Window Treatment Ideas

In the world of interior design, we can probably all affirm that windows can either make or break a space. The windows in every home are the connection to the outside world. How it is being treated speaks about your personality, taste and style in interior design. Nevertheless, the significance of window treatment is often neglected.

Window treatments should be wholly decorative and functional. It can also strike a balance depending on the space and the amount of natural light coming in the room. There are a lot of window treatment ideas but again, homeowners normally choose beauty over functionality of treating their windows at home.

In this article, let’s talk about the different window treatment ideas to help and protect your privacy while showing off your personality, taste and style. And who knows, treating your windows correctly by choosing the right materials and proper arrangement you will gain one of its benefits like lowering the cost of your energy consumption.

Blinds

Generally speaking, blinds or some may call it shutters are available in different materials and styles such as faux wood with embossed colors that look like real wood, and vinyl that’s arranged into slats. But using organic material for blinds would be a wise choice.

Blinds can also be horizontal or vertical and either corded, cordless, or motorized. The blinds are the most affordable choices in window treatment. It may have interior or exterior kind of blinds. Both kinds of blinds help reduce the heat of the sun while maintaining the desired light, ventilation and privacy.

These blinds can be mounted inside the window frame to create a clean look or outside to make a small window seem larger. It is best to position this in the South and west-facing windows.

In window treatment, you have to take the measurement of your windows.

For Interior (inside-mounted) Blinds:

• Take widths at the top, middle and bottom of the window, inside the frame.
• Use the narrowest width
• Take length measurements from the left, middle and right sides, inside the frame
• Use the longest length

For Exterior (outside-mounted) Blinds:

• Measure the width to the end of the window frame
• Add 1 ½ inches to each side to account for overlap
• Measure the length to the end of the window sill
• Add 1 ½ inches

Just a friendly tip from a professional interior designer, in choosing blinds, Get rid of the mini-blinds. Go for a wider slat. Look for 2.5″ slats on your blinds to maximize view, light and easy to clean.

Normally, many opt for a clean white blinds if the dominant color of the room is a neutral shade. Nevertheless, trying out earthly colors, also gives a fantastic impression especially if it complements with the theme of the room. Most of all, it also depends on how your personality and style speaks.

Shades

Shades are made of fabric and come in varying levels of opacity. The shades is the simplest and most effective way to save energy with window treatment. Choosing shades for window treatment in lieu of the blinds as the primary window treatment is trending especially shades made from natural woven fibers, such as bamboo or matchsticks.

There are 3 types of shades:

• Roller shades roll from a tube-shaped piece at the top of the window.
• Honeycomb shades fold down from the top of the window in pleats.
• Roman shades are arranged in careful, elegant folds. Flat Roman shades fold up at the top when fully raised and lie flat when lowered, creating a low profile look that works with a wide range of fabrics and prints.

The window shades should be installed properly. It should be mounted as close to the glass as possible and right up against the adjacent wall creates a tight seal that minimizes both heat gain and loss.

You may follow the steps from the blinds in taking measurements of windows for the shades. While you may either choose a neutral color or match the room’s dominant color if you are for solid shades. If you’re using patterned shades, try to match one of the colors in the print to your accent color.

These window shades with dual layers of fabric like combing a light color on one side and a darker color on the other,  add more functionality. You may interchange the placement of colors based on the season. Keep in mind that the light color will reflect heat in summer, while the dark color will absorb heat during winter.

They can be used in any part of the room in your home. You may choose a neutral shade or one that’s close to the room’s dominant color to blend in your window. And if you want to highlight a window feature you should opt for contrasting shade.

Drapes

Drapes are one option you can use for window treatment. These helps insulate your home from the heat of the sun in summer and coldness of winter. They are attached to a rod above the window and hanging down beyond the frame. It offers the most variation in price because they come in a variety of materials, colors and patterns. They are available in either stock and custom-made sizes.

It should be tightly sealed and hang right up to the ceiling down to the floor in order to achieve maximum performance of the drapes . It is also best to position the drapes as close to the window as possible. Drapes are flexible and can be positioned in any location and orientation.

Here are the steps in taking the measurements for drapes:

1. Determine the length of your curtain rod
2. Measure the width of your window
3. Add 3-8 inches to either side, depending on how full you’d like your curtains to be.
4. Measure the length by starting at the point where the rod will hang and measuring to 1 inch above the floor

Here are more essential tips in window treatment:

Use different treatment of the windows especially if you have many windows in the room. This will ease out boredom. It is just like telling a story and each side of the space in your home could speak about your personality and style.

Hang your drapes high and wide to make your space look bigger and luxurious. Make sure to hang the drapes at least 12 inches above the window frame or all the way to the ceiling and extending your curtain rod out three to six inches on each side.

Avoid hanging drapes right above the window frame as it gives lesser light. It also makes your space look crowded. Keep in mind that, when open, your curtains shouldn’t fall more than two inches inside the frame on each side.

Layer your window treatment aims for better insulation. But don’t forget to boost your taste and style and make sure to make your windows the focal point of design.

Window treatment also rely on the window finishes like frosted glass. This provides privacy without killing the view. Etching the glass windows creates a frosted glass windows. The semi-transparent contact paper is used to cover and make up the frosted glass windows. Some are using spray products to cover it. You may treat it partially or whole part of the window depending on your needs.

Again, homeowners often  neglect window treatment to their homes. But it is best to give importance to these details to give your space an impressive look. Thus, you to trust your instinct when styling and treating your windows. Always remember that your goal in window treatment is to treat the light, the noise and temperature based on the need of the space.

Do you need help in window treatment, allow designstiles can help and guide you from design concept to completion. Schedule your design consultation and learn how you can hire us by the hour program by clicking the link: https://www.designstiles.me/consult

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