Think Outside the Box with Custom Cornice Design

Sunshine Drapery sliding glass doors window treatment

"Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union." -Frank Lloyd Wright

Cornicesare the ultimate expression of the "union" of form and function. Cornices made from wood or fabric integrate all your windows seamlessly into the character of a room and reflect the overarching style of your home. The sky is the limit with options for your window cornices - matching or contrasting styles, hard or soft, not to mention limitless choices in texture, color and size.

What's your Cornice?

There is something naked, cold and bare about an unadorned window. Adding cornices brings warmth and unity to common areas over kitchen and bay windows. Cornices on windows in all your bedroom and bathrooms not only bring elegance, but an added sense of security. Choose your cornice style by considering the overriding feeling of your home:

Are your floors, walls and ceilings all covered in dark hardwood? If so, consider adding soft cornices with lightweight fabrics and uplifting colors.
If your walls are predominantly white and unadorned, wood or fabric cornices will serve you equally well - cornice designs in this case can augment important furnishings (like choosing a red-laquer wood cornice to match the kitchen cabinets, for example).
Bedrooms tend to be aesthetically "busy" with flowery wallpaper and mix-matched furniture. A soft flowing and simply patterned cornice will tone down the aesthetic volume, relaxing the eyes and the mind in your personal spaces.

Form and Function, Seamless Unity Throughout

Function is never an afterthought when it comes to window treatments. A sustainable energy website published by the Australian Governmentclaims untreated windows lose ten times more heat than a solid wall. Warm air circulating in a room is drawn toward the colder window surface where it gets chilled and re-circulated as cold air throughout the room. The number one solution to persistent and expensive heat loss from windows is the addition of a cornice!

"Reduce heat loss through windows and save money on your winter heating bills. Appropriate window protection creates an insulating layer of still air on the inside of the glass. This can be achieved by the addition of thick curtains and a pelmet."

Pelmet is another word for valence or cornice - but we have found the term cornice means so much more than just a window box that hides your curtain rods. Cornices can be custom designed to match the character of your home, to add that special "je ne sais quoi" to your living room, to bring comfort and safety to a bedroom.

Sunny Protection

Another added "practical" benefit of a well designed cornice is protection. On the "sunny-side" of your cornice you have a thick layer of batting or wood that blocks the sun's harmful, bleaching effect on fabrics and upholstery. If you are considering installing cornices on south-facing windows that get the most exposure throughout the day, adding extra depth to the cornice covering is the best policy. If maintaining the life and vibrant colors of curtains is a concern, cornices can be built that protect your curtains from the inside of the box. When it comes to cornices, don't feel limited by generic box-styles and bland palettes. Make your cornices the talked-about accent pieces of your home - check out our website for more inspiration.