Beautiful window dressings can be the difference between a stark, exposed space and a warm, inviting room. They’re the perfect way to integrate new windows with your home’s decor, or to provide a new lease of life to old installations.
We all know that it’s a good idea to hang basic curtains or blinds, especially in rooms where you want to sleep or have some privacy, but we love it when people experiment with colourful, exciting designs. We hope that the window dressing ideas in this post will inspire you to look beyond purely practical solutions and do something more with your home.
1. Painted wooden shutters
A classy alternative to curtains and blinds, painted wooden shutters fulfil all the practical requirements of window dressings in bedrooms or reception rooms, with a number of unique benefits.
Shutters offer a precise level of control over the light you allow into the room. When fully open, you can enjoy the full height and width of your windows. When closed, their slats can be adjusted to let different levels of light into the room and to direct it up or down.
When it comes to aesthetics, shutters are one of those rare design options that can compliment both modern and traditional homes. They can be painted any colour you like and will work especially well with wooden furniture.
2. Floor-to-ceiling curtains – perfect for glass doors
While not strictly a window dressing, we couldn’t resist a spotlight on floor-to-ceiling curtains. They are perfectly suited to patio doors of all kinds, helping to soften the edges when open and give you some privacy when closed.
As with any kind of opaque curtain the colour and pattern you choose should depend on the rest of the room in which the curtains will be placed. Another consideration is whether or not to add curtain ties. If you do, detached ties that don’t fasten to any hooks can be an attractive alternative to wall-hung ties.
3. Sheer curtains
Sheer curtains are a lovely window dressing idea for kitchens or bathrooms. Translucent drapes afford privacy in place of (or alongside) frosted glass and are a more modern alternative to lace. They’re perfect for when you want to breathe some life into your windows but don’t want something as solid as regular curtains or blinds.
Sheer curtains are available in all shapes and sizes. They can be hung on small bathroom windows, or can be used as floor-to-ceiling curtains for larger windows if you think they would be a good fit. They’re also available in a few different colours if you don’t fancy the plain white option.
4. Roll-up, pull-up blinds & Roman blinds
A stylish alternative to roller or Venetian blinds, roll-up and pull-up blinds can be fixed in different positions with ease and look fantastic whether up or down. Roll-ups have a straighter look, rolling from the bottom of the blind, while pull-up blinds sit in attractive folds across the window.
These blinds are particularly effective when used in rooms with multiple windows that let in different amounts of light. They can be adjusted easily and don’t require you to have multiple strings hanging on your walls.
Roman blinds are slightly different to the other two types, but share the benefits of hanging more attractively against your windows. When not fully extended, they hang in layered folds, adding interesting depth to your windows. Their unique shape also makes them attractive options for layering, which is where we turn next.
5. Layered blinds and curtains
Bay windows can be tricky to spruce up properly. They’re often large and awkwardly shaped. However, layering curtains and blinds can make a large space look less stark, and give you a level of control over your light and privacy.
Layering is a good opportunity to introduce different colours and patterns to your windows, giving you the chance to contrast different materials. You can make use of different types of blinds and curtains, though we would recommend blinds that hang flat (as opposed to the roll-ups in the last point), so that they don’t interfere with the curtains.
If you’re considering giving your windows a larger makeover, why not consider integral blinds as part of a layered look? Integral blinds work perfectly alone or with curtains, as they sit within the window structure itself. They give full control over light levels and don’t take up additional space. KLG Rutland is able to provide integral blinds as an optional extra with our home window installations.
For more information about any of KLG Rutland’s Nottingham designed & manufactured windows, get in touch with us today.