The Inside Scoop on All Things Window Treatments

Rip & Tan: How did you get your start in the window treatment business?

Davina Ogilvie: I noticed a need for custom window treatments while decorating my NYC apartment early on in my career. I had a few blinds made in Thailand, where I grew up, and tried to recreate that ease of window dressing here in the States. Tailored shades and draperies are transformative and I wanted to make them more widely available.

Rip & Tan: How has your aesthetic evolved over the years? And if someone is trying to find their aesthetic, how do you suggest they go about it? 

Davina Ogilvie: My aesthetic has been consistent over the years. Informed by my family roots here on the East Coast and in Thailand, I have a dual appreciation for exuberant color, patterns, and more subtle palettes. I recommend clipping and curating images, textures and colors that speak to you, whether in a physical book of clippings or on a bulletin board–or digitally. These visuals will begin to tell a story. 

Rip & Tan: At what point in a redesign are window treatments selected?

Davina Ogilvie: The sooner the better. We like to be involved early on in a renovation or a new build. There are always considerations about where to hang a shade or a drapery, such as site conditions, the way sunlight affects each space, or programmatic needs, like how many layers of shades and draperies the designer plans to use. For example, is it a bedroom that needs a blackout shade and draperies, or a kitchen that requires a simple cafe curtain? We are also comfortable coming to a project late in the game— people often come to us for draperies to add structure to a room that otherwise lacks it, or for a splash of pattern and color with Roman shades.

Rip & Tan: Tell us about your design process for the Farmhouse. 

Davina Ogilvie: Jenni’s team had an incredible vision for this simple, clean-lined space that would hold to one of their brand’s core values—less is more. We were happy to fulfill this vision at the windows with quietly elegant Roman shades and architectural stacks of draperies.

Rip & Tan: What’s your favorite detail of the Farmhouse window treatment design?

Davina Ogilvie: I love the fabrics Jenni chose from our stocked line. All of our linens come directly from Belgium, which has been harvesting and weaving linen for time immemorial. Linen has a natural weight and drape to it that complements Jenni’s aesthetic perfectly.

Rip & Tan: What specific window treatments did you use at the Farmhouse? 

Davina Ogilvie: We used relaxed Roman shades and pleated drapery, in a variety of Wovn Home stocked fabrics including our Ivory Belgian linen, Textured Grey linen, and a beautiful sheer launching on our website soon. 

Rip & Tan: Do you have any general rules of thumb for selecting window treatments?

Davina Ogilvie: We have very few rules except to fulfill the dreams of designers and customers alike. In general, though, it is helpful to consider the needs of the end user in a room, and the exterior conditions that affect the space. Is it a dining room that fronts on a busy street? Consider how to shield headlights during a dinner party. Or is it a Powder Room with a direct line of sight to the neighbors? You know the rest.

Rip & Tan: What fabrics, finishes, or details are you loving right now?

Davina Ogilvie: I am loving some of our new fabrics, such as a deep olive colorway of Belgian linen, laundered to have a perfectly soft, tumbled and weighty hand. Another fabric that is new to our line is the wool blend sheer that Jenni used—it has the most beautiful drape.

Rip & Tan: What makes an interior timeless? How do we ensure our homes look timeless rather than trendy?

Davina Ogilvie: An interior is timeless if it speaks to the surrounding architecture and ultimately to the inhabitant. You want it to look as though it is borne of the original design of the space, whether a residence or a commercial interior—as though it is in lockstep with the exterior, the setting and the local vernacular. It should make the end user happy, through the fabric choice and ease of use.