Being in the custom drapery business in Mississauga for awhile now, we’ve heard all the buzz about custom versus ready-made draperies. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the debate and we want to clear it up once and for all!

The most common myth is that ready-made drapery is much cheaper – in cost – than custom. Wrong! The price between the two isn’t far off – in fact, they are quite comparable. So if price is the biggest worry standing in the way of ordering custom drapery, problem solved!

Another bonus, on the side of custom drapery, is that you get exactly what you want – you don’t have to settle for what’s in the store. Our custom draperies are custom made to perfectly fit your window. Exact width and height measurements of your windows are taken, and even better yet, we come to your home to take the measurements ourselves.

And since custom drapes are custom made just for you, you can choose any embellishment – ribbon, trim, even different fabrics. You can see what we did for a satisfied customer in the pictures above and below. She combined two different fabrics in silk and linen to give this room a one-of-a-kind look.

With our free in-house consultation, we’ll help you effortlessly meld your existing style with your new custom draperies. And once you see your new custom drapes hung in your home, you’ll never go back to ready-made again!

Elegant Changes has been the leader in custom drapery in Mississauga and the GTA for years. Contact us today for your free in-house consultation.

You’ve been waiting all year for it and we just wanted to give you the heads up that our Famous Slipcover Sale will be taking place from March 15 to April 30, 2012.

The Famous Slipcover Sale is all-inclusive… that means that fabric and labour are included. There are six fabrics to choose from and your slipcover is custom fitted to your furniture. We come to your home to take the measurements, so you don’t have to worry about cartage fees. The slipcover includes piping, skirts, pillows and large zippers, so the slipcovers are easy to put on and take off.

As well, you have the option to choose an alternate colour of piping – you can even pick a combination of the fabrics available or go with a shabby chic look. No matter what fabric you pick, all are 100 percent cotton, pre-shrunk and washable.

If you have any questions about our Famous Slipcover Sale, feel free to give us a call, send us an email or drop by the store!

We had a chance to visit this year’s Toronto Interior Design Show (IDS) at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It was an amazing opportunity to pick up some ideas and incorporate a few trends into our creations.

What stuck us was the infusion of bright, exciting colours to interior decor that were combined with different shades of grey. It’s an easy trend to incorporate into any room and it really brightens up your house.

Another cool display we couldn’t take our eyes off of at the IDS was a room set up as a 450-square-foot apartment divided into three main sections – living room, kitchen and bedroom. The most unusual feature in this apartment was that the bathtub was located in the living room. When people come over, you’d just throw a cover over it. When you need a little privacy in the bedroom, just used the remote controlled drapes that lowered to separate this area from the rest of the apartment. As for the decor, it boasted splashes of orange and green, complemented with soft grey. Moving away from using wood in the kitchen, this apartment featured white laminate IKEA cabinetry, giving it a sleek and modern look.

Take a look below at some of the shots we took and let us know what you like.

Have you been into Elegant Changes lately? If not, you’ll be in for a surprise… we’ve moved… kind of.

We’re at the same address, but we’ve consolidated our two stores into one. We’ve moved our work and sample rooms over to our showroom.

There are many reasons why we decided to downsize our retail space. The first – and most important – is that we wanted to cut costs. And by cutting costs on our end, we’re able to pass along the savings to you, our customers. You’ll notice that the price on our products and services will be coming down, and in times like these, who doesn’t like to save a little extra money?

Don’t worry – Elegant Changes will still be offering the same fabulous products and services we’re known for. You’ll find the same materials, sample books and product samples in the showroom – that hasn’t changed.

Come in and see our new streamlined store. And we’ll be announcing a new sale in the near future, so stay tuned!

Ahoy mateys! Elegant Changes has taken to the water for our latest project. We’ve just finished decorating the interior of a Beneteau Oceanis 41 yacht, proving that great design isn’t just limited to your home.

Our latest project was thanks to Anchor Yachts, who have the 2012 Oceanis 41 on display at the Toronto Boat Show (you can still see it – the show is on until Sunday, January 22 at the Direct Energy Centre, Toronto). As always, we love the opportunity to strut our stuff, especially with such an unexpected decor setting. We’ve been decorating boat interiors for many years now, and we love to think outside of the decor box.

Back to boats – we specialize in making custom bedding for boats. Because a boat’s bed is oddly shaped, you can’t buy standard sheets at Home Outfitters. If you’re going to be spending extended periods of time on your boat, you know that the right bedding makes all the difference in the world.

If your boat needs an interior makeover or custom bedding, be sure to give us a call or send us an email – we’d be happy to offer our expert advice on the subject. And if you’re in the market for a boat, head over to Anchor Yacht’s website to check out its inventory.

On Thursday, October 27, Elegant Changes hosted our annual Customer Appreciation Event. Guests were treated to munchies, drinks, sweets and guest speakers, who included Sandy Fields from Maxwell Fabrics and Julia Ramsdale from Crown Wallpaper.

Sandy spoke about fabric trends coming up for 2012 as well as going green with fabric (not the colour, the eco-friendly fabric!). This green fabric is tested for harmful emissions and substances, so not only is it good for the environment, it’s good for your family too!

Julia talked about inspiration from the fashion runway and how it affects our choices in decor. Attendees learned how these trends affect our choices in colour and texture selections.

Thanks to all to who came out and we can’t wait to see you all again at our next event!

We’ve put togeter some tips on decorating your child’s room:

1. Safety should be of primary consideration when selecting items for a child’s room. Keep electrical cords out of the way, use non-skid pads under decorative area rugs, and don’t stack storage units too high.
2. Using coordinating colors in all elements of the room will bring even unlike things together to support the theme.
3. Use a common background color when you use several coordinating prints in one room. Choose patterns and prints in different scale, such as a large sailboat print with smaller coordinating plaids and stripes.
4. You can create inexpensive framed art by using your child’s own artwork or cutting pictures out of books or magazines.