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The high-end European Interior Design studio, Caspaiou Design & Interiors, has been awarded the title of Best Luxury Interior Design Studio in Dubai, UAE 2022. The announcement comes after a lengthy evaluation and review process by the globally acclaimed Luxury Lifestyle Awards, in recognition of their outstanding reputation and professional excellence.

Caspaiou Design & Interiors is a Dutch family-owned business based in Dubai. They have been in operation since 2006, serving both local and international clients with top-level design solutions. Some of their projects include Serenia Residences on Palm Jumeirah, Kempinski Residences on Palm Jumeirah, and Villa projects in Arabian Ranches, Emirates Hills and throughout the UAE as well as International Projects in France, Italy, Morocco, Bahrain and USA.

They are best known for their original curation of highly sought-after items of furniture, art, design accessories, and luxury lighting. These are procured from a collection of the world’s finest design brands, giving the designers and the clients the very best of options when it comes to selecting pieces. Having access to original and unique pieces like these, go a long way in creating the customized atmosphere and mood that the spaces exude. Designer brands they use include SKLO, Alcarol, Arca Horn, Lasvit, Aqua Lighting, Meridiani, Ulivi Salotti, Linteloo, CTO Lighting and Il Pezzo Mancante.

A hands-on approach and an eye for detail is a core work ethic that the team at Caspaiou holds onto firmly. This keeps them in touch with their client’s needs at all stages of the client journey and ensures what they produce is of excellent quality.

Their design philosophy and aim is to deliver on their client’s brief with contemporary flair, a refined and elegant space that is distinctive in all its characteristics. They have expertise in making designed spaces irreplicable, by keeping the process highly individualized. A confident statement of style that creates a harmonious atmosphere and leaves a lasting impression is their end-game.

Alexander van Veen, one of the owners of Caspaiou responded to the award announcement saying, ‘This is a proud moment for our family and team – knowing that our work is recognized on such a global platform. Thank you to our clients for your esteemed reviews, to our amazing team who perform above and beyond!’

7 Tips on choosing curtains for your living room

Are you searching for new curtains for your living room? Don’t know the answers the curtain expert will ask you?

Curtains are a must have in any living room. But finding the right curtains can be challenging. There are many different types of curtains, many types of pleats, many textures, many prints to choose from and not all of them will suit your living room. 

We often meet clients who have a specific idea but don’t really know any technical bits that come with choosing a curtain for your home. 

In this blog I explain the 7 questions you might want answers on before entering the online web, curtains shop or interior designer. 

1- Choose your style 

First you need to know your style.  Are that the heavy darker curtains that make your living room warm creating a cozy atmosphere or do you prefer the airy sheers more, letting light through creating a brighter living room?

Do you go for neutral colours, maybe with a linen texture that fits your earthy style, or are you going for bold prints with lots of colours to really make a statement. 

You can find many ideas by looking on Pinterest, reading home decor magazines, watching Netflix series about home decor and of course, have a look at what your friends have done. (tip: don’t tell them if you don’t like their style)

When you choose your style, don’t immediately dismiss it because your furniture would not match.

2- Should your curtains match your furniture

Finding your style is one thing, but deciding if your style matches your furniture is something else. 

If you like bold prints but your furniture at home is classic and calm, then choose a big print in a neutral colour.

Bigger patterns will look better on higher larger windows, so keep that in mind. For smaller windows you can choose a pattern that is slightly smaller too, so that the curtains are not taking over the room. 

A colourful room does not also need colourful curtains, imagine the curtains being closed becoming a wall of colours too. Choose one colour or go for neutrals so that the focus is on the furniture. But..go on..if you do need more colour and prints, go for it. 

When a client walked into our showroom, she thought she knew exactly what curtains she wanted, but felt overwhelmed when she could choose between 15 catalogues. 

3-What are the different types of fabrics

There is no such thing as “THE curtain fabric”. There are many different types, textures and qualities. 

Curtain fabrics can often also be used for upholstering sofas and chairs. In the past the curtains fabrics purpose was to keep the cold outside. Nowadays with central heating and double glazed windows, curtains fabric is becoming thinner and thinner. For upholstering sofas and chairs the purpose is that they need to hold up over time. 

Thinner fabrics can be interlined with insulating felt material, still keeping the cold out and warmth in. You will find that lots of hotels are using this method. Interlining is a piece of fabric between the lining and the face fabric. Besides controlling the temperature, interlining also can prolong the life of curtains.  

Texture adds visual interest to your room. It creates dept and an element of design. 

There are 3 types of textures for curtain fabric:

• Visual 
• Tactile 
• Amplitude 

The visual fabric is to be seen, not felt. You can have a bold print but still choose a flat surface. Jaquar fabrics also have a print, but the print is woven into the fabric and not printed onto it. Both are creating a visual effect. 

The tactile fabrics are the ones we talk mostly about when we talk about texture. Velvet, wool, silks and linens. They are useful to use while chasing your style. You can imagine that the silk and velvet curtains add luxury to your living room and that wool is creating a warm atmosphere. 

Silk is a style many like to use. But real silk is not suitable for long term use as it will deteriorate. In stead, use faux silks, they tend to be most durable. 

The amplitude is the fold of the curtain. Sometimes close to each other attached to the heading. other times big creating large weaves. The fold creates big or small depth to your living room.

Choose your fabric first and then the fold of the curtain. Because not all pleats are suitable for all fabrics. 

4- What are the different types of pleats 

The pleats we find in curtains mostly are the following seven:  

• Ripple fold 
• Pinch pleat 
• Tailored pleat 
• Cubicle 
• Inverted pleat 
• Grommet
• Goblet
• rod-pocket / pencil pleat 

The pinch pleat is a decorative heading for curtains and suitable for all fabrics. Pinch pleat use more fabric and look fuller then a pencil pleat. A more informal style is the grommet, also called eye-let pleat. The grommet just like the pinch pleat suits all fabrics. For a more formal look designers use a goblet pleat of pinch pleat. Not all pleats are suitable for all pleats. A heavy thicker fabric will need a lot of space on the heading, sometimes many small pleats will simply take too much space on the heading. 

How much fabric do you need? Don’t know? 

Read on…

5-  Curtain fullness 

Curtains can be flat or they can have fullness. Fullness is the extra fabric used across the width or sometimes height of the drape. Fullness provides a drape with a richer look. 

When measuring your windows, you want twice the width of your window in order to create this fullness and have enough fabric to make the pleats. 

For the length a designer hangs a curtain approximately 18 cm above the window frame. Hanging curtains higher will give a sense of height to the room.  

For a modern look, let the curtain fall on the floor, a few mm above. The more classic look wants the curtains 6 cm longer. 

6- Open and close the curtains 

For living room curtains we advise to open and close them from the middle. This can be done manually or smart via your tablet or smartphone. 

We would not recommend to go for a cord on one side that pulls the curtain open. It needs to be very strong because it needs to move a lot of fabric and besides, you might want to move your furniture around ones in a while and then you don't want to block the side were the cord is attached to the wall. 

7- Do you need a sheer

Sheers are a light weight fabric that softening your homes lighting and adds an instant infusion of style into your interior decor. 

Sheer curtains give you a measure of privacy, but are also well matched for a layered window treatment. 

Adding multiple treatments onto the same window, can bring multiple functions. The first layer is usually the functional one. A sheer can keep the sunlight out of your room. The other curtain then is pure decorative.

In the picture you see our project in Arabian Ranches II and the owner choose to use only a sheer…it works beautifully. 

It all comes down to finding what you like and talk to a curtain expert to find out if it works for your living room. With the above answers to the most asked questions I hope you feel more comfortable choosing your curtains that match your style, your furniture, your budget and that all your friends like what you did .. but hey..who cares its YOUR home!  

High-end lighting can mean different things to different people. It is all about presentation and creating uniqueness. The most concealed and understated tool at your disposal is luxury lighting. It can emphasize the best qualities of a space and it can conceal the worst.