Atlanta-based tastemaker Cynthia Ruff recently revamped her garden-level guest room with our Penelope Moss Curtain. Follow along to learn more about Cynthia and her design decisions!
First off, tell us a little bit about yourself!
Hey there! I am Cynthia Ruff, founder of Darling Down South and the Influencer Consultant. Through my 10+ year career in consulting and content creation I’ve finally been able to connect my passion (content creators) and my skill (finance) to help brands strategize and execute their influencer campaigns.
What was your design vision for your guest room?
When we renovated our 110 year old craftsman condo, I wanted to slowly fill each room with things that I would love and cherish. Our home has so much original charm, I wanted to highlight that wherever I could- through amplifying the windows, to letting the original floors shine, and bringing in elements that would have been found over 100 years ago.
The vision was to create a luxe garden suite worthy of being in a boutique southern hotel. This room is right off of my office and has a view straight to our patio garden. It has it’s own “wing” of the condo which makes it perfect for guests to come and go without interrupting the rest of the house. I wanted it to feel private but open and reflect the greenery in the patio garden.
What drew you to our Penelope Moss pattern?
The color at first and the quality as soon as I felt the sample. I’ve ordered things from Pepper before so I knew the quality would be just what I was looking for. Once the sample came in I knew these curtains would be the perfect statement in the room.
You may notice there isn’t a lot of art on the wall and that’s because I think these curtains are the art! I’m not certain if it needs anything more in this room thanks to these beautiful curtains decorating the windows.
Not every window is the same, which is why we offer custom curtains at a length that works for you. How did you decide what curtain length to choose?
This room for curtains was particularly challenging. One complaint from guests was that the light from the entrance of our condo would stream in through the french doors leading to the bedroom making it difficult to sleep. So I needed to find a way to cover the length of the french doors while making sure the width of the space was covered as well. So I ordered a 100” wide panel that was 108” (the length from the curtain rod to floor) and a 50” x 108”. The 100” wide panel sits in the corner so that you can close both the french door side and the left side of the big window without any “creases” of light to sneak through. For the length, I definitely wanted it to be dramatic and a statement-much like the windows (and door) themselves.
We’re obviously all about accessorizing! Tell us a little bit about your curtain rod choice!
I love thinking about ways to enchant a space so that the design details shine through at every glance - a little “sprezzatura” for a room, if you would. So I went with a gold bar with these two large square acrylic finials that accentuate the 100 year old door knobs that are on the doors. It’s fun to accentuate your favorite features (like the door knob) in other places to help amplify the original statement.