When it comes to decorating your home, there are many decisions to make, and one of them is choosing window treatments. Just like jackets, window treatments are often the last thing you put on to add layers to your room, to dress it up or down depending on its uses. But it doesn’t mean you should wait until the last step of your design process to consider picking them. A wide array of available styles and materials makes it possible for window treatments to inject style and feeling and elevate your space, but also make the decision so much harder.
Don’t worry, we are here to help!
This guide will assist you in choosing the right window treatments for your space, considering their looks and practicality with regards to light, heat, and privacy.
1. Styles
It’s important to select the right style of your window treatments as it will help to create the ambiance of your space. Varying from classic to traditional to contemporary, there are many choices available to transform your room and add personality.
1.1. Blinds and Shades
Shades: Shades are a great option if you’d like to add a simple and elegant feel to your home but still want to retain privacy. There are also many options of shades you can choose from, with each introducing a different feel to your room, such as a billowy balloon, stagecoach, and Roman shades.
Blinds: Blinds are also a classic treatment that provides perfect control over privacy and light level in the room. The experts from this website explain that while faux wood blinds add an organic feel, metal ones bring an industrial touch to space. For a more sophisticated and colorful feel, you can also pair blinds with drapes and valances. Match your blinds with the overall style of the room, and you can’t go wrong.
1.2. Curtains and Drapes
Versatile curtains and drapes can elevate the room in either a casual and formal way as they come in endless patterns and fabrics. While lush fabrics and substantial rods complement a formal room, lightweight fabrics add a soft and elegant feel. Curtains and drapes offer more opportunity to transform a room compared to blinds and shades thanks to the variety of their lengths, colors, textures, and patterns, although they do tend to be more expensive.
2. Materials
The main function of window treatments is to adjust the amount of light that shines through and prevent sun exposure, and the weight and texture of the fabric or material you choose will be the main factor in this. Additionally, different materials will create a different ambiance in the room. While linen and canvas are luxuriously durable, calico and gingham elevate a casual room, silk and velvet add formality, and tapestries complement the design. It is also a good idea to add a layer of sheer fabric, which allows the sunlight to gently filter through your home. As sheer fabrics usually go well with a heavy curtain, they also add flexibility to the style and function of the room; close them both for a movie night or just have the sheer drapes closed for a Sunday brunch.
3. Functionality
Being a crucial part of houses, window treatments should also meet practical needs. If you live in a tropical area with the harsh sun during the summer, curtains and shades lined with blackout fabric is a good idea. If you want to maximize your privacy, consider adding shades pulled down with drapes. Using sheers for living rooms or conservatories can save on bills as they allow a lot of natural light in and reduce the need for lamps during the day. Sometimes, the shape of your room dictates the type of window treatments you can use; for example, if you have a group of windows, blinds are the best choice.
4. Measurements
Measuring your windows is very important when choosing treatments. Depending on the look you prefer, you can hang shades, valances, blinds, and curtains either inside for a uniform look or outside to hide the frame. Generally, a longer fabric adds formality and less functionality, so it’s important to consider how many times you’ll open and close your window before deciding the length. For floor-length drapes, you can make the room appear larger by hanging them some inches away from the ceiling and above the window molding.
5. Window Hardware
Window hardware also plays an important role in how you create your desired look. Bright brass goes well with a traditional room for its elegance, brushed aluminum and stainless-steel bring a modern vibe, and wood tones add coziness and warmth to the whole space.
To finalize your dream space, it pays to know about different styles of window treatments and how they affect the ambiance of your space. Use this guide and your own sense of design to pick window treatments that create a unified vision for your house.
