It looks nice to me. What is the name of your granite? it's very nice.

Do you love red? I thought Sarah Richardson made a good point (in her farmhouse kitchen remodel) when she said, if she used red in the space, all the other rooms would have to bow down to red.

So, if you love red and want pops of red in the rooms, I think it will be great! If you're not sure, maybe something more like the beige and brown (love the pattern) and go with red accessories...that you can change with the seasons, or if you want a different look. HTH :)

I think LL has a great point. A Suzani is a great direction--it's hip and mod, but obviously, it's also an ancient pattern and so has an affinity for old houses. But the curtains you pick for that window are going to define the palette for that entire part of your house. Are your Ready for Red? Are you Ready to Commit?

Or would you want to look for a similar pattern, with different dominant colors?

I like the colors, but agree about the pattern. That big red circle kind of ruins it. Keep looking for the same type of print in the same colors. I think you are on the right track.

I dunno. Maybe it's my new monitor. The old, perfectly calibrated one bit it, and the current is unpredictable. The red on my screen has a lot of rusty undertones that look like they'll pair well with the cabinetry, rather than something like a strong Chinese or Turkey red that would elbow its way into every conversation.

The location is so open to what appears to be where most people sit? So using a bold pattern with a strong color is going to pull the eye--but so will the light and the view. I don't think that's necessarily bad.

While it is true that red can need balancing, it's also true that red can stand alone.

I think the fabric is great. Remember, unless you usually keep your blinds all the way down, it's going to be pleated, and there will be breaks and shadows in the large sections. I think this fabric is great, and will work.

.... Though it will make your pendant disappear. It is so understated that anything bold will, however.

I like it...a lot actually. It will draw your eye to the windows and if that's not what you want, you should perhaps reconsider something more sedate. But if you don't mind losing some of the focus on the more subtle charms of your pendant and granite...go for it. And as plllog says, unless your shades are down, there won't be that much of it showing, so it will end up being less dramatic than a full swath of it is.

Will there be two romans on the double window or one? If one, will there be only a single circle or a number of circles on the shade which overlap the borders? If two, would you pair them exactly or would you randomize the pattern? If the circles were not at same drop and if a different portion of the circle appears on each, would that make a difference? Would the fabric design allow this?

If you keep coming back to this, what draws you--circles? browns? proportion? regularity of pattern? the background? audacity?

For what it's worth, Crate and Barrel is making new goods from 1970s-era Marimekko fabric lines from Finland. Many are "supergraphics." Sateen cotton. I'm making my romans from three tablecloths in one of their Marimekko re-issues, once DH lets me (needs to finish the window frames first). Here's a less assertive fabric in "platinum" and white, a duvet for $65 which might suffice for all your windows.

Your choice will definitely work, but it's more aggressive if the circles are very big.

Here is a link that might be useful: a Marimekko fabric on Crate & Barrel website

I really love it! If you're worried about it being too much, could you do a co-ordinate? I love fabric. I like the energy (for lack of a better word) that your space gives off. Great light, I like the low piece that spans the wall in the background.

A number of other assorted choices on somewhat smaller scale than your sample...based on idea of larger print that uses colors in kitchen photo. There are so very many choices that your problem is culling the options. Have not included many reds--not sure if you meant us to focus on red or the circle in your sample. Have fun stormin' the castle!

Waverly Canvas On Course Stripe Anchor $17/yd

{{gwi:1907631}}

Richloom Oslo Bluebird (also comes in other colorways including maroonish-red with startling orangey brown and blues)--have seen at JoAnn Fabrics also, I believe. $18.98 Fabric.com, $13/yd Maryjos.com

repeat is 8 inches. "Wave Hill" mushroom. $8/yd DeverFabrics.com

$10/yd UG-487 Waverly Beach Umbrella Panther fabric.com

$10/yd fabrics.com UH-720 Waverly Leaf Garland Panther or Honeydew or Spa

{{gwi:1907636}} Close to the palette of the print you posted, but smaller scale Richloom Trendsetter Manhattan $17/yd

{{gwi:1907637}} $21/yd Denverfabrics.com

Richloom Trendsetter Manhattan $18/yd fabrics.com

Waverly Circular Motion Tuxedo Fabric.com $16/yd

Waverly "So Silhouette" Tuxedo $16/yd Fabric.com

I think florantha deserves a gift certificate for Googling effort.

Those are pretty cool.

Wow, you guys are great!

EMH, it's called Golden Crema. I also found it called Crema Romanzo and Golden Delicatus. I think these places just make up names.

LL, I don't know that I love red, but I don't mind it. I'm not sure I have any color I truly love. Although my daughter will say that black is my fav color because that's all I wear.

I do have a Dobag rug in front of the fridge and another in the family room (where that 3rd window is) that I really like and that will stay. Here's what it looks like

and its in front of the fridge

I think i'm liking the Suzani direction for the reasons Marcolo stated - kind of hip & current, but an ancient pattern. I like the Ikat's too.

pllog,melissa, right - since it is for Roman shades, I won't ever see the whole big red circle. I won't ever pull the shades down. I really could care less if the elderly Chinese couple next door sees us cook. It is more rusty than bright Chinese red - the local fabric shop near me has it in their window so I've visited it in person. The smaller circle is definitely a rust that matches the rust (caramel) in the granite. And the cream background is the same as the granite.
Yeah it will probably make the pendant disappear, won't it? The pendant actually has red about 1/4" all around the bottom. I wanted a bolder one but this was the only one my husband liked.

Florantha, wow, thanks! It will be 2 shades within the window frame. I hadn't even thought about randomizing the pattern. Would you? I didn't even think out of the symmetrical box! I should stop in C&B - that Marimekko is cool. I remember them having a pretty good selection of fabrics for purchase too at their design center (if it is still in that store downtown!)

Mikomum, thanks! There were more windows in the original plan, but when the costs came in, we got rid of the required steel beam and went for shear wall instead. Those windows are south facing so the light is good all year/all day long. The piece in the back is more kitchen cabinets, although with small knobs rather than large pulls, 27" deep to hide the stereo equipment.

Yes! Florantha does deserve a gift certificate! I like the birds! And the brown with red flowers one! (maybe I do like red ;) The grey/black/white ones might work perhaps, but for some reason don't seem warm enough to me? (But what do I know, I'm really bad at this stuff...)

I also failed to mention that I planted a tree outside that window. The kitchen is like 1 story (almost) up, so eventually we will have greenery visible in the lower part of those window. It won't get tall enough to block any light, but will be bright green. I forgot the name of the kidn of tree, but they are pretty common here. It's got very small leaflets on willow like branches.

In today's Horchow catalog:

A trend?

Just a thought: I recorded something on HGTV yesterday, and the recorded shows always have a bit of the previous show on the recording. Whatever the previous show was, they'd installed "relaxed Roman shades" on the windows. "Relaxed" in this case meant droopy-uneven bunchy swags hanging between the pulls. My first thought was that someone had messed up in making them, but evidently that was the look they were going for. Not a look I'd care for personally.

Thinking of how your fabric would look in (a well made) Roman shade in the up position, I think it would be great. Roman shades often have the last 4" (?) or so of fabric hanging flat, so all the color would show in a portion of the pattern. I think this would give a bold vibe with all that great color and pattern. The similar colors, different pattern fabric florantha found would be much the same with some black added. The stripes would be another bold statement, just a different one. Looking at your throw rugs, I'd guess that bold suits you and you should go with it.

I like your fabric choice, and can see the bold pattern working very well if the shade is down. I wonder, though, whether it would look as good folded up. It *might* give you unbalanced color blotches, without the rhyme and reason you see to the pattern when the fabric is flat. I don't know; I'd personally only be able to tell by folding the fabric to check.

Florantha's pick with the large red flowers could, when folded up, give you something of the boldness, but also a better color distribution.

(I've also just begun the fabric search for shades, so I'm right with you on being overwhelmed by the number of choices!)

I recently completed roman shades for my kitchen, so I sympathize with you! I really never intended to leave them down but have found they are great for keeping the heat out in the morning, so they get more use than I expected. If you are making them yourself, you can decide how deep the drop is and thus ensure you like the pattern that is created when they are up.

When I was searching, I found that most designers of roman shades were recommending a recurring pattern, because of effect when the blinds are up. I love the one on the link here. Good luck!!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Drapery Shop-DC

[Thanks for the awards but I see that I failed to type all the fine details for putting in the missing code to show even more samples. I'm not much good at posting photos--this is a challenge for me that I rarely take time to do any more. But I love looking at fabrics and talking about them.]

I don't know if I would "randomize" if your original pick has a strong side-to-side regularity. It's a bit of trouble to lay out all your romans to match the pattern drop but this will pay off well if the pattern has a drop. Otherwise, visitors sit at the table and muse as to why the sewer didn't do it. But you can choose different aspects of the pattern to center on the shade. I don't know the scale of your circles so I'm guessing here and assuming they are big. You could put partial-circles on each outside, or center a circle in the middle of each shade, or, if you want a real challenge, make the two inner edges line up half-circles to form a circle when both shades are down. On the far wall I'd center things but match the drop of the double shade.

"Suzani" is a new word to me, but I'm learning that it's the name of a kind of pattern I've seen for a long time. Yes it's in decorating mags a lot right now, in all sorts of colorways and textures and sizes and uses. Often I see original suzani items in jarring color combos including a fluorescent maroon--definitely not American Gothic. I like the suzani muse--a gypsy, out-of-time feeling. Marimekko picked up on them in 1960s but made them in Scandinavian crayon-box colors which really changed their presence. The colors of your sample on my screen are brown, tan, red-orange, not real red. Would be good with your stuff and esp with the sofa.

One look that I'm seeing frequently in high-end decorating photos is solid color bands on roman shades. Either across bottom or paralleling the sides or both. This wouldn't give much benefit to a stand-out print like yours above, but it would allow humble, cheaper fabrics to be used to great effect. That "circular motion" b&w above would have a very different feel if it had trimming bands of, say, screaming turquoise.

If you don't plan to lower your shades you can save money by finding a cheaper print that just adds color, but the print you have shown is a real knock-out which demands to be lowered, at the least when it's cold (or hot?) outside.

Suzannes1: I agree that the floppy bottom roman shades seem sloppy. I keep reading about "relaxed romans" being trendy, but I feel the need to go adjust them when I see them in photos.

Chiming in belatedly: I think that fabric would look swell, marcydc. The muted palette offsets the scale of the print. Plus I love the vibe, sort of William Morris reinterpreted for the 21st century.

I would probably drive myself crazy by trying to center the pattern over each window and align it horizontally, but you clearly can do better.

I'm thinking I might just go get it and try it. It's not that huge of a mistake that I would be out a fortune like a bad granite choice or something! I could take make pillows out of it and donate them and come out ahead maybe at tax time :)

I did find a big picture of the print in the "grape" flavor as opposed to this "clove" one. I think it looks kind of cool on that older traditional style bench she did.

pllog! - thanks for Horchow. Maybe I am trendy?!

I wasn't going to do relaxed, but traditional I think. I have the weight for the bottom. I think I'll be laying it out to determine how the folds look and how much flat part at the top to leave.

Yes, nmerg, its overwhelming. It's hard in the stores, but even more so if you expand your looking a bit to online. Then you can click for hours and not getting anything more than more confused!

Thanks honor, for weighing in! I probably will have to spend 8 hours on aligning :) It is a 27" repeat.

Grape one:

Here is a link that might be useful: Blog about the bench with a Suzani on it

seeing it in scale on the bench, I really think that will be stunning as a window treatment. When you said the circle would be as big as the window, I was envisioning a 5 foot circle! And you are right, you can always change it if you don't like it. I think that will look really pretty, though. Can't wait to see how it looks!