Thursday, November 22, 2012

Options in Designing Your Home Window Treatments

When we first moved into our new home three years ago the main objective with the windows was to cover them inexpensively. We knew we would later update as resources became more available but for now we were happy that the windows and blinds were in place for the privacy of our family. We put up plain white mini-blinds in every room except the kitchen. There we already had vertical blinds over the two door walls so we thought a valance over the one kitchen window would fair best.

Two years into living in our space women's coats I started to realize that a coat of dust lived on all of the blind that could not be removed unless I spent the entire day scrubbing which I was not willing to do. Right there and then I decided that I better start processing for windows and blinds that were not plastic or windows with curtains or windows with shades.

I decided the bedrooms were first in my window transportation. My daughter's room faces the river and knowing she chose this room only for the view I felt I needed to preserve that in her room. She is a sleeper that can sleep through anything light, dark, quiet or loud so I didn't have to consider options to block light or sound with her. We choose curtains that were shear and offered her the view while able to maintain privacy from the outside in. They had the greatest little sequences on them that helped to reflect the light in the room keeping the whole feel wide open. In our room I opted for wood roman shade. They were a natural option that blocked light and went with the dcor. When we feel like letting the light in they easily raise and lower. Our son's room was a bit trickier as he needs darkness and quiet. For him we found dark navy blue roman shades with a sound deflecting panel facing the outside.

The next room was the sitting room. The best part if this room is the cozy feeling it brings to our home. So we knew that any window treatment option had to maintain this. In order to accomplish this I knew I wanted a natural material in a darker tone but wanted the option to also open it up on nice spring days so the window treatment couldn't be too dark or hard to use. We opted for a lighter wood roman shade that had a loose weave pattern. This complemented the light, dark, cozy feel I was after.

The main living room has so much light and little privacy. That was a big problem for watching Saturday morning cartoons without the neighborhood looking in. I wanted to be able to create an environment of privacy that could be both light and dark. We choose curtains. We took a sheer brown curtain and used it as the base and picked thicker drapes that can be pulled back for the top. In the day we leave the brown sheers pulled but tie up the drapes. However at night when we are cozy ready to settle into relaxation we shut the drapes and block all the outside light out. It makes movies at nine so much nicer in the summer than having the light blare in. In Michigan it stays light out later in the spring and summer so often bedtime does not seem like bedtime. This option of light control really helps with this issue.

As you can see personal preference has a lot to do with windows and blinds, windows and curtains and windows with shades. It is a work in progress always. Even as I write this I think about different options that lay ahead for the two door walls. I don't imagine vertical blinds plaguing our home dcor for too much longer.

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