Drapery & Window Covering Blog

Before Design comes Function

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I recently spent a weekend at The Empire Hotel across from Lincoln Center. It's a beautiful hotel in a great location. Of course, the first things I pay attention to is the drapery and most often I am disappointed. Not this time! At least at first glance.

From a design perspective this is an interesting design and a clever solution. It is a two layer treatment, which helps with light control and acoustics. Remember this is noisy New York City. What is especially clever is the curved grommet drapery. The reason for the curved rod is for the full length panels to close in front of the heating unit. I also like how the ceiling brackets allow the rod to clear the ceiling obstructions.

Behind the panels is a blackout lined Roman Shade with a Clutch Mechanism. A good choice, but poorly made. The shades in my room needed repair because of the light weight, residential hardware used.

The problem with this treatment is when the drapery panels are closed, the heating unit is covered, trapping the air behind the drapery. This is a great example of how design was considered before function.