This 24-piece has been on my wish list for two months. I finally decided to buy the queen size as an early Christmas gift for myself. Shipping was fast. Valences and drapes arrived first, in two separate packages. The bed-in-bag was delivered a day later.
Unboxing and unzipping everything was like Christmas had arrived early. I was very pleased as I unwrapped one elegant item after another. The black and damask pieces were just dazzling in person. Admittedly, I feared all the black would be too over powering and momentarily considered sending it back. But after a second thought, I decided to hang at least one drape and valance to see if the dark color would negatively impact my feng shui. It didn't, so I took a trip to the laundry to wash every piece in the set.
Removing all the pieces from the washer worried me because they all, including the comforter, were extremely wrinkled. I hoped that drying each piece would flatten most of the wrinkles. Drying the pieces did help loosen some, but they were still considerably wrinkled when removed from the dryer. So, when I was ready to hang the drapes and make up my bed, I had to first iron and take a lint roller to the drapes. This was a very tedious task given that the drapes are 74 inches long. For me, the easiest way, besides dropping them off at the cleaners for starch and press, was to spread them out on the spare bedroom floor. I had to get on my hands and knees to effectively press them. I turned the iron on the highest stream level, and though it took over an hour to press them all, it worked like a charm.
The most difficult aspect of decorating my room with this set was hanging the drapes. Trying to get both hooks perfectly aligned on each window was very cumbersome; made harder because I had no help. But achieving alignment, though difficult, was possible with measuring tape and "eyeballing". I recommend you have at least one other person to help you to make it easier on yourself. And to significantly reduce installation time.
Making the bed was considerably easier for obvious reasons. I was disappointed because I'd purchased a set of Euro pillows, (enlarged, and square), but they were surprisingly too small for the largest pillow shams. Nevertheless, the euro pillows slipped into the medium shams perfectly. And in any case I found that the largest shams weren't needed. Four sleeping pillows and two decorative pillows are more than enough. The wrinkles in the comforter fell away as I tugged on the four corners. I expect the comforter will become less and less wrinkles the longer it lays flat on my bed.
The bed skirt really pulled the entire ensemble together though it was extremely wrinkled too. I had to take the lint roller to the sheets and black parts of the shams but it all came together quite nicely. When I finished, I was literally in awe of how this set completely transformed my room into one that could quite possibly be featured in a better homes and garden magazine.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with my purchase and the quality of the stitching. I give five stars and a high recommendation if your personal taste embodies unique fashion and distinct elegance. Also, if you're like me and prefer a dark or dim setting, I believe you'll find this set pleasing too.
I'd like to add that you'll need a double rod curtain rod to hang the drapes and valances. I went to Home Depot in search for two sets, but what they had to offer was way too expensive. And, I discovered an expensive double rod isn't needed. The basic, inexpensive rod did the trick because after the drapes are installed, you can't see the curtain rod. I hope including the pictures below will help guide you if you're considering purchasing this set too.
Happy Holidays, everyone. :-)