Living room draperies—much like works of art—make a home look finished; they truly are a decoration in and of themselves. While they’ll stay open most of the time to bring light into your room, they of course also provide privacy. Draperies can accentuate the height of a room and also frame the shape of windows and doors so that they don’t appear unadorned.
Credit:Marie Flanigan Interiors
Full length draperies can provide an elegant backdrop for any room setting. It creates softness and brings in a subtle splash of color.
They can be a great way to introduce a new color way into the space and can also transform any mundane wall by drawing your eye into the room.
Design: Lisa Gilmore Design
Photo: Native House Photography
Design: Dan Rak Design
Giving your space a style, whether it’s traditional or modern, can be enhanced by the details of your window treatment. Custom trim and decorative tiebacks are a great way to add that extra touch of personality.
If you’re afraid of overdoing it with color in a neutral space but want to add a little pop of intrigue, choose curtains with a neutral base and add a decorated trim.
Design: Highgate House
Besides using draperies, roman shades and valances are also great ways to dress your window. Roman shades can provide window covering, without having the concerns of wall space or lack thereof. They can be a decorative, stationary treatment or a working Roman. A working Roman shade will create a generous effect with pleats of fabric apparent when it’s pulled up, but as it fits neatly and hangs down flat it won’t take up space alongside the window or create bulk against the wall.
Use a Roman shade to add pattern to a room or to play up an existing print. If you’re wary of it feeling too bold, keep the wall a neutral tone.
If you’re lacking on windows, choose sheer panels for maximum light. They will help keep the room from feeling too closed off. Sheers are a great way to have your space look open, romantic, and ethereal while also being grounded, formal, and versatile.
Design: Handyman Associates
Design Tip:
Hang your rod up to the molding to raise the look of the ceiling. Pay attention to all of the details, including the style of the drapery—pleated is more formal, and grommets give a clean, modern, and sometimes masculine feel.
Windows can make or break a space, but the importance of window treatments is often overlooked. Window coverings can be functional, purely decorative, or strike a balance between the two, depending on your space and the amount of natural light you receive and prefer. Whether it’s full and flowing drapes, modern coverings, classic curtains, Roman shades, or laidback shutters, window treatments will complete your space through color, pattern or texture.
