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Ricci Lee Ingram Charlene ingram Jabot Interiors West Vancouver

This West Vancouver Window Coverings Company is run by a Mother and Daughter

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Jabot Interiors is a family business.

Inspired by her grandparents’ home and decorating style, the owner of Jabot Interiors, Charlene Ingram, appreciated design even from a young age. After attending design school and spending a few years at companies that specialized in window coverings, she had the confidence to go out on her own and open up Jabot Interiors in West Vancouver.

Jabot Interiors West Vancouver

Charlene opened Jabot over twenty five years ago, on April Fool’s Day in 1990. It’s definitely no joke; her shop is even still located in the same place as when she first opened. She’s watched the neighbourhood grow and change, and seen businesses come and go. Their boutique showroom is located in Dundarave Village, an area that has become a place where people come to gather and socialize.

Charlene started out offering just custom window coverings, which is the main part of her business, but naturally progressed into offering interior design and custom furniture as well. When asked about her favourite part of owning her own business, Charlene claims it is “the freedom of making choices and decisions of your own.”

Ricci-Lee Ingram & Charlene Ingram

In 1999, Charlene hired on her daughter, Ricci Lee, as her Assistant. She later became her Office Manager–and finally, a Design Consultant.

Ricci grew up around interior design, and spent many hours with her Mom at her shop in West Vancouver, helping her with ideas and playing in the showroom. She was still in school when her Mom offered her a job, and she thought she would try it out. Ricci claims she learned everything she knows from her Mom, “but the biggest thing is her positive attitude and great work ethic, I would like to think that a little of that rubbed off on me,” she says.

Working with family can be tough at times, but both Charlene and Ricci Lee thrive on it. They love that they can always be honest with each other, and no feelings are hurt. The only downfall? Too much shop talk interferes with their mother/daughter downtime. Understandable when you are running your own business!

If you’re interested in getting to know a little bit more about this mother daughter design team, or want to discuss custom window coverings, custom furnishings, or learn more about their work, just fill out the form on the Contact page. Either Charlene or Ricci Lee will get back to you as soon as possible.

Jabot Window Coverings and Interiors Vancouver

A Guide to Choosing the Perfect Window Treatments for your Home

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There are so many decisions to make when choosing window treatments… where do you begin?

All of the choices can be overwhelming (like are you wanting functional window treatments or decorative ones?), which is why we’re here to help.

Colour

Whatever window treatments you choose, they need to match the room, but you have two options to consider: do you want your curtains to blend in with the room, or do you want them to be the main focal point? If you’re blending to match the room, you can just choose a colour a few shades darker than the walls. You also have to consider where the sun shines in, and if you are using unlined curtains, it will change the look of the room. Sun will also eventually fade the fabric, too. If your room gets a lot of light, a bright colour might not be the best idea.

Jabot Window Coverings and Interiors Vancouver

Fabric

Your fabric should match the theme, or mood of the room. For a casual space, you can choose billowy linen curtains, or a for a more formal space, you can opt for velvet, or heavy silk. More practical options are rayon, cotton, or a wool blend, that can all work with most types of decor. But Linen, silk, faux silk, and velvet tend to hang the best.

Length

Floor-length, and even touching the floor, is usually the way to go, or hovering half an inch above the floor will look clean and tailored. Don’t go too short; it will look awkward. You can also opt for a longer curtain, that breaks at the floor–this is a more traditional look. They can be anywhere from one to six inches extra in length to drape on the floor.

Jabot Window Coverings and Interiors Vancouver

Width

Width is just as important as length! There are a few exceptions, like if you don’t plan to close the curtains, but generally they should have a combined width that is 2 to 2½ times the width of the window. If you want the curtains to block out the sun, a few extra inches on either side of the window frame will help block out the light.

Lining

If you’re looking to block out the light and create some privacy, lined curtains are what you’re after. They’ll also shield your curtains from fading from the sun, and protect against drafts. There is also something called interlining, too, which is an extra layer of fabric sewn in between the lining and fabric that faces the room. This is an option if you want the light completely blocked out, and the maximum amount of insulation as possible. If you’re doing custom curtains, interlining is an option, but if you’re opting for ready-made curtain panels, it may not be an available option.

Jabot Window Coverings and Interiors Vancouver

Tiebacks

Do you want to pull the curtains aside for more light, for a beautiful view, or for a more formal look? Then yes, opt for tiebacks. A simple option is tying the curtain in the centre of the window with matching fabric or a ribbon, or pulling them aside with a fabric tieback that matches the curtain. Ropes and tassels can offer a fancier look.

There are so many things to consider, which is why you should trust a professional. Contact us to book an appointment, or drop into our shop in West Vancouver.

Drapery Do’s and Don’t’s

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Custom draperies are one of the best options for decorating your rooms. But there are a lot of things to consider before you invest a considerable amount of money on custom draperies. It is a good idea to really communicate with your decorator/designer so they know what you want and you know what to expect. Here, we discuss some thumb rules for choosing your custom drapery.

Do’s:

Measure
Custom drapes should fit perfectly to your window and for that, you need to make the drapes of correct length. Otherwise, it might look out of place and completely destroy the look of the room.

Choose your lining
It is important to choose a lining based on the type of fabric you have chosen. Some fabrics don’t look as nice with light filtering through so make sure you look at that before you make the drape. Silks and linens can break down in harsh sunlight so make sure you use the right protective lining so you get the longevity out of them. If you are doing a side panel that is half on the wall and half over the window then consider lining it in a room darkening fabric so that when you look at it the fabric looks consistent, half of it isn’t dark and the other half light where the light filters through.

custom drapes Vancouver

Custom drapes installed in a Vancouver home

Don’t’s:

Hanging the drapery rod too low
This is a very common mistake and will cause your room look smaller. If you hang the drapes to their recommended height, you will draw the eye up and make the room look as tall as possible.

Not enough ease
Your drapes should hang freely and not look like they are stretched to their limit. Drapes are supposed to hang relaxed. If you are just doing a side panel and not a fully closing drape then add in some extra width so you can stack it back a little and make it look like it does close.

Other things to keep in mind

How a fabric hangs
Some fabrics “billow” when you use them for draperies and some fabrics wrinkle so make the one you choose is the right one for your room. Linens usually wrinkle, so avoid them if you want wrinkle free drapes.

At Jabot Interiors, we can help you choose the right, and cost effective drapes, for your home in Greater Vancouver. Call us for any interior design related queries today.