2007 WF Ingenuity Workroom Competition Specialty Treatments Second Place Nancy M. Ketchum, WFCP Associate Southern Customs LLC, Alpharetta, GA The bay window in the breakfast room of this house in the Big Canoe Resort in the north Georgia mountains was a special challenge because the valance not only needed to fit between the transoms and extend outside of the window casings, but the door to the deck needed to be operable also. Designer Nancy Ketchum used a carpenter's profile tool to transfer the shape of the casings to the boards where they would need to extend outside of the window casings. The board also needed to be reduced inside the window casing, so the sides would lay flush with the wall outside the window casing. Care was taken in the workroom to cover the board with lining after the cuts were made. To enable the door to open, the valance had to be constructed carefully. The left section of the valance, including the horn in the corner, was made to be mounted on a separate board from the rest of the valance. Using Rowley Co.'s swingdoor top-treatment kit, the left side of the board was hinged. At installation time, the rest of the top-treatment kit was assembled when mounting that portion of the valance to the door. The side of the valance where the door opened also required the addition of a fabric return to disguise all the mechanisms. "Although the work to fit this valance to the window was painstaking, the end result was a beautiful, proportional valance that allowed the smooth operation of the door," says Ketchum. Credits Designer and photography: Nancy M. Ketchum, Southern Customs LLC. Workroom: Lori Lubatti, Southern Customs LLC. Installation: Mike Saxon, Mike Saxon Installation, Duluth, GA. Sources Fabric: Greenhouse; cuff and buttons: Lady Anne; lining and interlining: Hanes, DesignWare. Window Fashions Design and Education Magazine 47