A perfect world would allow us to leave our windows untouched and open. However, no one I know, including me, is bold enough to go without window treatments. So I have gathered a few ideas on how to dress up your windows to give you privacy.
A gorgeous drapery can change the look of a room. How do you choose the fabric? Coordinate it to something else in the room. Here we have a red and white plaid pillow. They used the colors on the curtain fabric. The pattern goes well with the light, airiness of the yellow walls.
An upholstered cornice is a great way to add color to a room. These gray walls look great with the pop of yellow above the window. A geometric is a fail-proof pattern. Choose a scale that is appropriate for the size of the cornice and the size of the room. A larger scale of this pattern could have worked for this window as well.
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| image via flickr |
Blinds take a lot of hate in the world of home decor but they are pretty practical. How do you get around them? Use a 2" wide wooden blind. Match the finish to the trim color. Here we have white trim, so the blinds are white.
Now, for those of you who have floor-to-ceiling windows and no trim or wall to attach your treatment {AHEM, Julie}, I have some ideas for you, too.
{warning: these sketches are pretty rough. but you get the idea}
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| A cornice is the first step. I recommend no matter what you do {drapery or blinds or nothing} you at least add a cornice. "But Courtney, I just said I have no wall or trim to attach to!" The best thing about a cornice is that that is is easily attached to the ceiling. Simply add an L bracket to the inside front of the board and attach the other end to the ceiling. Experience tip: I often get caught up in the construction of something but sometimes all I think about is the pretty factor. Consider the depth of your cornice! Make sure that when you put it up, there is room between the window and the front for your drill to get up to the ceiling. This sounds obvious but I'm speaking from experience here. |
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| What else can you do? If you want privacy, add a ceiling track to the ceiling prior to the cornice. Now you can hang drapes from the ceiling. Since the track doesn't meet the pretty factor, add a cornice in front. If you hang sheers, make your cornice fabric a fun pattern. If you hang a patterned drape, the cornice fabric should be a solid color that you pick from the drapery fabric. Or you can hang blinds or shades from the ceiling with the cornice in front. Go high-end with a motorized shade that has a remote. |
Looking for a quick fix? Use your existing drapes or sheers and existing rod. Turn your wall bracket 90 degrees and hang it from the ceiling. {Obviously this cannot work with wall brackets that are open on the top. You will have to switch out to a bracket that is closed, like a U-shape.} Keep in mind this will raise up the drapery whatever the distance is from the window top to the ceiling line and account for that at the bottom of the curtain. This works well for floor to ceiling windows.
Lastly, always remember that even though it looks great on the inside, you can see the other side of your work. Go outside and look in; it should look just as great.
Lastly, always remember that even though it looks great on the inside, you can see the other side of your work. Go outside and look in; it should look just as great.
