The Challenge and "Ah" of Window Treatments

NYC Essex House

"Fluted poles, rings and decorative finials supporting two town fabric side panels, allows for an unobstructed view of Central Park - just the right finishing touch for this elegant New York apartment."

It never stops being fun for me to see a decorated room emerge from an empty space.  First the rugs go down and the color pattern draws you in.  Then the furniture arrives and people say, “How come the room looks bigger with things in it than without?”  But, when the window treatments go up, it’s always the “ah” factor.  “Ah, now the room looks warm, elegant, inviting – finished!”

Window treatments, along with accessories, create that completed look whether your room has a beautiful view or you face a brick wall - but windows can be challenging to dress.  So, let’s examine some general parameters to help you meet your challenges.  First, let’s determine the difference between “hard goods” and “soft goods” according to designer workrooms.  As a general rule, workrooms describe “hard goods” as items that cover the window and create privacy, while “soft goods” frame the window, but don’t cover it.


Let’s identify a few types that cover or just decorate windows: 

• Silhouettes and duettes are “honeycomb” type products made of material that is sheer or in a fabric that can be pleated.  It rides up and down and can come with a silver backing to become “shade darkening” for bedrooms, or can be selected in sheer fabrics of various colors with no backing for public spaces.  
• Luminettes are vertical silhouettes which open like curtains and have replaced verticals in many homes.  
• Blinds in wood, metal or vinyl are available in different thicknesses of slats, in white, colors and wood tones.  
• Drapery curtains in choices of sheer, opaque (can’t see through) or semi-opaque (light can come through) can be used as window dressing if they flank the window, but can also cover the window for privacy if they are on a “traveling” rod.  (one the opens and closes)
• Cornices and valances generally just cover the molding above the window.  To determine the height, start with no less than eight inches and go up to eighteen inches depending on the height of your ceiling and the size of your window.  (HINT:  Cut a piece of cardboard or wood to see the proportion.  The higher you can go while still covering the top of your window frame the taller your window will look.)
• Swags and jabots (draped fabric) over poles or just on a covered board add elegance and softness to formal room settings.  
• Poles (painted or not, plain or fluted) with rings, decorative brackets and finials (end pieces) are popular today, with stationary side panel curtains.  
  

These basic styles and many combinations thereof, along with the hundreds of choices of fabrics, are the reason why even designers often puzzle over the perfect pairing of window and design.  Do your research before you make a final choice by looking at magazines and visiting showrooms that carry various window treatments.  The “ah” factor will be worth it.