THE reality of our lives at the moment, is that most of us are spending more time at home than ever before. That being the case, it is important that our home provides us with a sense of safety, calm and comfort.

“We are finding that as people are confined to their homes, and are working from home, how they feel in their physical surroundings has become really important,” said Julie Dudley of Custom Curtains and Shade.

“We have made a number of adaptations to our business in accordance with the COVID-19 regulations, to ensure our staff and customers are safe,” said Jim Dudley. “But in reality, we are not a ‘big numbers’ business, and more than two people in our showroom at any one time is a rush for us. Mostly, our consulting services are provided to people in their homes. And we are finding that our clients are also very mindful of the situation as well. We all double check that everyone is well before a consultation, and practice strict social distancing.

“Prior to an in home consultation with a client, I get a great deal of information from them about what they want from their curtains, blinds or shades. Then I select a specific bunch of samples to show them, so that there is minimal handling of fabrics or products,” said Julie. “When I use my iPad during consultations, I do not allow the client to touch it.”

“Our installer Jeff, practices social distancing, and also goes through a series of procedures during installations to ensure that both he and the client are safe. This ranges from sanitising the tools after each job, wiping all of the chains on blinds with sanitiser, and cleaning up before he leaves the premises. We are all taking the situation very seriously.”

With a background working with fabrics and colour in the fashion industry, the transition to interior decor was a fairly natural one for Julie. “People usually have a strong sense of what they want from their window dressing, but when we appraise their homes during the consultation phase, we often find that what they think they want won’t give them the outcome they are looking for,” Julie said.

“Having been in this business for a long time now, we know that the decisions must be made with the long term in mind. I often tell my clients to remember that they will be living with their window dressings for many years. “There are also factors that people are unaware of,” said Jim. “Things like where the sun comes in, airflow, privacy and glare. It’s quite funny now that people are home so much more, they want window coverings because they have suddenly noticed the glare off their TV screen or home computer in the middle of the day! As more people are working from home, this will be increasingly important. We are also getting more enquiries from shift workers who need proper block out curtains so that they get better sleep during the day.

“The best part of what we do is the feed- back we get from our customers,” said Julie. “When customers tell me how beautiful their home feels with the new dressings, it makes my day. And the real test comes over time. We recently had a customer call to order some new curtains, 12 years after we installed the first ones. She told us that she wanted us to choose what to do next, because she was so happy with the last lot. That is incredibly rewarding for us. It is so important not to underestimate the impact our surroundings have on us, especially when we are confined to them.”

You can contact Jim and Julie on 5494 6898. Their website is https://www.custom- curtains.com.au/ and you can find them on Facebook at @customcurtainsandshade.

Sunshine Valley Gazette

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