Inspiration from travels in London, Brighton and historic homes in England

“More is more and less is a bore!” declared fashion and textile maven Iris Apfel, quoted in the Paris Review, and who died last year at age 102. Iris would have enjoyed tagging along with Calico’s Jan Jessup who recently visited museums in London and country houses along the Thames valley in England. Iris and her husband Carl started a business, Old World Weavers, to sell splendid designer fabrics, also reproducing historic textiles for the White House and other notable interiors. Jan found beaucoup maximalist window treatments in these grand interiors and knew that Iris would have embraced these luxe fabrics!

THE WALLACE COLLECTION, LONDON

The Wallace Collection in the Marylebone neighborhood of London features interiors that are as over-the-top as the old master paintings and decorative arts within this wonderful museum! The tasseled cornices and draperies of emerald damask are accented with heavy tapes and trims, plus bespoke tiebacks the size of small wine bottles.

The Wallace Collection is a national museum housing masterpieces of painting, sculpture, furniture, porcelain, arms and armour from the 15th to the 19th centuries. They are displayed in 25 galleries such as that below, with walls covered in a silk floral stripe moiré that complements the French paintings and antiques sold off in the early 1800s after the French Revolution.

This museum has a fascinating history, as its founder left the collection to his illegitimate son and the son’s wife in 1870. Upon their deaths around 1890, the Wallace Collection was bequeathed to the nation and opened to the public in 1900. Other rooms feature Dutch art (Rembrandt and Franz Hals), and there is an entire room of Canaletto and Guardi paintings of Venice. For art lovers, it’s a must-see if in London!

ROYAL PAVILION AT BRIGHTON

Just an hour’s train ride from London is the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, a fantasy pleasure palace built for King George IV, who ruled from 1811-1830 (his father, George III, lost the American colonies in the Revolutionary War). Designed in an Indo-Oriental style with exotic onion domes, minarets and pinnacles, Brighton was a seaside retreat and also a discreet location for liaisons with George IV’s long-time companion, Maria Fitzherbert.

The exterior of the Pavilion resembles the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, India, reflecting the 19th-century British fascination with South Asia. This exotic palace cost a small fortune—and George’s profligate spending, gambling and debauched lifestyle made him a subject of ridicule and contempt by both Parliament and the public. Today we might call him the King of Bling!

The Saloon at Brighton was a formal reception room where King George would mingle with guests before dining together in the Banqueting Room. The Saloon was designed to impress, coming from the ‘When You Think You’re Done, Add More’ school of decor.

The Saloon features three windows lavished in a crimson and gold silk jacquard, with massive swags and jabots dripping with heavy tasseled fringe. Recent discoveries of a 200-year old fabric sample and other fragments enabled a recreation of the pattern and fabrication of these draperies.

The dramatic interior of the Music Room at Brighton is an explosion of Chinoiserie, the work of royal decorator Frederick Crace. Music was one of George IV’s great passions and he loved to play for his guests and conduct his private band. This room was designed to shimmer at night when it was most used to dazzling effect.

Talk about layered window treatments! These magnificent satin swags and jabots are festooned with gilded dragons and silvered serpents. The chandeliers were inspired by lotus plants.

BASILDON PARK

A magnificent country estate near Reading, Basildon Park was built by a British gentleman who made a fortune in Bengal, India in the 1770s after joining the East India Company. Upon returning to England, he commissioned this Palladian style house with Adamesque interiors—settings you may recognize from the movies Pride & Prejudice (with Keira Knightly) plus scenes from the series Downton Abbey and Bridgerton.

The windows in the Octagon Drawing Room overlook a verdant landscape with neo-classic columns and cornices embellished with gold leaf to frame the view. Swags and jabots sit atop the drapery panels on the two side windows—and soften the light of the arched central window. It’s unusual to see jabots cascading from architectural cornices, bedecked with large tassels as well. These curtains were originally made for the state rooms of Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of Winston Churchill.

Another view of the Octagonal Drawing Room at Basildon Park at left. And at right, one of the magnificent window treatments in the Green Drawing Room. It’s unusual to see jabots that cascade on both sides toward a central drop. Mario Buatta would have loved these!

FARINGDON COLLECTION – private residence, Kensington, London

The owners of this private home shared their grand art collection—also on display at their country estate, Buscot Park, a National Trust property in Oxfordshire—with Jan’s tour group. While the art was indeed stellar, the window treatments in the master bedroom were eye-catching and beautifully detailed:

SWAGS, JABOTS & DRAPERIES MADE BY CALICO

Although these maximalist window treatments are suited for grand estates and ultra elegant rooms, Calico designers can create custom swags that will add personality and style to living spaces of any scale. Whether you prefer the formal look of a classic pleated swag or love an eye-catching asymmetrical swag, we offer several swag styles to suit your home and style preferences. In addition, below are updated window treatments that play off swag styling:

The PLEATED BUSTLE SWAG enhances drapery panels and can be trimmed with tape, tassels or fringe:

A RELAXED SWAG over drapery panels frames the view, balanced by another window on the right side of the fireplace:

An EMPIRE VALANCE has the soft, sculptural lines of a swag—shown here with a contrast lining and welting to enhance the bells of the valance:

Below, a workroom seamstress adjusts the pleating on a CLASSIC SWAG, board-mounted to be installed above a window. At right, a CLASSIC SWAG AND JABOTS are finished with a pom-pom trim. From maximalism to minimalism, traditional to contemporary, Calico’s custom workrooms create unique window treatments that are made just for you. And they are guaranteed to fit perfectly!