Window Treatment Tips

• Windows are a natural focal point in a room. Depending on your furniture arrangement, window location or view from the window, you may want to either enhance the window as a focal point or have it blend into the background of the room.
• Don't ignore the view, light or the colors in nature your home receives from windows and skylights. These magnificent features that windows provide in a room should affect the color and window treatment choices you make in your home decor.
• If the view from your window is not especially gratifying, but you yearn for as much natural light as possible, decorate with a sheer drapery that blocks the view yet lets light into the room.

In this room, the focal points are the windows and the fireplace. The owners have
achieved an ideal furniture arrangement to accommodate the 2 focal points.

• If you have a stunning tree or view just outside your window, allow it to become a feature of the room by making it visible and not hiding it with heavy window treatments.
• If you have multiple layers on your windows consisting of sheers, draperies and top treatments, you can downplay the proportions and significance of the window by allowing all layers to be of the same color.
• To make the window a focal point, use contrasting colors on the different layers.

The contrasting color used on the valances of the windows above, bring the eye to the windows
without obstructing the light or the view.

• If you choose to have the window treatment blend in with the room's decor, the fabric color should be close to the same color as the wall surrounding the window. This will also help to make the room visually larger, because the wall will be an unbroken, continuous color, even with an elaborate window treatment.
• In small rooms, keep the window treatment simple and light.
• If you have a window that does not have a pleasant view, consider hanging a framed piece of stained glass over the window. It will let the light in, yet hide the view.
• A room will look like it has higher ceilings than it actually does, if the window treatments go continuously from the top of the window to the floor. This will create an unbroken vertical line on the wall surface.
• In an open floor plan, maintain a consistency in the style of window treatments used. You can vary the top treatment some, but keep the overall color, style and length of draperies the same. If possible, keep the mounted height of all draperies viewed at the same time identical as well, even if the windows top moldings are of different heights.
• Regardless of the color of your drapery fabric, always use a white or ivory drapery lining. This will assure that the windows blend with each other on the exterior of your home. Even colored window blinds can give your home an inconsistent appearance on the outside.

It would look mismatched if one of these draperies appeared blue on the outside and the other (in another room) appeared red on the outside, it is always best to line all of your draperies in white or ivory so that the view from the exterior of the house is consistent.

• Before purchasing sheers, you should do the following to view their true color, which may be hidden. Roll the sheer fabric up in a ball, this will show the precise color of the material. Ivory sheers can have a hidden warm or a cool undertone color that will become more obvious once hanging.
• If you are fortunate enough to have beautiful moldings on your windows or a wonderful view, there is no reason why you have to have draperies or a window treatment at all. If you do decide to leave the windows bare, but would like to have occasional privacy, you can use shades or blinds that roll up and are almost completely out of the way when not in use.