Calendar: Save the Date Historic Homes, Museums & Gardens Subscribe Here For Our Weekly Email Newsletters Enter your email in the field below and you will be subscribed to the Rural Intelligence General Newsletter. Check RI Recommends and you'll be subscribed to that Newsletter as well. Subscribe Here For Our Weekly Newsletters! Get The New App! View past House articles. View all past Style articles. [See more House articles] Decorate Like A Pro: Custom Curtains by Kristen Foster Bedding for Carolyne Roehm by curtain maker Kristen Foster of Falls Village Interior designers sell taste. They also sell connections. And if you are one of those people who’s confident in your taste but don’t know the artisans who can execute your ideas, you should make an appointment with Kristen Foster, a master curtain maker in Falls Village, CT.  Although she always seems to be working on a project for the iconic style arbiter Carolyne Roehm (who has a landmark estate called Weatherstone in Sharon, CT, as well as homes in Aspen and Manhattan), no custom job is too small for Foster, who makes shades, pillows, shower curtains, draperies, valances, cushions, and headboards.

“I will do anything with fabric but reupholstery, which is just too messy,” says Foster, whose throw pillows start at $65 and roman shades at $200. Foster offers small-town service and world-class workmanship. “I first used Kristin to make table cloths for me,” says Roehm. “While I was redoing Weatherstone after the fire,  I hired Kristin to make all of my decorative pillows, bedspreads, bed dressings for canopy beds,  and skirts for dressers. She is capable of making anything and unlike so many vendors in the interior design world she is always on time! She continues to work with me and did all of the same types of items for my apartment in New York and my house in Aspen. For me, she is an indispensable professional.” While most custom curtain makers insist that you buy fabric from them (so they can get the markup), Foster does not charge extra if you provide your own fabric (what’s known in the trade as COM—customer’s own material.) You can bring her a piece of cloth that you found at a flea market or warehouse sale, and she’ll be happy to make you a cushion or shade.

But she’ll also help you find fabrics, and she even makes house calls. Boat Trailer Tire Wearing On Outside“We needed new cushions for our porch furniture and she brought over sample books and we made our choices in ten minutes,” says Dan Dwyer, the owner of Johnnycake Books in Salisbury, CT.  Homemade Photography Lighting Techniques“She measured everything and we could not be happier with the results.” Formal Dress Shops Jackson MsRay Attanasio, a New York interior designer who co-owns Balsamo Antiques in Pine Plains (and designed the room at left), often brings Foster to job sites in New Jersey and Connecticut so they can collaborate on the best solutions for specific situations. “She has great ideas and knows what can and cannot be done,” he says.

She has very high standards. I have never been disappointed.” Foster, who learned to sew from her grandmother and high school Home Economics classes, says it took years for her to become a master curtain maker. “Making window treatments requires a lot of trial and error,” says Foster, who doesn’t have a shop because she prefers to work at home in her basement studio. “I like being able to go to work at 5 a.m. in my jammies if I feel like it.” She says that she enjoys the challenges posed by clients like Roehm, a former fashion designer, who have extravagant taste.  “I love making draperies with dressmaker details,” she says, adding “but there’s nothing more satisfying than making a simple Roman shade.” Compared to the ready-made pillows and curtains sold at places like Pottery Barn, Foster’s prices are quite reasonable and will be exactly what you want instead of a compromise. “Made to fit is made to last!” she says. “Most of what I make will last for the life of your house.

You don’t have to be a millionaire to afford something truly fabulous.”Share it with others. Posted by Dan Shaw on 09/08/09 at 06:26 AM • PermalinkJoshua and Kristen Kanter established their fine furniture and design business in Great Barrington after moving from Brooklyn in 2004. Sharing a passion for American craftsmanship, the couple works side by side in their studio, handcrafting designs using locally sourced raw wood and reclaimed materials. The Kanters’ one of a kind heirloom pieces are lauded for their organic beauty, board imperfections, and custom-made non-toxic finishes. Maple Serving tray - Large Elm Serving tray - Small Elm Cheese Board - Medium Maple Serving Board - Small Maple Serving Board - Largethis project, which i've been plotting and planning for a while, almost was a big, fat, fail. i'd wanted some giant-chevron curtains in our living room for a while. i'd done the shower curtain curtains a few months ago, but for some reason they weren't perfect in this space, to me.

i think it was the navy blue and the flowers...something about them was too feminine. i still have them, and i'm sure i'll use them again, eventually, but all i could think about recently was the chevron idea. there is no fabric like this to be found online, so i figured i'd have to do it myself. i wanted to use fabric dye to make the black zig-zags (so that my curtains wouldn't be "crunchy"), and after a little research and debating in my head, decided to try spray-on fabric dye. this is the brand i used. i got it at hobby lobby. unfortunately, it was a bad decision, as the spray was super-drippy, and kept getting clogged, therefore dripping on my curtains! i also had a ton of overspray, which was really obvious once i pulled the tape from my curtains. this is what my first attempt looked like:Kristen LorelloRachel Higgins in upcoming group exhibition "City in City," curated by Natasha Marie Llorens, Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries, September 15 - October 3City and City - exhibition - The New SchoolKristen LorelloJosh Slater feature in "Slay, Josh Slater," by Remy Ramirez, in Nasty Galaxy, September 2ndSlay, Josh Slater - Nasty GalaxyKristen Lorello added 2 new photos to the album: Bayne Peterson: Curves — at Kristen Lorello.Bayne Peterson

: Curves, Installation view, Kristen Lorello, NY, September 7 - October 9, Photo credit: Jeffrey SturgesKristen Lorello updated their cover photo.Bayne Peterson: Curves, Installation view, September 7 - October 9. Photo credit: Jeffrey SturgesKristen Lorello added 3 new photos to the album: Curtains, curated by Sarra Brill — at Kristen Lorello."Curtains," Aase Seidler Gernes, Poul Gernes, Goldschmied & Chiari, Francesco Simeti, curated by Sarra Brill, July 18 - August 26, 2016Kristen Lorello updated their cover photo.Kristen Lorello updated their cover photo.Curtains: Aase Seidler Gernes, Poul Gernes, Goldschmied & Chiari and Francesco Simeti, Curated by Sarra Brill, July 18 - August 26, 2016Kristen LorelloGoldschmied & Chiari in Passaggi, curated by Arianna Rosica and Damiano Gulli, opening reception this Saturday at the Casa Rossa in Anacapri at 8pmKristen LorelloWorks by Nadia Haji Omar, Giacinto Occhionero and Josh Slater in the Watermill Benefit this weekend. Check it out on Artsy!ARTSY.NETKristen Lorello updated their cover photo.

Aase Seidler Gernes, Curtain (detail), c. 1957, Cotton, 49.6 x 36.2 inches (126 x 92 cm)Kristen LorelloMany thanks to Susan Happersett for her thoughtful write-up of Gerard Mullin's solo exhibition in Fibonaccisusan.Gerard Mullin at Kristen LorelloKristen Lorello added 2 new photos to the album: Gerard Mullin — at Kristen Lorello.Gerard Mullin, Installation view, Kristen Lorello, NY, June 15 - July 15, Photographed by Jeffrey SturgesKristen Lorello updated their cover photo.Gerard Mullin, Installation view, Kristen Lorello, NY, June 15 - July 15, 2016, Photographed by Jeffrey SturgesKristen Lorello added an event.Curtains, Opening receptionKristen LorelloGerard Mullin's solo exhibition is featured in Artnet News's top ten LES exhibitions by Henri Neuendorf. Visit the exhibition through July 15th, Mon-Fri 12-6.Top 10 Shows on the LES This Summer - artnet News|Kristen Lorello added an event.Gerard Mullin opening receptionKristen LorelloThe gallery is very happy to join NADA as a gallery member!