Window Treatments - the Finishing Touch to your Home Remodel

Sounds obvious enough, right? And, in a way it is. I have seen many beautiful examples and many not-so-beautiful examples. The trick is to match up the decorating themes of a given room with the appropriate window treatment. The other choices are color, insulating properties, light control and privacy. By the way, I take window treatments to mean almost any window covering: blinds, shades, shutters and drapes. There doesn’t seem to be much consensus on what a window treatment is so I am taking the broadest definition.

Choosing the right blinds and shades can get a little more complicated than these few choices. For example there are motorized blinds, cordless, valance options, wand control and more. But for the purposes of this article I will stick mostly to the major themes as mentioned above. Once you have chosen the appropriate blind, shade, shutter or drape, you can decide if you want to add any of the convenience options offered by the manufacturer.

First, let’s lay out the main choices. In the window blinds category you have mini blinds, plantation shutters, vertical blinds, wood and faux wood blinds and finally, panel track blinds. In the window shades category you have roller shades, sheer shades, pleated shades, woven wood shades (also known as bamboo shades), roman shades, cellular shades and solar shades (also called solar screens). Then there are drapes. The drapes category can be huge depending on how you choose to categorize them. But for the purposes of this article I will label them as custom and pre-made. Custom drapes are made-to-order drapes cut to the appropriate size of your window and usually with a built in 2 to 1 fullness. These are generally higher quality and made from a variety fabrics from silk to cotton. Made-to-order drapes are generally less expensive and can be picked up at many major retailers.

Segregating by room type, here are my recommendations. For kitchens, faux wood shutters and faux wood blinds are often an excellent choice. They often match up well with wood cabinets and can withstand the often hot and humid environments of kitchens. This is also true for bathrooms. But, other choices for bathrooms would be pleated shades, which you can think of as the non-insulating version of cellular shades. The nice thing about pleated shades for bathrooms is they pair well with the top down/bottom up feature which is excellent for privacy. Less expensive options for these kinds of rooms would be mini blinds, woven woods or roman shades. Mini blinds are a better choice for rooms with a more modern décor whereas wood finishes are best with wood-type decors. A simple rule of thumb is to match your window treatments with the overriding color and materials of the room: wood with wood, fabric with fabric, metal with metal and all in complimentary colors.

For living rooms and family rooms, the choices are pretty wide open. For large windows, like sliding doors, vertical blinds are an easy choice but don’t overlook panel track blinds. Don’t forget that vertical blinds come in more than just vinyl; they also come in faux wood, fabric, cellular and aluminum. Plantation shutters, though expensive, are a time-honored window covering choice. You almost can’t go wrong with these, unless your house is very modern and contemporary. In that case, I would recommend aluminum mini blinds or vertical blinds.

For bedrooms, privacy and light control are usually the big factor. So, I would look into roller shades, cellular or pleated shades with a blackout liner, or woven woods and roman shades, again with a liner. The one you choose will depend on the overall décor of your room. If you want more insulating properties from you shades, go with the cellular option.

For dining rooms, I would recommend drapes or maybe roman or woven wood shades. If you like the roman shades, consider the pleated or tear-drop option for a more luxurious appearance.

For rooms with views and lots of sunlight, consider solar shades. These come in various levels of opacity, i.e. how much light they block. The nice thing about solar screens is you can still see out of your windows with out as much solar heat build-up as well as a greater level of privacy from the street view.