VISION Magazine Names WCAA Members Amongst 2021 VISION Award Winners
VISION DESIGN AND WORKROOM COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
Congratulations to this year’s VISION Design and Workroom Competition Award winners.
Each year, VISION Magazine hosts an award ceremony to celebrate the best and brightest in the window treatment industry. This year’s 29th Annual VISION Design & Workroom Competition Awards recognized over two dozen interior designers and workrooms from 10 states for their excellence in drapery design, motorized window treatment installations, combination and top treatments, and much more.
The WCAA is proud to announce that four of our very own WCAA Members took home an impressive ten awards!
“Window treatments are the jewelry of the home—the finishing touch that makes a room look beautiful and welcoming,” said Grace McNamara, owner and publisher of Window Fashion VISION. “They also play a functional role, providing light and UV control, privacy and, in some cases, greater energy efficiency. We love to honor the professionals who are doing excellent work with these important products through our program every year.”
Founded 29 years ago, the annual VISION Design & Workroom Competition Awards were created to recognize and honor the work of window treatment professionals within the greater interior design industry. This annual award competition is the only award program of its kind dedicated to recognizing the importance of window treatments and the people who make them. This year’s awards were sponsored by WCAA Industry Partner, Window Fashion VISION Magazine.
We are beyond pleased to see our fellow WCAA Members recognized for their workmanship and accomplishments.
Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you for continuing to make WCAA home to the most impressive minds in the window treatment industry!
Jill Ballew | High Country Drapery Designs
Jill Ballew has over 25 years of experience in the interior design industry. In 2015, she decided to open her own company. This big step allowed her to understand more than simply the design behind window treatments. She began to focus on the quality and construction of her products.
After working with many designers in the area, Jill unearthed her own creative design skills. She prides herself in the unique customer experience she provides and sincere passion for her work. Jill doesn’t simply view her design elements individually. She looks at the space as a whole concept. You can count on Jill to understand current trends and bring a fresh, southern feel to her designs.
Soft Shades - First Place
Renovating the kitchen in the 1910s Tudor-style home brightened and lightened the room while complementing the Italian flair reflected in the décor throughout the house. Flat waterfall roman shades in Ariana linen by Magnolia Home Fashions are inside-mounted to show off the gleaming woodwork. Ballew added side flaps to the shade to hide the headrail. A continuous loop cord that reaches all the way to the bottom of the window blends seamlessly with the woodwork and makes it easy to reach for the clients. The continuous loop is also a safe option for the many grandchildren who frequently visit their grandparents.
Motorization - First Place
This kitchen renovation included the creation of cohesive design elements that tie the breakfast nook to the main kitchen. Because the shade over the kitchen-sink window is difficult to reach and the clients requested smart home capabilities., Ballew chose motorized Vignetter shades from Hunter Douglas. The shades are operated by battery-powered PowerView. A Hunter Douglas Pebble Remote allows for individual on-demand control of each shade. The roman shade over the kitchen sink and all cornices are made from Carole Fabrics, pattern Ideal Scenery in Ocean. When fully raised, the cornices hide the shade in the breakfast nook.
Combination Treatments - Second Place
Mid-century modern elements blend with arts and crafts style to create an inviting ambiance in this living room with a view. The family cat played a role in the choice of window coverings: The clients requested a treatment that was easy to clean. Motorized Oasis screen shades in Natural Weave linen fit the bill. Because hard wiring the shades was not an option, a battery pack and the drapery headrail are hidden by a Carole Fabrics-covered cornice enhanced by a Tableaux decorative grille. Neutral colors downplay the window fashions, allowing artwork and the Persian rug to take center stage.
Elizabeth Gerdes | Stitch Above the Rest
Stitch Above the Rest is an award-winning window treatment fabrication and design studio serving customers in the metro Atlanta, Georgia area.
Though she has been featured in many publications and has won numerous industry awards for her unique designs and fabrication, including being named Drapery and Design Professional Magazine’s Workroom of the Year in 2014, her greatest honor came in 2017, after ten short years officially in the custom window treatment industry. Elizabeth was awarded the highest honor of her career and the highest honor in her industry, when she received VISION Magazine’s Award of Excellence and was named Workroom of the Year 2017, in addition to winning four separate category awards that same night.
Elizabeth has helped many clients take the stress out of window treatment fashions. She feels very blessed to have worked with some great clients that allow her creativity and passion to shine through, and she does not take it for granted.
Now living in Woodstock, GA, and working out of a full-size workroom Elizabeth feels her greatest asset as a small business owner is the ability to be there for her now three teenagers as they grow. With Elizabeth’s continued passion driving its success, Stitch Above the Rest, LLC has a bright future.
Commercial – First Place
This massive drapery installation graces a new luxury co-working space in the Buckhead neighbourhood of Atlanta that is more than 30,000 square feet. The job called for draperies and sheers installed over extra-long and extra-wide windows along corridors and in the meeting rooms, booths and hallways, plus a few locations like sitting areas and phone booth rooms. On average, the windows in each corridor were 16 feet tall and 20 feet wide, with the largest coming in at 22 feet by 20 feet. The job included 1,393 feet (width only) of ripplefold draperies/sheers constructed from 1,309 feet of 100 percent polyester flame-retardant Kvadrat fabric hung on 519 feet of traversing track. Unable to find track sturdy or long enough, Gerdes purchased it piecemeal and assembled it herself. Except for the installation, Gerdes worked alone, a total of 529 hours over 86 days.
“When I took on this job, I knew it was going to be a large job.” Said Gerdes when sharing insight into the largest job of her career on social media. “I knew I was going to have to put in some serious effort to complete it in three months, and I knew that it meant everything else in my life would take a back seat. Originally, I thought I would have help on parts of the job. However, I was always missing a piece of the puzzle before I could deliver it to someone else. Either the fabric wasn’t in, or the measurements hadn’t been confirmed, or the deadline was too short for someone else to jump in. I eventually just started on the pieces of the puzzle that I did have and just kept taking steps forward. Eventually I saw piles of completed drapery stacking up and just kept moving through the orders. By the time I was more than half way through, I realized, I might just be able to do this entire job by myself. And, that’s exactly what I did.”
Curtains and Draperies – First Place
The 134-year-old Davenport House in Norcross, GA, was recently purchased by Gerdes’ client. Sporting an original fireplace, woodwork, crown moulding, and ceiling border, only the most elegant, period-piece draperies would do. Gerdes painstakingly planned every detail of these curtains, from the fabric repeat to the tricky installation. The swags and cascades are mounted to a custom-cut-out cornice board upholstered in the face fabric. Swags overlapped at the center was the only option due to the fabric repeat. The swag peeks are mounted on wooden rods with carved finials from United Supply Company. Luscious, beaded trim and tassel holdbacks from Trim Depot tie it altogether.
Top Treatments & Upholstery – Second Place
Keely Hersh | Right at Home Interiors
Keely Hersh, owner and designer of Right at Home Interiors, passionately serves clients as they seek to fulfill their design dreams. She makes it her business to provide custom window treatments, interior decorating services, and more that bring happiness to every home.
Keely views fabric as a main feature in home décor and fabricates your custom window coverings, bedding and room décor accessories at her in-house custom drapery workroom.
“What I do for my clients is very personal. Being given the opportunity to design beautiful interior spaces with stylish window treatments (drapes, roman shades, and valances) and coordinating pillows has always been my passion.”
Decorative Hardware and Trim – Second Place
Hersh repurposed an old piece of hardware from an antiques store for the drapery rod, which the rest of the design concept for this laundry room window treatment was conceived around. Two scrolls from the original piece we welded onto a drapery rod, which was painted teal to match the chandelier. The valance is made from Fleur Botanical fabric in Sienna from Fabricut and features Beckwith Noir trim from Fabricut. Ribbon tabs threaded through grommets finish in a flourish of rosettes constructed of wire ribbon. A roman shade made with linen from Anna Elisabeth offers privacy and light control.
Soft Shades – Second Place
Hersh created this beautiful roman shade virtually and never met her client in person until the photoshoot. The diamond-patterned fabric from Calico was selected because it matched the wallpaper and could be railroaded. Finished with edging by Anna Elisabeth and bead trim by Calico, the outside-mounted shade gives the appearance of a valance when raised. Perfect for the client who enjoys a view during the day.
Laura Nelson | Sew Nice
Sew Nice is a full service workroom providing custom window treatments and soft furnishings to both residential and commercial clients. Laura collaborates with people to enhance their homes and create beautiful, welcoming spaces to be enjoyed with family and friends as well as with business owners to provide a professional environment.
Laura has been proudly serving clients in Indiana from the Indianapolis area to the Northwest region with attention to detail, honesty and integrity for over 25 years, and also sits on the WCAA Board of Directors as Board Secretary.
Combination Treatments - First Place
Differing mounting heights, a balcony overhang, and a second-floor view that offers a first-hand look straight into the workings of the window treatments made this design and installation tricky. Fortunately, Nelson was up to the challenge. All the motorized Roman shades move simultaneously and remain level at the same distance from the floor during operation, even though they are hung from differing heights. Nelson extended the drapery panel face fabric in the header and returns to cover the lining and attached the shade to the back of the mount board which creates a waterfall effect. Careful configuring of grommet settings and offset spacing assures the panels clear the raised shade without tipping forward.
“I’m so excited that I won first place in Combination Treatment category for the 29th Annual VISION Design & Workroom Competition!
It’s always satisfying to know my clients love what I make for them. To be recognized by my peers for my work is humbling!
Creating these treatments was definitely a mental workout! Spacing the grommets on the panels to clear the shades; motorized shades remaining even despite the different lengths; and all had to look good from the top and behind when viewed from above.”
Design by Ellie Kaplan Interiors, installed by Mike Isbell, photography by @newadventureproductions
Lori Yanez | Sheffield Furniture & Interiors
“As a people-person, I am genuinely interested in finding out how I can turn a client’s space into a reflection of what is important to them.”
Lori Yanez is a talented interior designer with over 20 years of experience. From VISION Design and Workroom Competition to Reader’s Choice Awards, Lori has been repeatedly recognized for her stunning designs.
Combining her talent with her love for people, Lori creates a truly collaborative and enjoyable design experience for her clients. She believes that it is a privilege to be invited into someone’s home and be given the opportunity to help them design a space that is individualized, functional, and beautiful. She believes in developing strong relationships with her clients, which is part of why her clients return to her again and again.
Whole Room Integration – Second Place
This palatial great room underwent great changes to play up cathedral ceilings, solid wood trusses and a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. The client wanted a room that would comfortably seat a family of 12, including two grandchildren. To dress the rows of windows and offer abundant light, Yanez designed 10-foot- tall panels made from fabric from Unique, style Pembrook in Cornhusk. They feature a 5-inch-wide vertical ogee border that draws the eye toward the soaring ceiling. They hang from 1 ¼-inch twisted iron rods from Iron Art by Orion. Mock roman shades hide cordless Norman cellular shades on the French doors. Two-inch wood blinds by Hunter Douglas are stained to match the woodwork on the single windows.
