over a period of time during the last 18 months. I have built familiarity with NYC interior design resources over 20 years (my ex was a highend interior designer) and recently completed a gut renovation and design/decoration of my own apartment. Of all the vendors I dealt with, Beckenstein was one I would not ever visit again (FWIW the other nightmare was Gringer Bros. Appliances whose follow up service is infuriating beyond words--but I digress and in truth all appliance dealers are miserable to deal with in NYC).

Seriously, don't expect bargains or a pleasant experience as a consumer at Beckenstein. Zarin will be more helpful, friendly and less money.

Kyle,

If you ever need appliances I have a great guy in NJ

I've had nothing but delightful experiences with Yudin's Appliances in NJ.

As for window treatments, just nail some old bedsheets to the tops of the window frames and be done with it.

Thank you primer and alan for appliance recs. I hope the universe abides my desire to have no need of new appliances until that classic-six gut reno presents itself in about 15 years when I'm ready for it.

nicercatch hi, My name is Tom I work for a window treatment place in chelsea, probably too late but if you are still need help except from sheets which I don't like.

You may want to consider this:

Curtains Vs. Roller/Solar Shades:
First for covering tall or wide windows can be done with curtains or shades.
Shades are much less expensive than curtains and you may want to use curtains in certain areas and not on all the windows.

Wider fabrics:
When making curtains there are to sizes of fabrics mainly used 54" wide and 118" wide. When curtains are made with wider fabrics you need less fabric. (less fabric less $$)

Bring your own fabric:
Fabric price is a big part of the curtain price,
Sometimes you can find fabrics that are on sale because it is out of stock prices can go down as much as $ 5 per yard. You can go to a place that makes curtains and ask them how many yards you will need for a certain job. The price to make the curtain only is by far lower if you bring your own fabric.

Track Vs Rod:
Many modern style curtains use a simple one way draw track instead of a fancy curtain rods.

Do it yourself:
I did see a post for someone who bought curtains from Restoration Hardware and had a local tailor re fit them to the right size. see here: http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/23517-drapes
Of course you would be installing them yourself.

hope that helps...

Try this http://www.smithandnoble.com