There are so many different types of window treatments from which to choose. So, how to choose which is best for a particular room or a specialty-shaped window? Your best bet is to have a consultation with an interior designer so she can point you in the right direction. Some ideas work great for some areas and not so great for others.
What Are The Main Types of Window Treatments?
The main types of window treatments are drapes, curtains, shades, blinds, and shutters. Drapery panels are usually floor-length panels of fabric with a backing on them for structure. They generally hang on a drapery rod that is attached to the wall above the window.
Curtains are much like drapery panels, but they are more relaxed and they usually drop slightly below the windowsill. They are made of lighter fabrics than drapes, and they may be sheer. They also hang from a curtain rod at the top of the window.
Shades are made of fabric and they are attached to a frame or a rod at the top of the window. They may have a cord to raise them, or they may be cordless for safety reasons. When the fabric raises to open it, the fabric will roll up onto a cassette at the top of the window for a roller shade, or a Roman shade will have the fabric neatly stacked at the top of the window when you raise it.
Blinds attach to a frame at the top of the window and have a lifting mechanism. They are not made of fabric, but instead, they have hard slats or louvers that can be adjusted to get filtered light into your home. They are available in a wide range of materials, such as aluminum, vinyl, plastic, and bamboo.
Indoor plantation shutters are made of wood or faux wood. They both appear the same as each other. They have slats on them that can be tilted to let filtering light inside your home, or you can swing them open and have an unobstructed view outside.
What Is The Most Popular Window Treatment Style?
Draperies are the most popular window treatment style because you have literally thousands of styles when you layer fabrics on your window coverings. You can have sheers, side panels, valances, and cornices, and the list is almost unlimited. Custom draperies give you window treatments that fit perfectly and look beautiful as well.
How to Choose the Fabric Length
The longer the fabric for your drapery panels, the more formal your window treatment solution will be. The most formal draperies are not usually as functional though. You might want to decide on a length depending on what room it is in. Decide if it’s going in a bedroom where you want to block light out during the night but open your drapery panels during the day. If it’s in your dining room, are they to be more formal than functional? Are they going into a child’s playroom?
Answering these questions can help you to decide on a length. The longer draperies with heavier material are more formal than functional and should go in a formal dining room. You don’t want draperies that pool on the floor in a child’s playroom because it can be a tripping habit, and you don’t want drapes that long in your kitchen either because they would get dirty too easily.
How to Choose the Fabric Weight
The bigger and heavier the fabric is on your drapery panels the heavier the look is and especially if it forms a puddle on the floor with a few inches of fabric. A drapery will quite a bit of puddling can also help you with your heating and cooling loss to make your home more energy efficient. If you have a sheer panel, and it puddles on the floor, it creates a cozy atmosphere.
When you are hanging draperies that are full length, they look much nicer to hang them two inches below the ceiling or four inches above the window molding to make your room will appear to be much larger than it is.
Pairing Sheer Panels with Drapery Panels
Layering your window treatments in your home gives them a lot of personality. You can use sheer shades for your first layer next to the window and then add heavier drapery panels on the front of the sheers. This allows you great lighting control. privacy, filtered light, and room-darkening features while being highly functional. You can close both the sheers and the drapes for privacy and to block light out of your bedroom. Open just the drapery and leave the sheers closed for filtered light in your space. If you open both the sheers and the draperies, you have a perfect view outside, and you can let a bit of cheerful sunshine into your space.
Utilize Blinds When They Are Called For
Sometimes the shape of a window or its placement doesn’t allow for a curtain or drapery rod above the window to hang curtains or drapery panels. In this case, blinds will be your best bet. They can be custom-made to fit any size and shape of window, and blinds are a very economical choice as well.
How Do You Choose Window Treatments Style?
Some window treatments work best in particular rooms of your home and won’t work as well in other rooms.
Your living room and dining room give you the most freedom because it’s up to your personal preferences. The best window treatments for these rooms are draperies. They can make a big statement, and drapery looks especially lovely in a large window, or on French doors to be your focal point in the room.
Bedroom windows need to be able to block out light for you to get a restful night’s sleep, but you want to let some sunshine in during the daytime to brighten your room. If you want total darkness to sleep, then a blackout lining is your best bet. If you don’t mind some light coming into your bedroom window, you can choose sheer curtains to let filtered light in. Most window treatments in bedrooms are layered, so they are very functional.
In your kitchen, you usually have a window over the sink and this is called a splash zone. You want to make sure that you use materials in your window treatments that can hold up to a bit of water or perhaps grease if the window is near the stove. Your ideal window covering for your kitchen windows is either a Roman shade that is washable or a woven wood shade. Shades made of fabric will soften the hard lines in a kitchen of the flooring and countertops.
Bathroom windows can be of any size and shape from very large picture windows to the tiny strips of windows that are high up on the wall. You want something that is faux wood or water-resistant in your bathrooms. Linen or cotton blinds work well because they can be cleaned easily. Another alternative is woven wood blinds made of bamboo and other natural fibers to bring a sense of the outside in and give you a spa feel to your bathroom.
What Consideration Will You Make in Choosing a Window Treatment?
Your first step is to create a realistic budget for your new window treatments and then start your journey to beautify your home.
Your goal isn’t to use one type of window treatment in every single window of your home in the exact same style and color. Instead, you can use similar window coverings throughout the home and play some up and some down.
For example, woven wood shades are quite casual, but the addition of side drapery panels in linen or faux silk will upgrade the woven wood shades to be more formal for a formal living room or a formal dining room.
You also don’t want to have a totally different color palette in each room, or the spaces won’t flow together, and you will create chaos instead of comfort and ease.
Looking For Window Treatments in Michigan?
At Clear Fortress Window Solutions, we have a combined experience of over 50 years in designing, fabricating, and installing all types of window treatments in Michigan. We carry a full line of custom blinds, shades, shutters, and drapes in Michigan for all of your window-covering solutions. We guarantee our high-quality products, and we also guarantee our services. Give us a call today to get started on your new window treatments.