My Old Curtains
Are you one of those people who cannot bear to throw anything out? Will it come in useful one day? You just don’t know when? Do you keep things because they belonged to your mother, or to a favourite aunt, and so they have a sentimental value? Are you running out of space?
The fact is that you can’t keep everything. It is not just the physical space you need to reclaim but the psychological space. Believe it or not, you have an emotional investment in everything you own.
Let’s use my house as an example. Much of the furniture, many of the paintings and some of the curtains belonged to my parents. There are even one or two pieces that belonged to my grandmother.
The curtains that hang in my living room and dining room were chosen by my father in the 1980s. They were interlined and made by hand by Liberty and so were of the very best quality – a quality not often seen nowadays except when you order them specifically from your interior designer. My mother gave them to me ten years ago and I altered them to suit the size of my windows. This in itself was an enormous task but well worth the effort. I have always like the colour and pattern - Chinese dragons. I imagine my great aunt had some say in their selection, as she liked all things Chinese. I don’t believe she did, but nevertheless it is a connection I make.
In their place now hang a pair of silk embroidered curtains and a blind in a striped fabric which picks out the colours from the embroidered fabric. There are three scatter cushions (embroidered fabric) and two bolster cushions (striped fabric) on the sofa. The sofa was my mother’s. It is still extremely comfortable and so I invested in having it recovered a couple of years ago in an orange corduroy. I am very pleased with all the fabrics as I love bright colours.
The blind has replaced a pair of curtains and the effect is tidier and gives the impression of more space. It looks plush because I used a heavy duty interlining inside. The blind has changed the ambience of the whole room. It is less fussy and looks like an awning when drawn up. I am very pleased with the change because it marks the introduction of my own taste into the room. The lining of the old curtains has deteriorated after exposure to 25 years of sunlight. I was thinking of re-hanging them in my own bedroom, newly redecorated in tones of cream to brown. Their colouring is more appropriate than the yellow curtains currently hanging there, but now I think about the lining I am reviewing my decision. I still feel a certain reluctance to throw the old curtains out even though relining them would be a lot of work.
I am reluctant because I hate waste and l like to reuse and recycle. But a second, perhaps more important reason, is their connection to the past. There comes a point where letting go is essential and also beneficial.
As an interior designer I understand it is a difficult process for clients when they renovate their homes even though the new space will be filled with something new and more appropriate to their current lifestyle. Changing your home is not just about bringing in the new, it is also about letting go of the past.
A good interior designer helps their client’s through a sometimes painful process – parting with the past - and makes selecting the new enjoyable.