Picking the Right Window Treatment

I am willing to take a bet that almost every American home has a window, somewhere. So why is it so commonplace to spend thousands of dollars furnishing your home, but opt for the ‘White #2’ curtains on sale at the local big box store? This situation can apply to all types of window treatments - curtains, drapes, sheers and valances. These often overlooked room accents can be exclamation points, a splash of color in an otherwise neutral space. Or, they can simply complement and blend with other pieces of furniture in the room.

Fabric window treatments will usually be one of three styles - sheers, curtains or drapes. Each is hung from a traverse rod above the window and usually has a string or cord attached to facilitate movement. Sheers, as the name suggests, are made from lightweight sheer fabric and are designed to give rooms an open and airy feel. Curtains are heavier than sheers and can be made from many different types of common fabrics including linen, cotton or cotton blends. Finally, Drapes are made from the heaviest fabric, pleated, and see the most use in formal spaces.

With so many different fabrics, colors and designs it should really be a crime to purchase store-bought window treatments.There are endless possibilities and advantages in choosing custom instead. Did you know that window treatments should be 2 to 2.5 times as large as your window in order to look billowy and full? Every window is not equal, and having ill-fitting curtains will never be in style. Another risk of purchasing store-bought window treatments is that there is not always adequate space for them. Newer homes are often guilty of leaving little to no room for conventional hardware. Fortunately, custom window treatments can be fitted with specialized hardware and hung just about anywhere. Color is another important differentiator between custom and store-bought, but not for the reason you would probably expect. Different color curtains will each infuse the room differently when exposed to sunlight. Settling for the standard corporate palettes of white, grey and black will cast your home into a Noir movie.

Window treatments, or the lack thereof, can make or break a space. Coordinated well they can transform your studio apartment into a 5 star hotel. However, if neglected window treatments can be the undoing of any great space.