Inner Spaces
Designer's Corner ::
Column by Lisa-Marie Silver
Window treatments are one area I‘ve noticed that people tend to over look when they decorate a room. You can create a dramatic look, a soft frilly look, an industrialized look or something simple by using window treatments. The ‘standards’ of drapes, curtains and blinds no longer exist.
Think of windows as the backdrop of your room. If your furniture is the main focus of the picture, what do you want to surround your furniture?
You can create many different types of looks with your window treatments.
There are so many wonderful textures on the market today to create a unique look. There are many ‘ready to hang’ curtains on the market, if you cannot afford a professional. There are many professionals whose rates are quite reasonable. I would suggest doing a bit of research to see if you can find a professional to work within your budget. There is an advantage to using a professional. They offer a large array of fabric choices, while also handling all the measurements and the final installation.
Here are a few ideas: A quick way to soften the look of blinds is to place a valance above the blinds. Or use a fabric scarf draped over a rod, placed right above the top of the blinds, which will hide the harness of the blinds as well. This is an easy solution when you are renting.
There are many wonderful styles of roman shades. The folds can balloon out or be flat. They usually come with a small valance as well. You can also choose different types of roman shades. They can either pull up from the bottom or from the top. If you want to bring sunlight into a room, but don’t want the window or room exposed to the outside, I would suggest using the roman shade that opens from the top, instead of the bottom.
One of the most exciting new materials to enter the world of window treatments is woven wood blinds. I know it might sound funny to be excited about a material, but these are just great and it’s an easy way to add texture to a room. Woven wood blinds can be a mixture of different materials; bamboo, rattan, reeds or jute. Woven wood blinds are constructed in many different ways; some to allow light to come in through the blinds without ever having to open them up or constructed very tightly to allow only a small of light to come into the room without opening them.
If you want privacy at night, it is a good idea to have the blinds lined with a privacy liner, so that no one can see in at night. There is also a darkening liner that can be added, if you want the room to be exceptionally dark, like to watch TV.
There are also wood blinds. Wood blinds also come in many different sizes and colors. If you no longer want the aluminum blind and are not too sure about woven wood blinds, these are a great alternative. And now there are wonderful panels made of natural materials, like woven woods, that can be used for sliding doors.
Remember, one of the final touches to any room is the ‘dressing ‘ of the window.