The Custom Drapery Process — From Consultation to Installation
Six to twenty weeks, six discrete stages — how a project moves from first measurement to final dressing of the folds.
Every project the studio accepts moves through the same six stages: consultation, site survey, specification, fabrication, installation, and dressing. Skipping any one of them is the most common reason a custom drapery program disappoints.
Consultation is private and on site. Olga Rechdouni walks the home, reads the architecture, and discusses how each room is used. No fabric is opened on a first consultation; the conversation is about rooms and light.
Site survey follows. Every opening is measured to a fixed standard — finished floor to track height, glass width to outside trim, return depth at the wall. Measurements are taken twice, by two people, and recorded against shop drawings.
Specification is the document the project lives by. Pleat style, fullness, lining, interlining, hardware, mounting, and motorization are all written before fabric is cut. The client approves the specification and the shop drawings in a single meeting.
Fabrication is studio work. Panels are cut, hand-tacked, interlined, lined, and weighted in the workroom. Most projects fabricate in three to six weeks; estate-scale programs run longer.
Installation is the studio's own team — never a sub-contracted installer. Tracks are mounted, motors are commissioned, and panels are hung the same week.
Dressing of the folds is the final step. Each panel is steamed in place, the folds are walked by hand, and the drapery is left to relax under fold tape for forty-eight hours. The project is photographed and the keys are returned.