Thursday

Updating IKEA Ritva curtains with Greek Key Trim

I love IKEA for many reasons.  They have great, affordable finds that can easily be transformed and made to fit your own personal style.  One of my favorite IKEA finds are their curtains.  It's hard to find long curtains (95" or longer) without paying a fortune.  Most big box stores don't even carry longer lengths.  I particularly love the Ritva curtains and recommend them to a lot of my clients.  They are simple and have a nice subtle texture.  They come in a few different colors, but I prefer the white.  They can also be easily updated if you want more of a custom feel.  I don't like to make a huge commitment with my window treatments because I change my mind frequently.  I'd rather make bold choices in the small details that can easily be changed.  However, my office was starting to look a little too white.  The curtains were white, the sewing table is white, the rug is white, the filing cabinet is white...you get the idea.  So, I decided a good place to add a punch of color and pattern would be the curtains.  I started off thinking I would paint them to look something like this.



But, the more I thought about it the more I thought it might look like I just let my one year old go crazy with my curtains.  I even did a little trial run, but it did not go so well.

So, here's the before.  Really unstaged, poor photo quality, but it will make the after that much better.


I started with this premier prints fabric from fabric.com.  You'll notice it looks a little red and the white looks a little cream.  Well, something I like to do when I'm searching for fabric is to do a google image search of the fabric.  A lot of times you will find the fabric used in a home, for a pillow on Etsy, or on a blog and you can see it in different lighting and get a better feel for what it really looks like.  I did that with this fabric and found a pillow on Etsy that revealed that the fabric was much more pink/white than the fabric.com photo which is what I needed.  So, I went with it. 


 I wanted to add some greek key trim, but I couldn't find any in the color I wanted or the size I wanted and it was a little pricey.  I knew I wanted it to be wide so it would make a big impact.  So, I ordered 3 yards of fabric and just cut it into strips.  Then, I turned the edges under ironed them and pinned it to the edges of my curtains.  The trim ended up being about 4 inches wide.  I also have a decent amount of fabric leftover to use for other projects.  I ended up paying around $20 for all the fabric I needed.



And here they are all finished.  I decided to add trim to both sides of the curtain panels for added impact.  I think this would look awesome on a plain white shower curtain too.  My husband walked in and said, "oh cool, it looks like Roman times."  I said thanks?  I'll take that as a compliment and he assured me that he meant it as one.

Let me just say that taking pictures of windows is really tricky so these are a little blown out.  Cate did a  post about how to fix this with online photo editing software, but I haven't had a chance to try it out yet.



I love having a glass desk, but it leaves me with very little storage.  So, I picked up this desk drawer organizer at Garden Ridge.  The pulls were originally silver, but of course I had to spray them gold.


31 comments:

Dwell by Cheryl said...

As usual. Love it! I MUST learn how to sew. Mom tried to teach me but I wasn't a very good (i.e. attentive) student.

Unknown said...

Such a great space. Good job with the curtains!

http://allthatglitters.co.nr

Jennifer @ Dimples and Tangles said...

Wow, those look so sophisticated! That was the perfect choice. I love that fabric and would like to use it somewhere someday. I do the google search too, it really helps get an idea of the scale and color. Sometimes I'm surprised when I see it in a "real" photo at how different it looks than what I thought from the sample photo. Your office is beautiful, and I still love that amazing chair!

Marjorie said...

Ok, have to go to IKEA now!

Rita said...

Love the pop of color! I also updated my ikea curtains with a greek trim, but I used ribbon.

Shannon said...

I was literally planning on doing this to my dining room curtains this weekend! I LOVE the idea of cutting a stripe from printed fabric...so much more cost effective! Looks great!

Unknown said...

Love it! I think it adds a great touch.

Caitlin @ Desert Domicile said...

Gorgeous! Now I'm kicking myself for not getting some Ritva's when I was at IKEA last week haha

Amanda said...

Yay!!! They look awesome! Great minds think alike- here's the ones I did last year - but I was lazy and did a no sew version. Lol! http://www.amandacarolathome.com/2012/06/diy-greek-key-trimmed-drapery.html#comment-form

Julia@Cuckoo4Design said...

I love the entire look and I'm a huge fan of Ikea curtains too. My favorite are the Merete. Where did you get the gold curtain rods. Love them!

Kat said...

I really love this idea. I have the same fabric but in the navy blue color. I was going to make curtains out of the fabric but like the idea of using it as trim on pre-made curtains better! Really clever of you!

pam {simple details} said...

Amazing job giving those Ikea panels a high-end custom look! Great idea, I love the width and the bigger and bolder statement than traditional sized greek key trim! And that chair, I die!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Thank you! You definitely should learn, it's so easy and there's so many things you can make!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Thank you so much! The google thing really does help!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

That's a great idea too!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Great minds think alike :) Can't wait to see how yours turn out!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

I love your curtains! I don't know why I never realized yours were made out of fabric too!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Thanks Julia! I love the Merete ones too, they have so many great choices! I couldn't find gold curtain rods so I just spraypainted the ones that I already had.

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Thank you! That chair was a lot of work, but totally worth it!

Soul Pretty said...

Wow, they turned out great.

www.soulpretty.etsy.com
www.soulpretty.blogspot.com

Soul Pretty said...

Wow, they turned out great.

www.soulpretty.etsy.com
www.soulpretty.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

You are a genius! I love your work, and I'm always learning something new! Blogless Peggy

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Lo

Dwellings by DeVore said...

How did you sew the trim on without closing up the end of where the curtain slides on the rod?
Also, might be really random, but where did you get your clock screen saver??

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Hi, it's my first time on your blog and I may say I'm very impressed with everything you do. Totally loved this project and I think I'm gonna do the same in my living room.

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Thanks, it was such a fun project to do and made such a difference!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Pam at Simple Details sent me. This is exactly the type of treatment I have been hunting for. Love it!!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Hello! I do projects like these all the time! I love your blog!!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

Thanks so much!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

I had to re-visit this post because I'd love to do this! Thinking of a little living room curtain switch up for the summer, and this trim would be perfect. But, I commented so you would look back at this photo of cute E... she's so little!

Dwellings by DeVore said...

It's hard to believe how much she's grown, time sure does fly!

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