It’s a home, not a dungeon. Don’t let dated window treatments and dark, cave-like rooms suffocate your living space. You can liven up your home by replacing old window treatments with simple, airy options that bring light and vitality to your rooms.
The introduction of natural light remains one of the easiest methods of opening up a space, but rooms that feature many windows, sliding glass or French doors, or irregularly shaped windows often pose challenges for homeowners. Often, we end up burying them under pounds of heavy drapes. A more functional alternative is to combine a variety of lighter treatments to create layers—pretty, printed side panels, sheers that let in light, and a privacy option (such as aluminum blinds) that close at night.
The Versatility of Blinds
Blinds bring appeal and privacy to every space in your home. They come in a variety of materials, including:
- Aluminum
- Real wood
- Wood-look
- Vinyl
- Fabric
Because they’re fully adjustable, you can position blinds to lend varied effects to a space. Tilted up, they bounce natural light down from a white ceiling. Angled straight, they aim light directly into the room. Tilt them down to reflect light and heat back outside; close them all together to allow maximum privacy.
Used alone, blinds make a minimalist statement as a window treatment, or they add that extra element of interest when utilized in conjunction with other options. Visit Just Blinds to find a a full spectrum of colors and styles.
The Modern Convenience of Sliding Panels
Sliding panels hang suspended from an over-the-window track. They’re often constructed of fabric or bamboo stretched on lightweight frames. Several panels are hung over a window or sliding door. They open and close by sliding back and forth on the track. Panels are often used to evoke an Asian feel in a room, but when the panels are constructed of lightweight, carved wood or even colorful Plexiglas, they create innovative and artistic window treatments worthy of the most playful designers. This type of window covering modernizes your space, enables natural light to enter, and still provides privacy when the panels are drawn across the glass.
The Many Varieties of Shades
Leading the pack in ingenuity, top down/bottom up shades are attractive and convenient options for window coverings. Fully adjustable, they raise from the bottom to cover the lower portion of your window. They pull down from the top to cover the top portion, or for total privacy, they can be adjusted to full coverage. This type of shade is sometimes sandwiched between an inner and outer pane of glass for a more streamlined and contemporary look and to eliminate the need for dusting.
Other popular types of shades include:
- Balloon
- Roman
- Solar
- Woven
- Pleated
- Cellular
- Traditional roller shades
Window treatments factor largely in every interior design. To create versatility and a contemporary appeal without sacrificing privacy, use treatments like blinds, shades and sliding panels alone, or in any combination, to lighten, brighten and update the rooms in your happy home.
This is a guest post by Alexandra Turner
Alex is an interior designer and space planning expert who enjoys blogging about her profession.
Lyndsay with Exciting Windows says
Old blinds are a surefire way to make a room look dreary. There are a lot of window options that fill your rooms with natural light and look great closed, and there are more color options than ever. There’s definitely no reason to be suffering with a dark dungeon of a room, as you said. Let the sunshine in!