What is one of the first things you think of when buying your own home? Furnishing it of course! Picking out the colors on the walls, the furniture for the rooms, the patio set it is all a lot of work but fun all at the same time. One thing that often gets thought of last is the window treatments. People assume that the house comes with these items but what is forgotten is the fact that the previous homeowners style of window treatment won’t often mesh with what you have going on with your home furnishings.
Picking out window treatments might be one of the harder tasks in home ownership. You will need to decide if you like windows and blinds, windows with curtains or windows with both. Each option has advantages to it. It is your decision as the homeowner to figure out what density of light the room should have, what the purpose of the window treatments is, what look you are attempting to create. These are each important in determining what window treatment each room in your home will have.
Windows and blinds are the most common choice in spaces such as bathrooms. Blinds are easy to use when it comes to manipulating the amount of light and privacy you need. For instance if you are about to shower you would pull the shades and eliminate the open window. Depending on if you like dim light or bright light you can tilt the actual blind to conform to your desire. Blinds are incredibly durable. You can purchase blinds that are plastic or faux wood and they will survive the moisture that accumulates in this type of space. Then when you are done you can let the light into your room by opening the blind.
Windows and curtains are a good choice in kitchens, dining rooms, and living room spaces. You can change the thickness of the fabric you use for your curtains and this will let you play with the amount of light you have in your space. I personally love light in a kitchen so I use only a window valance which leaves ¾ of the window open for light to flow in. In my living room I use a shear inner curtain with a heavier fabric curtain on the outside. This lets the light in through the sheer curtain but when I am ready for total serenity I close the thicker curtains for the ultimate privacy. The dining room is one area where I use a sheer curtain so that the light from the outside can come in but privacy is also regarded. Who wants to be eating a meal with their family only to have people driving by gaze in or cars passing by distracting the conversation?
The combination of both windows and blinds with curtains is ideal for bedroom areas. It is ideal for creating a very dark nighttime setting that also blocks the noises form outside. Blinds serve the purpose of controlling the light and help in creating another barrier in between the elements that can keep us awake whether it is light or noise pollution. Curtains help to add that extra warm, comfortable feel we are looking for in a setting such as a bedroom. I love feeling tired in my room at night when I draw the blinds and curtains but energized when I retract the blinds and curtains in the morning to let the light shine in.
There are many things to think about in window treatments. Window treatments are one area that you have full freedom. You might even consider replacing the windows in your new home with the windows that have blinds between the glass. This option is new to replacement windows and eliminates the need to consider curtains or blinds.