Best Window Treatments for Arched Windows

Arched windows are absolutely beautiful and add a unique visual element to homes. However, covering arched windows isn’t the easiest, especially if you’re unfamiliar with your options. If you’re lucky enough to have this architectural detail in your home, you’ll be delighted to know you have many decorative choices with a wide variety of functionality. There are numerous window treatments for oddly shaped windows to choose from—let’s go over the most popular options.

How Do You Cover Arched Windows…and Why?

When windows are a large source of heat gain or loss in homes, uncovered windows cost you money in energy bills. You never want to cover up beautiful elements in your home. Fortunately, the options available both retain the beauty and uniqueness of the shape of your window. Many also provide insulation to save you money and block harmful UV rays.

Types of Arched Windows

Arched windows come in different shapes that you can style with curtains, shades, or blinds. These include:

• Eyebrow arches, which are wide and short. The height of an eyebrow arch window is less than half of the window’s overall width.
• Perfect arches, also known as half-moon windows. The highest part of a perfect arch window is half its width.
• Quarter arches, which have a curved side, a straight side, and a straight bottom.
• Palladian arches, which are steeper, with the tallest part of the arch being more than half the width of the entire window.

It’s important to measure your windows before choosing your window treatments to make sure they’ll cover them adequately.

Blinds for Arched Windows

Blinds are a popular window treatment no matter the window shape. They can bring a rustic, classic, or modern feel to a space. You have choices from beautiful wood grains in a wide variety of stains or any paint color you can imagine. Different textures also create warmth and add to your room’s overall style.

They’re also low maintenance, which is important since arches may be hard to reach. A quick dusting or simple wipe-down is all they ever need. They can even be motorized to allow you to open, close, or adjust the tilt with a smart device, voice-activated Smart Home tech, or even a remote control or wall button. Certain materials work perfectly in high-moisture areas of your home, in case you need to cover something in a bathroom or laundry room.

As you can see, they can fit arches beautifully, retaining the shape and style of your arched windows. They also work for other angled windows, like triangles, octagons, or whatever amazing feature you have in your home.

✓ Fits arches & other specialty shapes

✓ Easy to maintain for hard-to-reach windows

✓ Perfect for high moisture areas

✓ Highly customizable

✓ Provide privacy & light control

✓ Can be motorized for easy control

X Do not provide insulation

Cellular Shades for Arched Windows

Cellular shades, often called blinds, are truly a perfect solution for arches! The pleats of the blinds don’t just go straight across and create their own unique look that accentuates the beautiful shape of your window, even while closed. They come in a huge variety of styles, colors, textures, and patterns so you can always find a great fit for your style. Like blinds, they can be motorized too so you never have to manually open them with any more effort than pushing a button or speaking to your Amazon Alexa. They are not as easy to clean as blinds, as their design allows airflow but also traps dust more than blinds. They also aren’t ideal in high-moisture areas as they’re essentially fabric.

These are often called honeycomb shades because the cells that make them cellular are shaped like honeycombs. Those unique cells are unbeatable when it comes to trapping heat and cold and preventing it from entering your home through your windows (even double-paned windows still cost you money in heat gain and loss if uncovered.) They also block up to 99% of UV rays, so the sun won’t bleach your favorite rug or couch. You can choose how many cells there are and what size to find your perfect visual and functional shade.

✓ Fits arches & other specialty shapes

✓ Provide the most insulation possible

✓ Highly customizable

✓ Provide privacy & light control

✓ Can be motorized for easy control

X Not ideal for high moisture areas

Shutters for Arched Windows

Shutters are making a real comeback, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. These beautiful, customizable window coverings add a modern and clean look to any room. Not only do they come in tons of wood grains and stains, but they can be painted basically any color you desire. You also can choose how wide the slats are for different privacy and light control functionality as well as appearance. The direction and way they open can even be customized!

Depending on the material you choose, they can also be perfect in high-moisture areas or even messy areas like your kitchen. A quick wipe down or dusting is all these need. In a dining room with a toddler where food may fly, these are a great solution. They cannot, however, be motorized, but when you customize functionality, you can keep the easy operation. The angles of the slats can also be customized to be straight across, or like in the image above, designed to accentuate the beautiful curve of your arch.

✓ Fits arches & other specialty shapes

✓ Can be ideal for high moisture

✓ Easy to clean

✓ Highly customizable

✓ Provide privacy & light control

X Do not provide insulation

X Cannot be motorized

Roman Shades for Arched Windows

The softness of fabric meets the sleek style of shades when you choose Roman shades. They’re incredibly customizable since fabrics for arched window shades are near endless. Patterns, prints, colors, opacities—you name it. Tack on edge banding (the color strips you see on the sides in the image above), and even customize how the fabric folds when lifted or the shape it makes on the bottom. Fabric window coverings truly open a world of creativity and unique design in your home.

The insulation level depends on your fabric choice or if you opt for a liner or backing—the same with the level of opacity. Because they’re fabric, they’re not as easy to clean as shutters or blinds and aren’t as suited for high-humidity rooms. They can be motorized to allow hands-free operation and really, they’re just beautiful!

✓ Fits arches & other specialty shapes

✓ Can be customized for different levels of insulation

✓ Can be motorized for easy operation

✓ Highly customizable

✓ Provide privacy & light control

X Not ideal for high-moisture areas

Drapery for Arched Windows

We’re never going to leave out drapery—it’s in our name! Fabric, which is customizable, provides softness and beauty. If fitting a window covering on the inside of your arch isn’t your preference, drapery panels that go over the entire window can be an excellent solution. Layered with window coverings, like the shutters above, they provide even more visual appeal and functionality. The possibilities are endless since fabric comes in every thickness, color, pattern, and material imaginable.

They provide insulation depending on your fabric choices. Drapery can be anywhere from almost entirely sheer to completely light-blocking. They can be motorized and programmed to open and close on set schedules or remotely. They aren’t as easy to clean as other options because they are fabric, which also makes them not as ideal for high moisture areas.

✓ Fits arches & other specialty shapes

✓ Provide customizable levels of insulation

✓ Can be motorized for easy control

✓ Highly customizable

✓ Provide custom levels of privacy and light control

X Not ideal for high moisture areas

Valances for Arched Windows

If you want to accentuate your arches and don’t mind the top of the window staying covered, valances are a beautiful option. Valances are made of fabric, so there are myriad style options. Additionally, you can customize the pleats, the shape of the bottom of the shade, and so much more. As with the photo above, you can layer other window treatments underneath for extra visual appeal and functionality. Since these shades are stationary, no operation is necessary, so very high windows could easily benefit from this finishing touch.

✓ Fits arches and other specialty shapes

✓ Highly customizable

✓ Purely decorative and require no operation whatsoever

X Not ideal for high moisture areas

We hope this guide helps you on your path to finding the perfect window covering solution for your beautiful arched windows! We’d be thrilled to help you choose a custom solution for your home. If you’re in our area, fill out the form below and we’ll provide a free consultation to help you find your perfect arched window covering.

Need Help With Window Treatments for Arched Windows?

Galaxy Draperies is here to help you achieve all your window treatment visions. We are an LA company offering professional window coverings—we often see that window coverings are overlooked aspects of interior design. However, we think that they are the finishing touch that pulls the room together! Blinds, shades, and shutters can give your home’s interior a quick refresh—if you want to update your home’s style, consider starting with your window treatments.

We’d be delighted to help you outfit your arched windows with window treatments that fit your unique taste and style. Our team would be more than happy to explain how to cover curved windows with various blinds, draperies, and shades. Just reach out and schedule your consultation!