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Design Detail: Leading Edges


Whether in a bedroom, a living room or even a bathroom, a beautiful set of curtains can bring just as much to a scheme as the furniture.

When it comes to curtains, the devil really is in the detail. A ‘leading edge’ is the border of the curtain which meets in the centre of the window. It can become a feature in its own right and it’s these tiny details that can capture the imagination and make a room interesting.

At Crosby Street Hotel’s Crosby Suite, a leading edge is trimmed with a bronze beading which adds a handmade and tactile quality to the scheme.

At The Soho Hotel, a geometric indigo blue fabric along the leading edge of a crisp white curtain draws the eye to the sunlight flooding through the impressive windows. This Jim Thompson fabric edging looks just as good on a fabric trim as it does on a lampshade, and echoes the smart blues and graphic patterns throughout the scheme.

In the Townhouse at Haymarket Hotel we wanted to create a curtain which lends warmth to the scheme, whilst highlighting the room’s best features, the stunning floor-to-ceiling Regency windows.

We always sit curtains back from the window so that every ounce of natural light can come into the room. The leading edges of the curtains in ‘Paisley Parrot’ by Soane are given a playful detail with the wriggly trim by Samuel and Sons. The French Jumbo trim works well either by itself, or even doubled up in different colours, as we have here with a striking contrast of black and white.

In room 501 at Crosby Street Hotel, the scheme’s magic is made from charming patterns, rich textures and varying hues of yellow and blue. For the curtains we have used our ‘Tasha’s Trip’ design for Christopher Farr Cloth and included a leading edge with Molly Mahon’s ‘Luna’ fabric. Separating each design, is leather piping in a contrasting colour of buttery yellow. Explore this space further here.

Curtains can often be overlooked as purely functional but there is so much more you can do. Finding the perfect fabric is only part of the job, it’s how you finish a curtain that really creates the end result and adds depth to a scheme.

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