Tuesday, May 29, 2012

New Cornices for My Bedroom Windows

After posting about the cornices and pelmets recently, I couldn't stop thinking about how my bedroom windows felt a bit "undone" at the top. Enter today's project!

Here were the windows before, sans cornice:
Because there are quirks to our bedroom windows, I opted to save major time and money by using 2 tri-fold presentation foam boards (~$15 each) instead of using wood to build the cornices.

I started by taking basic measurements of the windows, deciding upon a cornice that was 12" high and extended 5"  out from the wall. My curtain panels run floor-to-ceiling, so I wanted a cornice that hit the right proportions to the window without being dwarfed or oversized. 
Once marked, I used my X-acto knife to make the cuts.
 I also marked the foam board to know which board would go where.
I chose tri-fold boards instead of foam board sheets because tri-fold boards have built-in corners! 
For added stability, I placed a short brace made from foam board at each cornice's interior corner. 
 With the foundation of the cornice strong, I sprayed it with adhesive spray and wrapped it in quilting batting.
My next step: stapling my fabric over the batting. I had remnants of the Roberta Roller Rabbit hand-stamped fabric that I used for the window curtains and used the last bit to cover the cornices.
I glued 3/4"-wide bias tape across the bottom of the cornice using Liquid Stitch for a decorative detail.
With the cornices constructed and covered in fabric, they were ready to be installed.
I attached 2 of these medium triangle hooks on each cornice, while Adam was kind enough to secure the cornices to the ceiling with the hooks. 
The cornices are so much lighter than they'd be if they were made from wood!
Ready to see my newly-topped bedroom windows?
And an important detail shot: you can see that the fabric's pattern runs vertically on the cornice and horizontally on the curtain panels (an intentional choice on my part).
The cornices took ~$40 in supplies (foam board; batting; bias tape trim; hooks) and ~2 hours to complete.
For such an inexpensive and relatively quick project, the impact is huge! 

What do you think?

23 comments:

  1. Wow! They are gorgeous! Great job Ashley!

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  2. Beautiful job! It looks so polished and pretty.

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  3. What a difference! Looks fantastic and I am in awe that the project was $40.

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  4. Amazing impact for just $40! I really love how they finish the room. And your ribbon detail is perfect.

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  5. OMG! What a difference that makes. I absolutely love it! I also love how you chose to have the fabrics run different directions. So pretty!!

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  6. Love them! I'm always a fan of pelmets cornices valances (done modern) -- they go so far in making a space feel finished. Lovely job!

    Heather
    loveyourspace.blogspot.com

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  7. They turned out great! Thanks for the tutorial!

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  8. love love love these!! I have been meaning to make one for my kitchen for like ever now- I think its time to get on it already :)

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  9. What a difference! They look fantastic.

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  10. Brilliant. I love that you used foam core board.

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  11. Fantastic, Ashley! It looks beautiful!

    http://www.scavengenius.com/

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  12. Looks so "finished" now. I have a client who wants to do this in her shower. Excited about it!!
    www.chattafabulous.blogspot.com

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  13. Okay, these could not be any cuter!! Love pelmets and have often thought of doing this myself. Even bought foam core board a while back but never followed through. This might be just the inspiration I needed!

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  14. I had to read this twice! I am super impressed-what a fabulous job--I never thought of using foam board for a project like this and it looks so fantastic finished. I'm your newest follower.

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  15. I simply cannot believe that foam core was used to make something so sophisticated. The cornices really took your room to the next level. You must just love to be in there. Wow, I'm still kind of stunned. Do I see cornices in my future? Yes, I do!
    Camille

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  16. Amazing!! Holy crap I love it.

    Hey did you buy the tape locally? I'm having a hard time sourcing tape/grosgrain ribbon for a job and am sick of paying shipping charges (and wait time) from M&J Trimmings.

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  17. Even though it was clearly a lot of work doing the window cornice, the outcome of your work is amazing! Your creativity and perseverance certainly paid off. And using simple materials let you cut down on your expenses. With the cornice, your window looks better and livelier now.



    @Nancy Ferdinand

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  18. Perfect! A beautiful window complete with beautiful drapes is an important part of every bedroom, where we spend time for rest. This treatment you’ve done is great! It gives the illusion that you have wall-to-ceiling windows, which is a dream. ;) The after-photos look elegant, honestly. Great job! :D

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  19. I agree with Nancy and Lida. Your window treatment perfectly fits your windows. With a little creativity, you were able to make a big difference on the look of your window. Blue is really soothing to the eyes, creating a very relaxed mood in the room.

    -Ashlee Starns

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  20. What else can I say? You definitely hit the right combination of designs with the cornices and curtains. But if ever you changed your mind, draperies can also go well with the cornices that you made. Basically, draperies can give your room that elegant design most people are looking for. :)

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  21. Wow! Blue Cornices too! I love it. Your whole room, actually. I like how you matched colors and designs, because even if you had the room covered in blue, you didn’t go over the top with the design. It’s just so bright and beautiful!

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  22. Nice work! Looking at the pictures feels like looking at sample designs from a home improvement magazine! It wasn’t difficult to give your window a newer and fresher look with those cornices, was it? What you did there was simply amazing!

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