Specification for per directory settings

[Adrien BUSTANY]

Hi,
this is my first post to the list, so hello everyone !
I've been lately developping an extension for a file manager which uses 
emblems on folders to mark their relation with a project. I searched for 
a standard for per directory settings but didn't find one. My problem is 
with emblems, but the same goes for custom icons, custom sorting, or 
even localized names etc.
I think the freedesktop world could really benefit from a standard 
addressing this concern, if it's well thought of course :-)
This mail is hence a call for brainstorming, here are a few starting 
points :
- For each folder that has custom settings, store a hidden file with the 
settings inside. That's what Dolphin, and the Finder on Mac OS X does.
- Store all the custom settings in a centralized file, most likely in 
the home user directory (possibly in .config). I guess that what 
Nautilus does for emblems, although that needs confirmation.

What do you guys think about that ? Do you have a better answer ? Am I 
posting to the right list ? :-)

Best regards
Adrien Bustany