The Esquire Workroom
Sewn here, by hands we know
Custom draperies, valances, cornices, and Roman shades — measured, cut, sewn, pressed, and installed by Esquire, start to finish.
Most stores send drapery orders out to a workroom somewhere far away. We don’t. Every panel, valance, cornice, and Roman shade we sell is measured, cut, sewn, and pressed in our own Ann Arbor workroom by a seamstress with more than 27 years of experience. It’s the work we’re proudest of, and it’s why customers from Saline to Northville keep coming back for one more window.
Start with fabric. We keep hundreds of fabric books at the showroom, linens to velvets to woven sheers — and once the scope is set, your finalists come along to the free in-home consultation and measure so you can see them at your own windows. That matters more than it sounds: a fabric that reads quiet under showroom lights can turn warm and gold at four o’clock on a January afternoon.
One workroom, start to finish
Custom drapery has a lot of steps, and we own every one. A designer measures your windows. Our seamstress cuts, sews, and presses each panel. Our installers hang the finished work — rods level, pleats dressed, hems falling exactly where you asked. Nothing ships to a third party, and if something ever needs adjusting, the person who made it is right here in Ann Arbor.
Our designers don’t work on commission, so the fabric they recommend is the one that suits your room and your budget, not the one that pads a paycheck. The finished work is backed by our five warranties, including a lifetime warranty on installation.
Fabric chosen in your own light
Michigan light is particular. Winter sun sits low and comes in sideways; summer evenings stay bright past eight. Begin at the Ann Arbor showroom, where hundreds of fabric books and a designer help you narrow the field — then the in-home consultation and measure puts your finalists right next to the glass, so you can watch each swatch change in your own light before a single cut is made.
More than panels
The workroom sews more than drapery. A tailored valance can finish a kitchen window that doesn’t need full-length panels. A structured cornice hides hardware and gives tall windows a crisp, architectural top. Roman shades bring soft fabric to spots where drapery won’t fit: above a sink, over a window seat, in the narrow dormer of an older Ann Arbor house.
Everything layers, too. Many customers pair custom panels with Hunter Douglas shades — a Duette® honeycomb underneath for winter insulation, drapery over top for the warmth you can see. Because we’re Michigan’s largest Hunter Douglas showroom, you can plan both layers in a single visit.
The Esquire way
What our workroom means for you
Sewn in our workroom
Every piece is cut, sewn, and pressed in Ann Arbor by a seamstress with more than 27 years of experience.
Hundreds of fabric books
Linens, velvets, sheers, and prints to page through at the showroom or at your own kitchen table.
Fabric checked at your windows
Your shortlisted fabrics come along on the free in-home consultation and measure, so color is judged in the light it will live in.
Designers, not salespeople
No one here works on commission, so the advice you get is about your room, not a quota.
Lifetime installation warranty
One of five warranties standing behind every panel, valance, and shade we hang.
Best Price Promise
Custom doesn’t have to mean costly — our Best Price Promise applies to workroom pieces, too.
FAQ
Questions, answered
It depends on the fabric, the size of the window, the fullness of the pleat, and the lining you choose, so prices cover a wide range. Your designer prices everything before a single cut is made, and our Best Price Promise applies. Since no one here earns commission, nobody benefits from steering you toward the expensive book.
Stop by the Ann Arbor or Plymouth showroom and start paging through the fabric books — the right one is in there somewhere.