Don’t be fooled by the name curtain couture. Since owner Mary Ann Bauer celebrated the showroom’s recent grand reopening, it has become a go-to resource for interior designers. While this high-end workroom still provides full custom design and manufacturing of all types of luxury window treatments and bedding for designers and homeowners, a new focus on sourcing in-stock fine furniture and textiles helps designers satisfy their clients’ needs.
“Our targeted focus on providing the highest quality resources to the trade enables us to supply furniture, antique finds and contemporary art either in stock or available as a quick-turnaround item, in addition to the luxury custom window treatments and bedding for which we have always been known,” says Bauer. “We are a full-service design showroom that caters to the trade but also opens to the public. Appointments are recommended.”
The showroom offers two new furniture lines as well as curated 18th-century Italian and French antique finds that Bauer brings home from several European shopping trips each year. “I am excited to be able to offer off-the-floor, high-end furniture, like Alfonso Marina, which is manufactured in Mexico City, with its incredible craftsmanship and unique style,” she says. Alfonso Marina’s clean lines fall into the Santa Barbara influence that is the epitome of Curtain Couture’s style. This West Coast, upscale look is infused with modern Spanish colonial style and Mediterranean character, with a mixture of rich wood and stark white details. The signature style is open and airy, light and bright with an expansive feeling. Alfonso Marina furniture is known for its highly elaborate and intricate designs with precision-carved details and special finishing touches, such as inlaid tortoiseshell and metal. The showroom also stocks Massoud furniture, a family-owned manufacturer that has been crafting furniture in Dallas for 50 years. Since the Massoud family sources its materials from America, it can deliver custom orders very quickly. Curtain Couture offers both furniture lines with expedited delivery to clients’ homes.
Another exciting addition to the showroom is the availability of original art from several sought-after artists, including abstract, contemporary and cubist works displayed within the showroom. Featured artists also welcome custom commissions to meet clients’ needs. Their range of artistry suits a wide variety of home styles.
Curtain Couture is perhaps best known for its huge selection of luxury fabrics. The showroom stocks tens of thousands of extra-large fabric samples displayed in a pleasing environment much like the showrooms featured in the Dallas Design District. “We have walls and walls of samples located in the 2,600-square-foot showroom, and our customers are thrilled to work with large pieces of fabric in their projects as opposed to those typically found in small swatch books,” Bauer says.
Bauer says textiles have intrigued her since childhood, which was the impetus for her opening Curtain Couture back in 1998. So, it’s no surprise she also offers a luxury bedding line, St. Ellis, displayed on the showroom floor. St. Ellis demonstrates the beauty of layered textures in natural fibers for a sophisticated, comfortable bed. “We focus heavily on luxury wovens, constructed mostly of natural fibers for textural interest and color. This is not the norm for most designer bedding collections,” Bauer says. “Man-made fabrics dominate this sector of home furnishings due to cost factors, but they don’t breathe well and can be uncomfortably hot. The inherent beauty of interesting textures found in our fabrics and the composition created with fine tailoring deliver the understatedly elegant beds we are known for. Customization is available within the line upon request.”
Curtain Couture is still the beloved home of custom window treatments and luxury bedding, but it is now also a fully stocked furniture, art and design showroom that is a perfect resource for designers and homeowners who want luxury at an expedited pace.
Dana W. Todd is a professional writer specializing in interior design, real estate, luxury homebuilding, landscape design, architecture and art.
