Windows Week, Part 1: Cornices Anew

Friends are like windows

through which you see out

into the world

and back into yourself.

If you don't have friends

you see much less than you otherwise might.

~Merle Shain

Although today is USA's National Pie Day, as promised, today I kick off Windows Week here in the Loop.  Let's get right to it, shall we?, and state that I'm shopping the house as much as I can after moving for the twentieth time in thirty years of marriage.

Yes. You read that right.

Today I'm treating the windows in my hubby's Manila office.  These office windows provide such a lovely view, don't you think?

You're looking into two townhouse garages.

Because
(1) of the breathtaking scenery, and
(2) my husband enjoys as much natural sunlight as possible in his office,

I changed out the window treatments from this

September 2011,

BEFORE our furniture arrived from Guam

and this

October 2011

to this

December 2011

and this!

December 2011

Here's how I did it.  Remember, I'm shopping the house.

First, I removed the filthy Roman shades from the office windows.  I didn't record their images, but to give you an idea of the smog we deal with here in Manila, Philippines, this is what the kitchen's Roman shades looked like after they came down.

Terribly impractical in Manila, Smogland, agreed?

The owners left these here for us to 'enjoy.'

Next, I washed the office windows.

Cast your eyes on the water.

This is what it looked like as I got started!

On Guam, where we lived previous to moving to Manila, my husband's office, below, possessed a single window which I corniced in this masculine Hawaiian tropical print barkcloth (palm leaves; no orchids) in shades of brown, tan and a soft green.

Guam office, circa 2008-

definitely larger than his present Manila office

So, shopping the house, I not only used the Guam office cornice, I also used this one, below, from the Guam dining room-- a cornice that would have otherwise sat in storage here in Manila.

Guam dining room, circa 2008

{I miss our stackable $5/piece garage sale chairs:

I finally gave 'em away the other day.)

Fortunately I had plenty of leftover barkcloth fabric from when I covered the Guam office cornice.

To cut the cornices down to size, I peeled back the fabric and batting of the original Guam office cornice.  (Hot Lips and I have been making cornices since the late '80s, so we can practically do this stuff blindfolded.)

The original Guam dining room cornice, below, possessed two layers of batting (polyester batting next to the wood; cotton batting over the polyester) under dreamy, creamy ecru burlap. I peeled off only the burlap.

My honey cut the cornices down to their correct sizes and, with their original screws, reattached the ends.  At left, below, you can see the naked end of a cornice, leaning against the wall, awaiting its new garment.

With my staple gun, I covered the cornices with the barkcloth and then we hung them up. And that's how I gave my husband's office cornices anew!

The matchstick shades were custom made for us in the province: P600 (about $15) per piece.  Oh, yeah!  They

(1) don't block the view completely,

(2) allow light, and

(3) add a tropical element to the window treatment, which I think coordinates with the cornices.

In just a matter of weeks, a very hot sun will be heating up this room via their West windows.  Hmm.  Hot Lips might want/need me to line the shades then. Thanks to my staple gun, that'll be a piece o' cake!

Tomorrow, Windows Week, Part 2: Downsala Drama

Linking to Creative Bloggers Party Hop 01.22.12!