When we first moved into our condo, the seller left blackout curtains on all the windows and, while I loved the ones in our bedroom and could live with the ones in the guest bedroom, it was clear that the living room drapery needed to come down ASAP. I mean, who wants blackout curtains in their living space?! (To be honest, I don’t want them anywhere, but Adam was thrilled to have them) One of the details that sold us on this place was the gorgeous floor to ceiling windows, so why would I block out all the light?!
SWAPPING OUT BLACKOUT CURTAINS FOR SOMETHING LIGHTER
Anyway, I knew I wanted to replace the blackout curtains with something bold and graphic, that would also let light in, and I found exactly what I was looking for in the Korben Plaid Curtain Panels from CB2. Unfortunately, when we moved in, they were back ordered for months. So, I gave up on them and found a substitute in the Target Sketched Triangle Panels. These were light, airy, and worked well enough, particularly given the budget-friendly price…until I decided to take a look at the CB2 website to see if the Korben Plaid Curtain Panels were back in stock.
And, they were…and on sale.
I sold the Target drapery on Facebook Marketplace within 48 hours of listing it. I bought all three panels for $60 and sold them for $45. I’d consider that a win — essentially I paid $15 to have them up for 9 months.
ROOM DETAILS: CB2 KORBEN PLAID CURTAIN PANEL / SPUTNIK CHANDELIER (more info on ours here!) / IKEA DOCKSTA TABLE / FAUX HIDE RUG / WEST ELM LEATHER CHAIR
UPDATING WINDOW TREATMENTS WITH GRAPHIC BATIK DRAPERY
I decided to order the Korben Plaid Curtain Panels just to try them out and to see if this black and white batik drapery would make the design impact I was imagining. But, the minute I put them up, even Adam said, “oh, yeah, those look really good.” If Adam is giving an opinion one way or another, I know I’ve found a winner.
This bold, graphic batik drapery print is printed using a traditional wax and dye technique, so each panel is just slightly different and you see the globs of dye where it dripped (which I LOVE!). But, it’s not like what I’d think of as a traditional batik print — it’s so graphic, modern, and grid-like. AND, these panels actually let in more light because the cotton is so airy.
As a note, if you’re like, “OMG, I love these!!”, and decide to order them, they do have a slightly “raw” hem. I wouldn’t call it unfinished, because it’s sewn, but some people didn’t expect it according to the reviews. I still think it has a clean-lined look.
I’ve always said that you can’t have enough print — and I particularly believe that when it comes to bold prints. As my style has evolved, I’ve realized that high-contrast is what I gravitate towards. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been using stark black and white prints in my designs. Just ask my mom about hand-painting the checkered border around my purple room with its dark, dark purple rug when I was 13 (I really wanted two purple walls and two lime green walls, but the true extent of my interior decor creativity was stifled).
And, my thought on going super bold with something like this black and white graphic batik drapery is that, if you have a window you see as a main feature in your home, like we have with this bay, framing it with attention-grabbing drapery is a way to draw everyone’s eye straight to it.
Something pretty and neutral is nice when it comes to drapery, but, if you really want to make an impact, go loud and let the light flow in.
