How to Choose Window Treatments
Categorised in: Window Covering Selection
Aug 13, 2021
Choosing the window of your main concern first gives you parameters to follow for other window coverings. If you’re interested in a focal window, say in your living room, you will still first select a window covering for its functionality, light and privacy control, and then its aesthetic value.
Do window treatments need to match in a home? No. Feel related to one another? Oh yes. Definitely.
The feel of your home should be one of pleasant uniformity, and this is achieved through colours, window coverings, furniture style, interior finishes and most importantly, a design-savvy, window-covering professional.
Window coverings elevate your space with more functionality and joy.
Window coverings need to, first, serve their required function in your home. Before you can even think about them in terms of attractiveness, they must answer your service demands, so it’s best to look at your window that requires the most attention right away.
Covers Canada has put together ideas for choosing window coverings to help you learn about some of the best styles of blinds and draperies and where to put them. Our designers are happy to visit you at your home to help with your window treatment choices.
In what room is the window of your primary concern located, and why does it matter?
It is easiest first to choose the window covering of the room that is your greatest pressure-point. It could be your family room with sun relentlessly beating in, a bedroom window that must serve dual functions, the foyer, a bathroom window that needs to offer both privacy and light transference. Sometimes, it is more than one room that shares that highest position for window covering significance.
But, why is it vital to solving the window-covering dilemma of the window(s) with the greatest needs first? Because your list of requirements might be complicated. To achieve the solution, you may require a more focused option.
It is always best that any compromise, if one is necessary, is made on windows whose functionality, privacy or type of light filtering does not matter as much. After the windows of primary concern are addressed, the corresponding colour and style for the less crucial windows are easier to choose.
Having parameters in place makes future choices easier. Knowing that you must create a cohesive look with the remaining window treatments is made easier by the parameters introduced from the options for your pressure-point window coverings.
See our Product Resource Centre and Measuring Guides here.
Every window covering is a combination of three desires;
1) Functionality: How you want the window covering to work.2) Privacy and Light Control: How much privacy is needed and when it is required, and the type and amount of light filtering offered.
3) Aesthetic: The style and colouring of the window covering.
Because there are so many possible combinations, it is helpful to have a trained eye to assist you in choosing what covering will work best.
1. Functionality:
The shape, size, or how a window opens may dictate the style and type of window treatment necessary. If your window glass is large and does not have a vertical division, it must be considered as one extensive treatment.
Choose from drapery, which offers the greatest width options, horizontal blinds that can typically be installed as wide as 96”, roman, eclipse, or roller shades are offered up to 118” or vertical blinds, panel track or Hunter Douglas Luminette for wider openings.
If a window is a tilt-turn style or is part of a group of bay windows or slides side to side like a sliding door, it will require a specific covering treatment to allow for the function of the window or door.
Trapezoidal, triangular, circular, semi-circular shaped, or large expanses of glass are incorporated into great rooms and cottages, especially contemporary homes. These custom shapes are often challenging for a homeowner.
At Covers Canada, we specialize in custom-shaped window coverings, cordless and motorized options for hard-to-reach window treatments. Please reach out to one of our helpful staff here to answer any questions.
2. Privacy and Light Control:
The chosen thickness or weave of a drapery fabric gives you a range of privacy, and so does the lining that you add: Blackout fabric lining provides complete darkening. Linings can also benefit from heat insulation for older windows or can be treated to withstand UV damage and sun-fading. The lining also protects the face fabrics from sun damage or fading.
Cellular Shades, Roller Shades or Roman Blinds have no open slats, so provide a range of ambient light- filtering options: Depending on: the fabric colour, weave or blackout option chosen, more light diffusion is available, but mostly, they allow a pleasant amount of ambient (not direct) light through. UV protection is inherent with most shades.
Horizontal Blinds sometimes called Venetian Blinds, and Faux or Wood Window Shutters give linear-style light availability utilizing the tilting of their slats: The variation of the shutter hinge offers a full opening like a traditional saloon door, while blinds are pulled or pushed up to the top of the window, opened from the top down, or a combination of the two opening styles for a full view.
Vertical Blinds provide similar light-diffusing to horizontal blinds with the rotation of their vertical vanes. They are often used for side-to-side sliding types of window or door openings. Drapes and curtains also provide side-to-side movement.
- Drapes, shutters and blinds all offer a degree of sound attenuation and temperature insulation.
- Drapes, curtains or sheers can be used with other window treatments to answer your function, privacy and aesthetic requirements.
3. Aesthetic:
There is something to be said to see cohesion with the same window coverings for all the windows.
It looks pleasant from the outside to see the same style of window treatments on all the windows. But here’s the thing. It is usually only you who takes note of the fact that they are all the same.
So, if there is a particular room that requires a unique window treatment for it to function better for you, make sure it or its lining is the same colour as the other window coverings on a wall of the home.
That compromise is perfectly acceptable.
If the bedrooms are on one wall of the house, they may require a different style of window covering from the rest of the house to best suit your function, privacy and light filtering needs. And again, if they share a wall with other types of window treatments, ensure the colouring on the outside is the same, generally a shade of white.
How much of the window opening or wall should a window covering occupy?
Window coverings can be mounted (or installed) at several specific points. These placements all create a distinct look.
Outside Mount: Blinds, drapery, curtains or rollers mounted at the outside edge of the window or door trim offer a clean, simplistic look that hides the busyness of the trim.
Inside Mount: Installing inside the trim exactly within the visual opening not only saves you money but shows off historical trim you may want to highlight.
Ceiling Mount: Installing your drapery or blinds at the ceiling makes a statement that accentuates the height of your room and creates a block of colour that adds to the room’s aesthetic.
Top-Down or Bottom-Up Blind Opening: Whether the top or bottom of a window is fully revealed is a versatile option. A combination of the two is available for the height of luxury.
Drapery Length: Depending on the size of a window or whether furniture is below a window, drapes can end almost anywhere. It’s best to have your furniture placement decided before you consider adding drapes or their lighter-weight cousin, the curtain.
Drapery Width: Drapery is often extended across a whole wall. Its wall positioning can hide the awkward placement of a window to allow for better room design.
A bedroom is a great place to take advantage of this drapery trick. Windows are often found equally spaced on the home’s exterior wall, but they may not end up in the centre of the room, making furniture placement more difficult.
Window coverings are an artform all their own; they are forever tied to elevating the design and aesthetic of your home, office or commercial space.
They play a crucial role in your ability to feel joyful, safe and comfortable in your home. See our photo gallery of delighted clients’ window coverings here.
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Covers Canada represents all major shade and fabric suppliers offering custom coverings to ensure you live harmoniously with your window treatments.
Please call Covers Canada at any of our locations’ phone numbers. Please see our Ontario location map here.
Or call (519) 652 0222 ext 227 for your commercial window treatment needs.