Category Archives: Creative Custom Solutions

“I Meant To Do That”

Beckert-2

Beckert Dining Room Before

 In this dining room, the clients had hired someone else to do the blinds, stationary panels and board mounted Empire valance, and didn’t continue working with her because they were disappointed by how “ordinary” the window treatment looked once it was installed.  I can see why my predecessor went with a board mounted treatment; the window was in a weird little recessed niche, so there wasn’t room to do a swag valance on a pole set with finials (which is what the client mistakenly thought that she was ordering).  What’s more, there were little can lights inside the niche, so you couldn’t mount the treatment on the wall outside and above the niche or there would be light shining through from the back side of the valance.  Mounting the valance inside the niche, as the other designer chose to do, required dropping it down well below those can lights, which looked kind of weird and underwhelming.  

Beckert-1

Beckert Dining Room After

 
 The clients brought me in to design window treatments for their living room and kitchen treatments, specifically requesting decorative hardware and more drama for these rooms.  I suggested adding some decorative hardware to jazz up the board mounted treatment in the dining room as a low-cost alternative to expensive rework or scrapping it altogether.  The clients were having trouble visualizing how these finials were going to look sticking up at the top of the swag valance, so I did a quick mock up in my design software and assured them that it was going to look like “I meant to do that.”  I ordered the finials with wood screws and my installer was able to add them to the dining room valance on-site without even taking it down on the same day that he installed my treatments in the other rooms.  The size of those finials was perfect – it looks like the valance was installed at that height deliberately to accommodate the height of the finials, and it seems as though the can lights were installed specifically to illuminate the decorative hardware.  The clients got a more formal and unique design for just a couple of hundred dollars’ worth of hardware – and I like the way it turned out so much that I plan to use finials that way “on purpose” for future projects!

Contributed by Rebecca Deming Rumpf of Custom Interiors By Rebecca.

Also posted in Helser Field-Bloggers | Leave a comment

Hand Forged Swing-Rod

hand-forged-swing-rod This swing rod was designed for a customer who needed extra strength and a hand forged look.  Our blacksmith forged the rod from one piece of solid 5/8″ round bar, and gave the 2×6″ back-plate a simple but handsome look by hammering the corners into a flare. You will not find this design in any of our catalogs, but is available as a custom item by request.  Just refer to this post!

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | Leave a comment

Jane Maxwell Shares “Adventure”

-

Jane Maxwell of Maxwell House of Design just finished a project using customized hardware from our “French Pole” line and was kind enough to share her experience……

If you are a designer, you know, that every once in a while, a homeowner is going to give you a challenging window to dress.  Of course, a difficult window is never an auxiliary window, or one that hides in the back, no, it’s pretty much guaranteed that it will be a focal point in the room.  This happened with me recently.  The client’s dining room had a traditional three-window bay that had fourth window around the corner on the next wall.  In order for the treatments to make sense, the fourth window had to be included in the bay.  In addition to needing a custom bend to the rods, I knew that traditional finials weren’t going to work because the symmetry would be off.  Thankfully, I had learned about Helser Brother’s French Poles in March at a WCAA vendor event with Jackie Von Tobel in Charlotte, NC.   Jackie spoke glowingly about them from stage and during the break, I headed for the Helser Brother’s table where Anita Boetsma was able to show me the product and fill me on the details. 

Now anytime you use a new product, you hold your breath just a little until they are installed.  I had just a couple of concerns; would we miss having finials?  Would my installer be able to figure out the installation?  Would the product look as good up as I was hoping it would?  Well, the product came in looking better than I had remembered, my installer had no issues whatsoever installing, and, the finish on this gorgeous product completely complimented the design.  Needless to say, I breathed a big sigh of relief, took pictures and decided to share the adventure. 

On side-note, I like the clean look of this product so much, that I am now using them for all of my transitional and modern design jobs.

There is an intrinsic value to being able to relax and trust that a vendor is going to deliver.  Anytime that we, as designers, can eliminate some of the stress that accompanies our job, it’s a great thing. Helser Brother’s, as a company, delivers beautiful products that do what they are supposed to do, with great customer service to boot.  That’s why they are now my standard go-to source for drapery hardware.

 

Jane Ann Maxwell is a professional interior designer based in the Charlotte, NC metro area with some 20 years of interior design experience.  

She is a Professional Member of the Association of Interior Design Professionals (AIDP) and is the current President of the AIDP Charlotte Chapter…. (read entire bio)

Also posted in Feedback | 3 Comments

Historic Loft Apartment by Tammi LeNair (updated) (and updated again)

Tammy LeNair 3Everybody wants to be a hero. And today we are feeling pretty good. When HB Client Tammi Le Nair of L’Interieur Le Nair in Ephrata, PA had to figure a way to comply with restrictions in a historical brick building, she came to us. Tammi needed to install an arched treatment 2 feet above a window on the brick, without touching the brick!Tammy-LeNairs-pivoting-bracket Using her sketches and dimensions, Anita Boetsma, Mark Helser and Tammi designed a bracket that allowed her to install using the same holes as the blinds supplied by the building management, on the wood window frame. When they were done, the brackets allowed Tammi to “float” the rod above the window along the top of the arched brick.   Pivoting saddles gave her the ability to match the curve of the rod wherever she needed to. And since the bedroom treatment was straight, she was able to move the saddle straight up and down. We’ve been excited about this project from the beginning and now that we see the gorgeous treatments Tammi designed and created, we are amazed.Tammy LeNair 1Tammy LeNair 2

“I am working with Anita at Helser Bros. because they were the first ones that came to my mind to make something like this.”, Tammi

 

“I just got my hardware from Helser Bros and boy do they ROCK! My arch rods are gorgeous, I am squealing with delight! Like a kid in a candy store, even better…WooHoo!”, Tammi

 

“Check out the brackets Helser Brothers did for me. Aren’t they great?”, Tammi

  

  

 

Tammi LeNair's awesome historic loft project 

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | 2 Comments

A Big Square Drapery Rod

2-inch-square-set  The clever folks at Robb & Stucky in Scottsdale regularly supply our metal artists with special projects. This beefy 2″ square rod is one recent example. The Pyramid finial and square collar combined with the very cool square rings complete the look with style.

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | Leave a comment

Janet Suchons Outdoor Drapery

Outdoor-Valance-Janet-Sucho Outdoor Living is the hot topic this time of year. One of my favorite outdoor treatments has no discernable function but is absolutely gorgeous.   Helser Brothers client Janet Suchon manufactured and installed this asymmetrical tab top treatment to frame an arched window. I particularly like the sheer audacity of a purely decorative treatment mounted on the outside of the house. This picture makes me wonder what’s on the other side of the arch!

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | 1 Comment

Absolutely AWESOME Arches.

Silk Mountain After Silk Mountain BeforeWe had our collective breath taken away this week by Mark and Catherine Schultz of Silk Mountain Creations in Indianapolis. The road from “Before” to “After” was paved with all of the elements of terrific design. A great concept, accurate measurements, a perfect template and beautiful craftsmanship (ours and theirs…) all combined to make this treatment drop dead gorgeous! 

Silk Mountain Detail Silk Mountain keystone 

 The before shot and Corbel detail show some of the challenges the Shultz’s had to work around. The client wanted the Corbels to be shown completely which left very little room for hardware.

 

As you can see, the hardware complements without overpowering the space and the panels are extravagantly luscious. Mark and Catherine estimate the weight of the center panels to be close to 100#!

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | 17 Comments

Evita Support Bracket

Long-Evita-2Most of you know that we love to do ride-alongs.  They are an invaluable way to gather information and keep a “finger on the pulse.”  We were recently invited to the installation of an “Evita” treatment at a salon in Scottsdale…Salon-Evita-Panel The installer had never used Evita drapery hardware before, but it was encouraging  to see that he was quickly able to grasp the concept and had no trouble with the installation.

Long-Evita-1 In this particular case, the designer needed the horizontal drapery rod to reach about six feet out.  Evita drapery hardware is probably about the strongest swing-rod system ever developed, but due to the weight, this long interlined panel needed some support at the end.  The support greatly reduces the swing capabilities of of the rod, but makes it possible to get the Evita look on much wider windows.

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | 2 Comments

Michael Paynes’ Quake Concerns Laid To Rest With Tableaux

Michael-Payne 2  Michael Payne, the original host and interior designer of HGTV’s Designing For The Sexes shares his experience with Helser and the interesting solution to a unique issue;

I recently did a major remodel of my 1926-built Spanish home in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.  When working on the design of the new master bedroom I was confronted with the dilemma of what to put on the wall above the bed.  With the soaring open-beamed ceiling the space was disturbingly large and empty.  I considered a painting or tapestry but neither seemed appropriate.  I ultimately decided a beautiful wrought iron sculptural design element would be  perfect.  However, I was unsure about installing such a piece above my bed in a city prone to earthquakes.  Helser Brothers came to my rescue.  They took my design and crafted a masterpiece.

It is light, secure, and as beautiful as wrought iron.  My wife and I are impressed with the quality and detailing of the piece and can sleep contentedly under it.  Thank you Helser.Michael-Paynes-Tableaux

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | 1 Comment

Quadruple Swag Bracket

Custom-Center-Quad-Swag-Hook-for web

This custom hand-forged swag bracket caught my eye when it reached the shipping department here at Helser Brothers.  I was concerned about the large amount of  tensile stress on a ceiling mounted bracket that would be supporting four swags of an unknown weight, so I put a note on the box requesting to speak with the installer when he arrived to pick it up.  We talked about anchors and different installation scenarios and he left after promising to let me know how the installation went……Custom-Center-Quad-Swag-Hook-Strength-test Well, he let me know alright,  here is the photo that he shot and sent with his Iphone from the jobsite!  It is a harmless demonstration…….but I removed his face to protect his career just in case ;-)

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | 2 Comments

Spiro tieback tweak

Spiro-drapery-tab-post  

What do you do when you have a client who likes the design of your multi-talented and hyper-popular spiro drapery holdback/tieback/tab-post/swag holder,  but they need it with a swag ring?…………………………

  

 

 

Spiro-drapery-tab-post-customized Well, you just make it for them…….that’s what you do.

Many folks don’t realize that not only can we customize drapery hardware in our sleep with the swine flu and one arm tied behind our backs……………………but we also don’t charge very much to do it!

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | Leave a comment

Who Knew?!? Wood Over Iron Drapery Hardware

Artigiani-Under-White-Wood-RodOne of our good friends Russell Sepulveda over at “Dressed To Kill” was never one to conform to conventional drapery law so it did not surprise me at all to see him boldly combining drapery panels with a shirred top with conventionally pinch pleated panels.  But to pair white wood drapery hardware with antique gold iron drapery hardware……that is just audacious!….and awesome…..it’s awesomely audacious.  Who knew that such an unlikely pair would look so great together?Artigiani-Under-White-Wood-Rod-2

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | Leave a comment

An American Castle

Gary Watson of Kerr’s Custom Draperies 5 Gary Watson of Kerr’s Custom Draperies in Missoula, Montana recently approached us with a unique request. He was commissioned to design suspended bed curtains in a dormitory style bedroom for young boys. Gary Watson of Kerr’s Custom Draperies 3The high pitched roof created its own set of issues for Gary. And since boys will be boys, the rods and brackets had to be sturdy enough to withstand some level of monkey business. With a series of telephone calls and sketches, he and I were able to create corner and center brackets with rings welded to the top for suspending the framework from the overhead beam with chains. The elegant twisted rods slide into the bracket pieces and are fastened with set screws. All in all, the room delighted everyone and created just the medieval look the client was looking for.

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | Leave a comment

Trimmed Bracket For Casement Windows

WDW-Great-Room-for-web    Eileen Zimmerman of Well Dressed Windows came to us recently with a challenge.  The drapery style that she had designed for her client required placement of a bracket on the trim of these casement windows. WDW-Din-Rm-for-web    A few factors came into play on this project; the rooms required the look of our decorative bracket style, the space available for mounting was only 1″ wide, and the bracket projections varied.  Well it just happens that we have run into this very situation many times before. so the solution was easy….WDW-Brackets-2-for-web

All we had to do was to trim width of our adjustable bracket base. This solved the moulding challenge with a small footprint and an adjustable projection.WDW-Brackets-side-for-web 

 

 According to Eileen, the installation was as smooth as silk. 

 

 

Thanks Eileen!

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | Leave a comment

Problem Bay – No Problem.

Problem Bay    Our clients are faced with some wacky challenges at times, and we absolutely love the CHF Forum because it is a fantastic way to identify them and (hopefully) lend a hand. It’s there that we discovered a designer in (mild) distress.

Andrea Mediates Problem Bay 500 wide with rods   This designer needs to install rod-pocket panels which extend 12″ into the bay window and 24″ out to either side.  That is not something that we would consider a challenge under normal circumstances, but as you can see the crown molding is consuming most of the wall-space above the opening.Problem Bay corner zoom

With only an inch of wall for the mounting of her bracket, she realized that she was going to need some custom ideas…..

My first thought was that since there will be 24″ of rod on the outside of the opening she could just use a wooden rod mounted to the top of  angle brackets, mounted 24″ apart, and secured with screws.  The only drawback to that plan is that the installer would have to cut holes in the fabric where the bracket met the rod in order to install the screw.  It would be unseen, but would make removal for cleaning difficult. 

Andrea-Mediates-Problem-Bay-angle-prototype

I had our crack team of metal workers make a couple of bracket prototypes because a picture is worth a thousand words….aaaaaand I am a very slow typist.

This offset corner-mounted bracket would reach behind the panel and allow for horizontal and vertical screws which should provide plenty of strength. The “business end” of the bracket would be concealed by the fabric as there would be a left and right “pair”. (notice how the screw holes are staggered to prevent them from hitting each other…..clever huh?) My only reservation with this design is that it looks like the corners are “bullnosed” which might make it tough to hit wood with the screws. 

Andrea-Mediates-Problem-Bay-plate-prototypeIdea number three is similar to the one above, but instead of mounting on the corner, the “business end” of the bracket is a basic plate for ceiling mounting.  This design would also provide plenty of strength and would be concealed by the panel.

Andrea-Mediates-Problem-Bay-small plate-prototype

If we were to trim the size of the backplate down it is likely to be strong enough also which may be another option to consider.

Well, I know this is not likely to go down as one of the most fun posts in whyhelser history, but it definitely does illustrate the type of problems that we are most proficient at solving.

Posted in Creative Custom Solutions | Leave a comment

Bad Behavior has blocked 142 access attempts in the last 7 days.

Olark Livehelp