House of Drapery by Duroque provides custom drapery and window treatments throughout Santa Barbara and the surrounding area, with a design process tailored to the architecture, light, privacy and individual needs of each home.
We work with homeowners, interior designers, architects and builders on projects ranging from individual rooms to whole-home window treatments.
Our work can include custom drapery, sheers, blackout treatments, Roman shades, solar shades, motorized drapery, custom tracks and custom drapery hardware, along with professional measuring and installation.
For Santa Barbara projects, we can begin with a phone or virtual consultation and then coordinate an in-home design consultation and field measurement.
The room below is the Santa Barbara question in its purest form: three arched openings, hand-forged ironwork, and a hillside view that no one wants covered. The panels hang high and stack wide of the glass, so the arches keep their line and the light stays soft rather than shuttered. It is the sort of decision made standing in the room, long before a fabric is chosen.
Santa Barbara's coastal setting creates an unusual combination of conditions for window treatments.
The marine layer can bring moisture and softer morning light, while sunny afternoons can expose fabrics and interiors to much stronger sunlight.
For coastal projects, we consider light exposure, humidity, fabric stability, fading, privacy and the view before specifying a treatment.
There is no single “best” Santa Barbara drapery fabric. The right choice depends on the room and its exposure.
Then there is the architecture. Spanish Colonial Revival and Mediterranean houses give you deep plaster reveals, arched openings, and timber lintels — all of which reward outside-mounted panels and punish anything that crowds the opening. Contemporary coastal homes give you the opposite problem: walls of glass, sliders that get used daily, and no wall left to stack on. And estate properties in Montecito and Hope Ranch tend to have both, in the same house.
Almost every brief here comes down to the same tension: privacy and glare control on one side, an ocean or foothill view you paid for on the other. That is a layering problem, a stack-depth problem, and a fabric-transparency problem — and it is solved at the design stage, not at the fabric wall.
Spanish Colonial Revival is the town's shared grammar — deep-set plaster reveals, arched openings, dark timber lintels, and rooms that were built to be shaded. Drapery here is usually about softening hard light without fighting the architecture: a linen panel hung from a slim hand-forged rod above the reveal, stacking clear of the opening so the arch keeps its shape.
Estate rooms, tall ceilings, and a lot of glass pointed at both the ocean and the Santa Ynez foothills. The usual brief is layered — a designer sheer that holds privacy and cuts glare during the day, and a heavier linen or wool panel for evening and for the primary suite. Ceiling-mounted tracks keep the head of the window uninterrupted where beams allow.
Long lots, mature oaks, and homes that face the water at an angle rather than head-on. Privacy is rarely the problem; sun angle and fade protection are. Fabric selection leans toward solution-dyed and performance weaves that read like linen but hold color through years of low western light.
Smaller-scale coastal houses with big view windows and a lot of salt in the air. Hardware finish matters as much as cloth here — untreated iron will tell you the truth about a marine climate within a season. Powder-coated or properly sealed finishes, stainless fixings, and washable linen blends are the sensible specification.
Relaxed indoor-outdoor living, sliding walls of glass, and rooms that open to a patio for most of the year. Ripple fold on a recessed or ceiling-mounted track is the quiet answer: the panels stack tight off the glass so the opening stays usable, and the fabric plane reads as part of the wall when drawn.
The honest answer is fit, behaviour, and longevity. A ready-made panel is made to a handful of standard drops; a custom panel is made to your opening, with the fullness the fabric needs, a hem weighted so it hangs plumb, and a heading that holds its shape after a thousand draws. On a ten-foot coastal window that difference is not subtle.
Beyond fit: real light control (a lined and interlined panel does measurable work on glare, heat, and fade), acoustic softening in rooms with plaster and stone, insulation at the glass, and privacy that you can tune by the hour rather than switch on and off. And then the part that is harder to quantify — a room with correctly specified drapery reads finished in a way that no other single element achieves.
Custom drapery is designed and fabricated for one window, one room, and one household. Unlike ready-made curtains, it is not chosen from a short list of standard widths and drops — every dimension and detail is decided for the project.
A complete specification usually records:
The point of customisation is not complexity for its own sake. A panel that looks beautiful closed still fails if it swallows the view when open. A linen that looks effortless in a memo may need lining, added fullness, and careful fabrication to hang correctly across a wide opening. A motorized track is convenient only when it has been coordinated with fabric weight, panel width, power, and controls.
We don't begin a project by deciding that every window needs the same treatment.
We look at the architecture first.
That includes the window proportions, ceiling height, natural light, privacy, views, furniture placement, wall conditions and how the room is actually used.
From there, we consider the relationship between fabric, fullness, pleat style, lining, hardware and installation.
A beautiful fabric alone does not guarantee beautiful drapery. All of those decisions have to work together.
Privacy is not one condition. A room may need daytime screening while keeping light, full privacy after dark when the interior lamps are on, cover from one neighbouring property only, or privacy on the lower half of a window while the view stays open above it. Many sheers that screen beautifully at noon become transparent at night — where that matters, a second layer is the answer, not a denser sheer.
Filtering softens brightness without darkening the room: a sheer, a semi-sheer linen, an unlined textured weave, or a light-filtering shade behind a decorative panel. Filtering does not eliminate glare, ultraviolet exposure, or visibility — the actual result depends on weave density, colour, lining, orientation, and the glass itself.
Blackout is an assembly, not a fabric. Blackout lining is only part of it; generous side returns, a centre overlap, coverage well above the opening, careful track placement, and attention to the gap at the floor are what actually darken a room. Even a well-made blackout panel can pass a little light at its perimeter, so bedrooms and media rooms should be designed as a system, often with a shade beneath.
Glare is a different problem from brightness. A room can be bright and comfortable, or moderately lit and unusable because light is bouncing off a screen, polished stone, or pale flooring. The fix follows the angle and hour of the light — a solar shade is often more targeted than heavy cloth, and layering gives the most flexibility.
Not every panel needs to close. Stationary panels frame a window, add colour and texture, soften a hard wall, conceal the edge of a shade, and lend height or intimacy. When panels are decorative we say so plainly — the design should never imply closure the panels were not fabricated to deliver.
Pleat style changes the entire personality of custom drapery.
For Santa Barbara projects, some of the styles we frequently like include ripple fold, Euro pleats and clean tailored pleats.
Ripple fold can work beautifully where the architecture calls for continuous, controlled movement, particularly across larger windows and doors.
A tailored pleat creates a more structured appearance. Euro pleats can introduce detail while still feeling relaxed and contemporary.
We don't select a pleat simply because it is popular.
We consider the fabric, fullness, ceiling height, window width, hardware, stack-back and architecture together.
A continuous, even S-curve on a track — the most contemporary of the headings and the one that stacks tightest. Best for walls of glass, sliders, and ceiling-mounted runs where you want the drapery to disappear when open. It suits coastal-modern Santa Barbara and Carpinteria interiors and behaves well under motorization.
Three hand-tacked folds at the heading — the traditional choice, and still the right one for formal living rooms, libraries, and dining rooms in older Santa Barbara and Montecito houses. It gives the panel a defined top and a deliberate drape, and it looks correct on a decorative rod with rings.
A flat, single-fold heading — cleaner than a pinch pleat, warmer than ripple fold. A good middle ground for transitional interiors that want structure without formality.
The fold is turned to the back, so the face of the panel reads as an uninterrupted plane. Quiet and architectural; excellent in linen, and a natural fit for Mediterranean rooms where you want the plaster and the timber to lead.
A rounded, stuffed cup at the heading. It belongs in tall, formal rooms — double-height entries and estate living rooms — and it needs both ceiling height and a fabric with body to look right. Used sparingly.
A soft cylindrical fold with no pinch. It reads relaxed but tailored, which is very much the Santa Barbara register — appropriate in linen and linen blends for primary bedrooms and sitting rooms.
Similar in spirit to ripple fold, with a slightly deeper, looser wave. Suited to long runs of sheer where you want movement rather than precision.
Stationary panels that dress an opening rather than close it — useful where a window has a beautiful view you never want interrupted, or where a shade is already doing the functional work.
More on the two we specify most often in coastal homes: ripple fold drapery and pleated custom curtains.
In this Spanish Revival bedroom, French pleat drapery adds quiet sophistication without overwhelming the architecture. The tailored heading creates a refined vertical rhythm that complements the exposed ceiling beams, while the slender wrought-iron rod preserves the home's authentic character. A softly washed ivory linen filters the afternoon light, bringing warmth and movement to the space as it frames the arched doors and tall windows. Rather than making a statement of its own, the drapery becomes part of the architecture—adding softness, texture, and scale while allowing the craftsmanship of the home to take center stage.
Two systems on one opening: a sheer for daytime privacy and glare, a heavier panel or blackout for evening and sleep. In view-forward Montecito and Hope Ranch rooms this is almost always the right answer, because it lets you keep the ocean during the day and lose the room at night.
Hanging from the ceiling rather than the wall lengthens the room and gives the panel a single uninterrupted line. It requires early coordination in a remodel — the pocket or blocking has to exist before drywall — which is why we prefer to be in the conversation during construction.
Hand-forged iron, bronze, and brushed metals for traditional and Mediterranean interiors. Finish selection is a coastal decision as much as an aesthetic one; sealed finishes and stainless fixings hold up nearer the water.
When the architecture should carry the room, the hardware disappears — a recessed pocket, a ceiling-mounted track, no visible mechanism. This is the standard specification for contemporary coastal homes and for walls of glass.
Appropriate where the openings are tall, wide, frequent, or simply out of reach — and in primary suites where a single evening scene should close everything at once. Planned and specified by the studio, coordinated with your automation professional.
Interlined panels with side channels or a generous return, usually layered behind a sheer. In a bedroom with an eastern exposure it is the difference between waking at six and waking when you choose to.
The most underrated treatment on the coast. A good designer sheer diffuses hard afternoon light, holds daytime privacy, and leaves the view legible — which is exactly what a Santa Barbara room usually needs.
Where a window wants a shade rather than a panel — kitchens, baths, and smaller Santa Barbara windows — see Roman shades and the broader window coverings overview.
Fabric is the last decision, and it follows from six things: the architecture, the exposure, the privacy you need, the view you are protecting, how the room is maintained, and how the family lives. Get those right and the cloth almost selects itself.
The default Santa Barbara cloth, and deservedly so — it drapes with weight, it reads relaxed rather than formal, and it belongs next to plaster and timber. It will move with humidity; a properly weighted and interlined panel absorbs that.
Linen with a small percentage of cotton or a synthetic stabiliser holds its hem better and creases less. Where a room is used hard, or the panels will be drawn daily, a blend is usually the more honest recommendation.
Crisper than linen and easier to tailor precisely. Good for tailored and inverted pleats where you want the heading to hold a sharp line.
Superb drape and real acoustic value. Reserved for formal rooms, libraries, and media rooms — and generally away from the wettest coastal exposures.
Beautiful and unforgiving. Silk degrades in direct sun, so we specify it only where the exposure is controlled, always interlined, and usually behind a protective sheer.
Solution-dyed and UV-stable weaves that now look and drape convincingly like natural cloth. For south- and west-facing coastal rooms, for households with dogs and children, and for indoor-outdoor spaces, they are frequently the correct specification rather than a compromise.
Linen sheers, wool voiles, and open weaves that hold structure. The right sheer does more for a coastal room than almost any other single decision.
Slubs, basketweaves, and irregular yarns that catch the low coastal light. In a quiet, largely neutral Santa Barbara interior, texture is often what carries the interest.
The studio's own notes on the cloth we return to most: Belgian and Italian linen drapery and designer sheers.
Linen is often requested for Santa Barbara homes because it suits the relaxed coastal aesthetic.
Linen can be beautiful, but 100% linen can respond to changes in humidity.
In coastal environments, we may specify a linen blend when dimensional stability is important while maintaining the character of linen.
The right decision depends on the room, the exposure and the expectations for the treatment.
Many Santa Barbara homes are designed around views.
Sheer drapery can soften strong daylight while maintaining a connection to the outdoors.
Sheers can also add a sense of movement and softness that hard window coverings cannot.
For rooms where privacy and light control matter at different times of day, sheers can be layered with drapery or shades.
In homes with strong sun exposure, solar shades can be layered with drapery.
Solar shades can help manage glare and heat while preserving visibility, and drapery can then provide softness, privacy or additional light control when needed.
This approach can be useful for west-facing rooms, large windows and rooms with significant afternoon sun.
Fullness describes the relationship between the flat width of cloth used and the width the finished drapery has to cover. A treatment designed at two-times fullness uses roughly twice the flat width of the area it covers, before allowances and fabrication details.
Fullness governs the depth of the folds, the richness and opacity of the panel, the size of the stack, the weight, the movement, and the cost. More is not automatically better. A very dense treatment can feel luxurious and still obscure too much of the window; a lower fullness can read clean and light, or flat and strained if it is reduced too far.
The right number follows the header system, the thickness and drape of the cloth, the width of the opening, the ceiling height, the hardware capacity, and the stack space available. Ripple fold relies on specific fullness relationships set by the track and carrier configuration; pleated drapery is calculated differently because the pleats consume fabric at fixed intervals. The workroom should calculate from the actual specification rather than applying one universal rule to every window.
Sunlight can affect fabrics, furniture, flooring and artwork.
Depending on the room, lining can improve fabric performance, help protect interiors and change how a treatment looks and hangs.
For bedrooms and media rooms, blackout treatments can be specified where light control is a priority.
Blackout performance depends on more than the fabric alone. Hardware, installation and how the treatment closes all matter.
Attached behind the face cloth to add body, opacity, and privacy, to protect the face fabric, to improve how the folds hang, and to give the drapery a consistent appearance from the street. The result depends on the lining chosen as much as on the face fabric.
Specified for bedrooms, nurseries, media rooms, guest rooms, and any room facing strong exterior light at night. It changes how the face fabric behaves — more weight, more stiffness — which has to be accounted for in the heading, hardware, and stack.
A third layer between face and lining. It adds softness, body, insulation, and depth at the pleat and hem, and it is what makes a traditional panel look substantial. It also adds weight and thickness, so it is not right for every track, pleat, or minimal contemporary detail.
How the drapery meets the floor changes both the look of the room and the practicality of the treatment. The decision weighs the fabric, the level of the floor, cleaning, operation, air movement, pets, furniture, and how formal the room should feel.
The panel finishes just above the floor. Practical for drapery drawn daily, for uneven floors, for households with pets or robot vacuums, for doors that open to a patio, and for crisp contemporary rooms.
The panel touches the floor with a small amount of extra length. A softer, relaxed finish without the maintenance of a puddle — the most common choice in Santa Barbara living rooms and bedrooms.
The fabric extends onto the floor. Romantic and decorative, but it asks more of the household and is not suited to every cloth. Best on stationary panels in rooms that are not in daily traffic.
For Santa Barbara projects moving forward, Olga personally conducts the in-home consultation and field measurement.
Measuring is not simply recording width and height.
We evaluate:
Accurate measuring protects the design intent and the finished result.
Hardware is not an accessory. It is part of the design.
House of Drapery can provide fully custom curtain rods and drapery hardware, including:
Hardware should be considered alongside fabric, pleat style, stack-back and installation conditions, not selected after the drapery has already been designed.
On one project, the client wanted the drapery hardware to match an existing metal finish in the home rather than a standard catalog option.
Standard hardware would not have matched correctly, so custom rods were produced to align with the architectural finish.
The result did not draw attention to itself, which is exactly why it worked.
That level of detail is often the difference between window treatments that look purchased and window treatments that look designed.
Arched windows are common in Santa Barbara architecture.
These windows often require curved rods, custom brackets or specialized solutions.
We evaluate whether to follow the arch, treat it separately, or design the treatment so the architecture remains the focal point.
Custom drawings and mock-ups may be developed when the condition requires it.
Motorization can be practical for tall windows, wide sliding doors and treatments that are difficult to reach.
When motorization is being considered, it should be planned early. Power, track dimensions, treatment weight, stack-back and installation conditions all affect the design.
We are an interior design studio first. Our role in motorization is design-led planning, specification, and coordination: deciding which openings should be motorized and why, sizing pockets and stack depth, routing tracks, locating power, and selecting hardware that matches the drapery rather than dictating it.
The electrical work, the network, the programming and the commissioning of the automation system are carried out by the licensed electricians and home-automation professionals on your project. We coordinate with them — and with your architect and builder — and we give them dimensioned drapery documentation early, because motorization is inexpensive to plan before drywall and expensive to retrofit after it.
Read more on motorized drapery and drapery within a smart-home program.
Ceiling mounting puts the track at the ceiling rather than above the window frame. It emphasises height, creates a continuous architectural line, absorbs windows of uneven height, and suits floor-to-ceiling glass. It is not automatically correct: the structure has to carry the hardware, and vents, sprinklers, lighting, beams, soffits, and crown moulding all have a say. The track may remain visible, or be concealed.
A recessed pocket is an opening built into the ceiling that hides the track, carriers, motors, and the top of the panel, so the fabric appears to emerge from the ceiling itself. Pocket planning belongs at the construction stage, and the team has to agree pocket width and depth, track placement, the number of drapery layers, motor dimensions, electrical and service access, ceiling finish, vents, lighting, sprinklers, wall alignment, and where the stack will sit.
A pocket that is too narrow will not take the intended drapery; one set too close to the glass causes fabric interference; one pushed too far into the room looks disconnected from the window. Because these conditions vary by project, final dimensions are confirmed with the relevant professionals and product suppliers before construction.
On new construction and renovations we work alongside the interior designer, architect, and builder on pockets, blocking, electrical planning, track locations, wall finishes, millwork, door clearances, furniture layouts, lighting, controls, the shading schedule, fabric selections, and installation timing. A shading schedule is the project document listing treatment type, location, operating method, and controls for every opening. Our scope is design, specification, fabrication, and coordination; architects, contractors, electricians, engineers, and automation professionals remain responsible for their own work.
A beautiful cloth can be wrong for the room's privacy, sun, maintenance, or operating needs. Start with what the room has to do, then select the textile.
A full treatment needs somewhere to go when open. If that space is not planned, the drapery quietly covers part of the view — every day, all day.
Hardware set immediately above the window shortens the room. A higher mount usually improves proportion, but it has to be judged against the ceiling, the moulding, and the architecture rather than applied as a rule.
Less fabric lowers cost and stack size, but too little fullness makes a functional panel look flat and strained when closed.
The opposite error is just as common. Heavy cloth, deep pleats, and excessive fullness can overwhelm a room and make a daily-use treatment awkward to stack.
Light leaks at the top, the sides, the centre, and the floor. The assembly has to be planned as a whole.
Decorative rods drive mounting height, wall projection, return, and bracket placement, and they sit in the room's finish palette. They belong in the design early.
Track locations, power, pockets, access, and controls are inexpensive before the ceiling closes and expensive afterwards.
A single layer rarely delivers view preservation, daytime privacy, blackout, glare control, and decoration at once. Layering usually costs less frustration than compromise does.
A treatment that works in a tall Beverly Hills living room may be wrong for a Montecito estate wing or a compact Carpinteria bedroom. Architecture and lifestyle lead.
The balance is view, softness, and glare. Functional sheers, decorative side panels, ripple fold across wide glass, a solar shade behind drapery, or a motorized track on a long slider run — often two of these together.
Night privacy, blackout, quiet operation, and easy daily use, planned around the bed, the nightstands, the vents, and the doors. A sheer layered with a blackout panel is the specification we write most often.
Room for a more decorative cloth, stronger colour, or a formal pleat — provided the treatment stays practical where exterior doors are used every day.
Full-length drapery is rarely right near a sink or a cooktop. Roman shades, roller shades, or a carefully placed stationary panel give a cleaner result.
Blackout lining, reduced side light, soft surfaces, motorized operation, and coordination with screen and lighting control. Drapery softens reverberation, but we do not present it as a complete acoustic treatment unless the room has been assessed by an acoustical professional.
Usually a glare problem rather than a darkness problem. Solar shades, sheers, or a layered pair keep the daylight and make the screen comfortable.
Blackout, safe operation, easy maintenance, and placement clear of the crib and furniture. Product and installation safety is verified for the specific project.
There is no meaningful universal price, because cost follows the specification. A large opening can require many fabric widths even in a moderately priced cloth, while a small window in a handwoven textile can cost more than a much larger treatment in a simpler one. The useful approach is to set the room's priorities first, then write a specification that aligns design, performance, and budget.
A fuller account of how a specification is priced is in our written pricing standard.
For Santa Barbara projects, we can begin with a phone or virtual consultation.
If the project moves forward, Olga conducts the in-home design consultation and field measurement.
Custom drapery is then fabricated through our custom drapery workroom in Los Angeles, with House of Drapery personally supervising design and fabrication.
Our professional installation team then travels to Santa Barbara for installation.
Installation is where precision matters most. Even a well-made treatment can fail if it is installed poorly.
The full fourteen-step account, with photographs, is here: Our Design Process — From Your First Call to Final Installation. Installation specifics are covered in drapery installation.
Homeowners use these words interchangeably, and nothing is lost by that. In the trade they carry slightly different meanings. Curtains is the broad consumer term for fabric panels at a window, ready-made or custom. Drapery usually implies a fully specified custom treatment — measured fabrication, lining, pleating, hardware, fullness, and professional installation. Window treatments is the umbrella: drapery, curtains, Roman shades, roller and solar shades, woven shades, shutters, blinds, sheers, motorized systems, and decorative hardware.
Both “custom curtains” and “custom drapery” are useful terms when you are searching or briefing a studio. What defines the result is the construction and the function, not the label.
Yes. House of Drapery by Duroque serves Santa Barbara and surrounding communities for custom drapery and window-treatment projects. Depending on project scope, our process can include consultation, field measuring, design and specification, custom fabrication and professional installation.
No. We do not have a physical Santa Barbara showroom. We work through private consultations, including phone and virtual consultations followed by in-home consultation and field measurement for qualifying Santa Barbara-area projects. Meetings can also be arranged through our Los Angeles office.
Yes. For Santa Barbara projects moving forward, Olga personally conducts the primary in-home consultation and field measurement, and our professional installation team travels to the project for installation.
Yes. House of Drapery can provide fully custom curtain rods and drapery hardware, including custom lengths, finishes, finials, brackets, curved rods and solutions for arched windows. Custom drawings and mock-ups can also be developed when the project requires them.
Our custom drapery is fabricated through our custom drapery workroom in Los Angeles, with House of Drapery personally supervising the design and fabrication process.
There is no single fabric that is best for every Santa Barbara home. We consider sun exposure, humidity, privacy, views and how the room is used. Linen blends, sheers and appropriate performance fabrics are among the options we may consider, sometimes combined with lining or solar shades depending on the window.
It can be. Linen creates the relaxed appearance that works beautifully with many Santa Barbara interiors. Because 100% linen can respond to changes in humidity, we may specify a linen blend when greater dimensional stability is important while maintaining the character of linen.
Yes. We can specify motorized drapery systems for appropriate Santa Barbara projects. Large windows, sliding doors and wide expanses of glass are common situations where motorization may be useful. Power, track dimensions, treatment weight, stack-back and installation conditions should be considered during specification.
Sheer drapery can be an excellent starting point because it can soften light while maintaining a visual connection outdoors. Depending on sun exposure and privacy, we may also layer sheers or drapery with solar shades so the treatment can respond differently throughout the day.
Yes. House of Drapery works directly with homeowners as well as interior designers, architects and builders. Trade coordination can be especially important for motorization, ceiling pockets, custom hardware and large or unusual window conditions.
Near the water, faster than inland. We manage it three ways: a UV-stable or solution-dyed cloth where exposure is severe, proper lining and interlining, and a sheer standing in front of anything delicate. Silk in an unprotected west-facing room is the one specification we will talk you out of, however beautiful the sample looks on the table.
Yes — and the mounting decision matters far more than the cloth. In a deep plaster reveal we almost always mount outside and above the opening so the arch keeps its geometry and the stack clears the glass. Inside-mounted panels in those openings tend to look apologetic, and they eat the light you were trying to keep.
Untreated iron will show it within a season near the water. Closer to the beach in Summerland, Carpinteria, and the Santa Barbara waterfront we specify sealed or powder-coated finishes with stainless fixings — and we will say plainly when a finish you love is the wrong one for that exposure.
It is one of the most common briefs here. Ripple fold on a ceiling-mounted or recessed track is the usual answer, sized so the stack sits entirely off the opening. The detail that gets missed is at the floor: on a door used a dozen times a day, hem clearance and panel weighting are what keep the drapery looking new in year three.
Cost follows the specification, and in practice four things move it most: the size of the openings, whether you are layering two systems on one window, the cloth, and motorization. A single linen panel in a guest room is approachable; a whole-house Montecito program with sheers, blackout, and motorized tracks is a considerable investment. You receive a written proposal after the consultation, itemised so you can see where the money is going and where it can come out.
Whether you are working with us or with another studio, these are the questions worth answering before a custom drapery order is approved.
We provide custom drapery and window treatments for homes throughout the Santa Barbara area, including Santa Barbara Shores, Goleta, Montecito, Santa Ynez, Lompoc, Hope Ranch, Summerland and Carpinteria.
Because visits are scheduled rather than local, we group appointments in the area and plan them around the whole house. Tell us roughly what the scope looks like and we will find a date that lets us walk every room properly in one visit.
Santa Barbara Shores has its own considerations when we are selecting drapery and window treatments. The marine layer can bring moisture and humidity, while clearer afternoons can mean much stronger sunlight. For these homes, I look for a balance of breathability, UV protection, dimensional stability and durability while still preserving the relaxed feeling of a coastal interior.
Linen is one of my favorite looks for Santa Barbara Shores because it has that natural, relaxed quality that works beautifully with the American Riviera aesthetic. But 100% linen responds to humidity. It can expand and contract, and over time that movement can show at the hemline. When greater stability is important, I may recommend a linen-polyester or linen-cotton blend instead. You still get the character of linen, but with a more stable finished treatment. Neutral linens are especially beautiful here because they work naturally with the light, plaster, wood, stone and coastal landscape.
Sheer drapery is another treatment I frequently consider when the goal is to soften sunlight without losing an ocean or mountain view. In rooms with stronger exposure, we may layer sheers or drapery with performance solar shades so the window can respond differently throughout the day. Appropriate performance fabrics can also be a smart choice where fading, moisture or durability are concerns.
There is no single fabric or construction that is right for every coastal window. We look at the direction of the exposure, how the room is used, privacy, the view, humidity and the amount of direct sun before deciding whether the treatment should be sheer, lined, layered or made from a more performance-oriented fabric.
We do not have a physical showroom in Santa Barbara.
We work through private consultations, which allows the design process to happen where the windows actually are.
For Santa Barbara projects, we can begin with a phone or virtual consultation, followed by an in-home consultation and field measurement for qualifying projects. Meetings can also be arranged through our Los Angeles office.
We work directly with homeowners as well as interior designers, architects and builders.
Coordination is especially important for motorization, ceiling pockets, custom hardware and unusual window conditions.
Early involvement usually produces better results and fewer compromises.
Window treatments should feel like they belong to the home, not like they were added to it.
For Santa Barbara projects, that means considering light, privacy, views, architecture, fabric, hardware and installation together.
Complimentary, about ninety minutes, in your own home — with Olga Rechdouni, ASID. Bring your questions about light, views, privacy, and fabric; you will leave with a clear recommendation.
Santa Barbara projects are designed against the same written method we apply everywhere — the consultation, the walk-through, and the specification are conducted the same way whether the house is in West Hollywood or Montecito.
Begin with a private consultation. We will follow with a tailored proposal, fabric direction, and an honest opinion on what your room is asking for.
