Window Treatments: Interesting Window Treatment Ideas

Window Treatments:
The right window treatments can make a huge difference in the general look of your decor. There are interesting window treatments available for practically every kind of window these days and you can get creative with these and design some perfectly lovely and eye-catching window treatments for your windows.

When selecting a window treatment, it is important to first consider the exact purpose of the window treatment – is it merely decorative, for light control, for privacy, for insulation, or for a mix of all these things? Then you must take into account the shape, size and design of the window (does it open in or out, is it deep-set?), the architecture of the room and the other elements in it, the theme or mood you want to create and the style in which you want to create (contemporary, classic, formal, casual, your own, and so on), the direction of natural light and if you want to make it a focal point in the room, the overall color scheme of the place, the maintenance factors – do you want something that is easy to maintain or can you live with window treatments that require special care?

From this you can decide if you are going to get shades, blinds, shutters or curtains/draperies or, perhaps, a judicious mix of these. Then we come to the choice in materials. There's plenty of that. To name a few, window treatments can be spruced up with a variety of materials like vinyl, wood, faux-wood, bamboo, natural grasses, woven reeds, cotton, linen, Georgette, denim, moire, and silk. You can mix up different materials to create an interesting textural variety, just make sure they don't clash in an ultra-incompatible way. Also keep in mind that heavy textured surfaces reflect less light than smooth textured surfaces. Consider the length of draperies, shades, etc. - do you want them down to the window sill or the window apron, or are you looking for a floor-length treatment? Are they going to be mounted on the window frame or above the window frame on the wall? Are you going to install a pelmet or a decorative or a plain curtain rod?

Color is another important factor to consider in window treatments. Rather than go for the usual neutral window treatments – unless the place absolutely demands it - get a color wheel and make a vivid splash with different and unusual color schemes. You can make up combinations of 2 or more colors – up to 3 seems to be a conventional rule, but don't let that stop you – or go for a different tones and tints of the same color, or go for some bright colored patterns. By using the right color or colors as a focal point, you can charge up the feel of a room, make it seem more cozy and warm or give it a more open, spacey look. Just be sure to check beforehand how the colors appear at different times of the day and how this will affect the overall look.

Then you must accurately measure the area required for the window treatment. This is necessary to get precise measurements of curtain rods, pelmets, valances, fabric and blind lengths and so on.

Some Window Treatment Ideas:
You can create a variety of interesting window treatment ideas using with some creativity and ingenuity. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Use bright colors against a light background to make the window seem larger.
• Use curving drapery lines to soften the look of a square or rectangular window.
• Use a simple window treatment if you are designing for a small space and leave the elaborate, layered treatments for a larger area.
• Use similar window treatments if you have multiple windows or, if you don't want similar window treatments or have windows that are distinctly different from each other, you can either get treatments that complement one another and create a good visual,balance or play up and accentuate the irregularities to an interesting effect.
• Use lace curtains in combination with wooden shutters or wooden blinds.
• Use cafe curtains (which are short curtains, about half the length of the window, and installed on a rod or wire on the lower half of the window, leaving the upper area open) in combination with a swag (a fabric treatment extending across the window top the window).
• Use plain mini-blinds in combination with funky patterned drapes or vice versa.
• Use pale bamboo shutters in combination of light linen or cotton curtains, or use these curtains in combination with woven grass shades.
• Use horizontal blinds – of any material – for sliding glass windows.

Experiment – on paper or computer to save expense – try out different materials and combinations of materials in a variety of styles, and see what suits the place and what suits you as well. You want a window treatment design you can live with or work with in harmony.