Where Exactly Did the First Half of the Year Go?
- Emma S
- Jul 31
- 6 min read
Anyone else wondering where the first half of the year disappeared to? We hit the ground running on our return from the Christmas break and, half a year later, we're still going at full pelt - not that we're complaining for a second!
Back in January we shared a quick look at what we had bubbling away: new faces in the workroom, a diary full of exciting projects and big plans for the year ahead. Six months on feels like the perfect moment to take stock and let you know how it's all shaping up.
Hitting the Ground Running - and Staying There
We ended 2025 with some really exciting projects lined up to kick the new year off, and we've picked up plenty more along the way. The diary hasn't had a quiet week yet, which is exactly how we like it but it does make for a daily 'juggle' on the fitting calendar!
It continues to give us such a buzz to pick up the phone to clients old and new who want to talk about their project and how we can help bring it to life. There's nothing quite like that first conversation - hearing the vision, talking through the practicalities, and working out how we turn an idea into something beautiful, hard-wearing and perfectly fitted.
And we genuinely love a challenge or a request for something a little different. A recent favourite? A tablecloth made to match a curtain and pelmet combination on a job - the finishing touch that ties a whole room together. When we make in-house, from the same bolt of fabric and by the same hands, those little flourishes are no trouble at all. It's one of the quiet advantages of keeping the whole process under one roof.
And we're always looking for ways to do it even better - back in February we took delivery of another brand-new piece of machinery to the workroom, continued investment in keeping that in-house craft to the highest standard.
Our New Starters Are Settling In Beautifully
Our fresh-faced new workroom starters are still looking fresh-faced - which is something of a miracle, given they chose to join us during one of the busiest periods we've ever had!
Despite being thrown straight into the deep end, they're learning the craft brilliantly and soaking up the years and years of experience held by those around them. That's how it's always worked here, and it's how it should be: skills passed from one generation to the next, keeping our industry alive with the kind of talent and craftsmanship you simply can't rush. Between them, the team brings together more than 275 years of experience and knowledge, all under one roof - and we're certainly not about to let a single year of it go to waste. With that much skill at our fingertips, it would be criminal not to pass it on!
It's not just the workroom that's grown, either. We've recently welcomed a new face to our fitting and installation team, as well as our workshop - we simply needed some extra pairs of hands (and another driver too!). Just like our workroom additions, they've already brought a fresh outlook and are keen and eager to learn how we get things done, both on site and off. Welcome aboard!
A Family Affair (In Every Sense!)
It hasn't all been pleats and pelmets, either - we also had a wedding! One of our new starters, Celinnagh, somehow squeezed a few days off into the whirlwind to tie the knot, and took our resident twin sisters Jo and Di along with her. Now, we wouldn't normally wave off that many of the team at once - but with Jo as mother of the groom and Di as aunty, we could hardly say no!
Just like PCI, it was a true family affair, and we couldn't be happier for them all.
Congratulations, Celinnagh! 🥂
Have Curtains, Will Travel!
It's been a year of clocking up the miles, too. We've travelled the length and breadth of the UK, up into Scotland and across to Ireland already this year - and some of the luckier members of the team have even managed trips to the Mediterranean and Paris. Fancy right?
Wherever the work takes us, the approach stays the same: measure properly, manufacture meticulously and install flawlessly, so every project lands exactly as the client imagined. Wherever you are, we've got you covered!
A Dream in High-End Residential
It hasn't all been contract work, either. This year we had the pleasure of working on the most beautiful high-end residential property right here in the UK - and what an absolute dream of a project it was. Perfection everywhere you looked, and every corner of the home considered down to the very last detail.
It was a real showcase of what we love doing best. We hand-crafted curtains, Roman blinds and voiles throughout a mix of hand-drawn and electric systems, among other lovely touches - each one measured, made and fitted to sit just so. The kind of job where the craftsmanship really gets to shine. And we weren't the only ones - every supplier on this project brought that same care and attention, and it truly showed. When everyone's working to the same exacting standard, the results speak for themselves.
Much of that comes down to the designer behind it and Sofia at Studio Archer lives, eats and breathes all things design. She's a real collaborator - clear on her vision, but equally understanding of the expertise we brought to the table. She listened, trusted our judgement where it mattered, and that balance is exactly what makes a project like this one to remember. She's since included us in the final images and footage, and it means a great deal to see the part our work played in the finished result. We can't wait to work with her again!
You can see more of her work over at Studio Archer Designs.
Photo courtesy of Studio Archer
A Capital Project (Watch This Space!)
We've also had a rather special one keeping us busy behind the scenes - a hotel refurbishment right in the heart of the capital. Set over ten floors, we manufactured and installed pinch pleat curtains, voiles and pelmets to bedrooms across 9 floors as well as in communal areas too. 359 bedrooms and approximately 596 windows = ALOT of pairs of curtains and voiles! I think it's fair to say our fitters have been racking up their daily step count - Joe's finally got some competition!
A project of this scale is never plain sailing, and nor would we want it to be - it's the challenge that keeps us on our toes and doing our very best work. There've been countless details to consider, plenty of decisions to weigh up, and the usual ups and downs that come with a job this size - but that's exactly what makes it so rewarding. Every twist and turn adds to the experience we carry into the next one. There hasn't been a day when something for this project hasn't been making its way around the workroom, and we're not quite done yet!
From curtains and voiles to carefully considered blinds for what are set to be some very special communal areas, every one of us feels like we've really lived this one. We're almost there. Completion is firmly in sight now - and we genuinely can't wait to see every floor finished. We'll be able to share the full reveal once it's complete, so watch this space!
Here's to the Next Six Months
So that's where we are at the halfway point: busy, buzzing, a little well-travelled, and as in love with what we do as ever. A huge thank you to every client who's trusted us with their project so far this year - and to our brilliant team, new faces and old hands alike, who make it all happen.
If you've got a project taking shape, whether it's curtains, blinds, cushions or something a little out of the ordinary, we'd love to hear about it.
Get in touch and let's bring it to life together.
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