A great set of windows deserves the right treatment. Modern homeowners can avail themselves of an unprecedented range of options: there are half a dozen sorts of blinds to choose from, along with curtains of varying weights and colours. You might even decide to go for one set of each!
Types of Window Treatments
Given the variety of window-dressings available, it’s worth taking the time to acquaint ourselves with a few of the more popular options. We’ll start with blinds, and then move to curtains.
Roller Blinds
A rolled up tube of fabric that unfurls from the top of your window and retracts into a small space. This won’t entirely cover your window, but it is lightweight and practical.
Venetian Blinds
These are the horizontal strips which can be rotated to adjust the amount of light reaching the interior. They can be wooden or metal, with the latter offering a little more flexibility.
Vertical Blinds
Vertical blinds work in the same way as Venetians, except that they hang in vertical strips rather than in horizontal ones.
Roman Blinds
Romans function a bit like roller blinds, except they’re heavier, and not on a roller. You’ll need a bit of space at the top of your window to accommodate them, otherwise they’ll prevent light from getting inside even when they’re fully open.
Voile Curtains
Voile curtains are made from an extremely lightweight, usually white, fabric. This means that it can ensure your privacy while still allowing natural light in. Voiles are often used in combination with other sorts of curtain.
Blackout Curtains
Some curtains come equipped with a layer of thick fabric sewn into the rear, called a blackout lining. This prevents sunlight from getting in. This is ideal if you’re looking to enjoy a film during the day-time, or catch up on some sleep. Blackout linings will also reduce heat loss, making them the energy-efficient choice.
Window Treatments Trends
So what’s in vogue in the world of blinds and curtains in autumn 2019? As ever, homeowners are concerned about the financial cost of heating their homes – but, to an unprecedented degree, they’re also concerned about the environmental cost. As such, blackout curtains are just as popular as ever they were.
When it comes to curtains, mustard yellow is a bold choice but a popular one this season, and works best with matching accents in throw cushions, and otherwise neutral-toned walls and furniture. On the other hand, you might go in the opposite direction: if your walls are already looking on the loud side, you can tone things down by going to black, white or grey curtains, which we’ve seen cropping up a lot on our design feeds.
If you’re looking to do something with blinds, then a set of Roman blinds with a busy pattern is on-point at the moment, as are the wooden Venetian blinds, which work well for kitchen spaces where fabrics don’t work so well.
Your taste in window dressing will be as individual as you are. Moreover, those tastes are likely to change over time – so if you’re going to go bold, be sure that you appreciate that doing so is inherently risky. Having said that, you won’t achieve the interior of your dreams without taking a little bit of a risk!
