How to Choose the Right Window Treatments for Your Home
Purchasing new window treatments is the perfect opportunity to provide your décor with a finishing touch, tying your favorite over-stuffed chair together with the eye-catching rug you found online. But if you’re like most homeowners, you probably feel a little overwhelmed and unsure of where to begin. After all, you have so many options when it comes to window coverings—how can you possibly decide which blinds, curtains, or shades will work best in your home?
We’ve all faced the daunting task of choosing new window treatments. But at Galaxy Draperies, we believe that this experience should be exciting, not stressful. That’s why we’ve pooled our knowledge—gained from decades of experience—to create this handy guide. Want to know how to choose the perfect window coverings for your home? Read on:
Choose Window Treatments That Suit Your Style
Window coverings may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to home décor, but they do play an important role in setting the tone of a room. That’s because window treatments offer a sense of completeness to a living area and can help a room present a unified appearance.
So, one of the first things to think about when purchasing your window coverings is how they’ll fit with your décor. Some window treatments, like blinds or cellular shades, have incredible versatility—they’ll work just as well in a trendy loft as they would in a traditional boudoir. Others lend themselves more naturally to specific styles of décor, which is why you see more heavy drapes and ornate valances in homes embodying Hollywood Glamor.
Control the Light
Of course, the primary purpose of window treatments is to keep you comfortable indoors. This means you need your window coverings to control the light, allowing you to enjoy a flood of warm sunshine during the day as well as sleep late in pitch darkness on the weekends. When choosing window treatments, think about the level of coverage you need:
- Sheer – Made from sheer or semi-sheer fabric, these shades don’t block the light so much as they diffuse it. Harsh golden sunshine becomes a soft, natural glow that fills your living area without overwhelming it. Sheer shades may not offer much in the way of privacy, but they do give homeowners the best of both worlds when installed alongside more robust window coverings.
- Blackout – At the opposite end of the spectrum, you have blackout window treatments. Carefully designed to eliminate all light leakage, blackout window coverings are great for bedrooms and home movie theaters. They’re also quite adaptable in regard to style—you can find blackout drapes, roller shades, pleated shades, cellular shades, and Roman shades.
- Mixed – The vast majority window treatments allow you to enjoy a mixture of light and darkness. You can draw shades back from a window or allow them to cover it. Twist the vanes or slats on your blinds to direct varying levels of natural light or open them entirely. The choice is up to you.
Consider the functionality of your room when choosing window coverings for their light control capabilities. You might also think about whether you’re installing these window treatments on east- or west-facing windows, which get full sun exposure and might benefit from more robust protection.
Enjoy Your Privacy
In TV sitcoms, everyone laughs when the nosy neighbor character pops up behind the window. In reality, though, no one likes a peeping Tom. That’s why you want window coverings capable of offering you privacy. This is especially true in places like bedrooms or bathrooms—or in rooms with windows that look directly into your neighbor’s house.
Just because you crave privacy, however, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the light. In fact, some cellular or pleated shades allow you to pull the window treatment down from the top of your window frame. This allows you to enjoy natural light while still keeping prying eyes from seeing what happens in your home.
If you’re still having trouble choosing the right window treatments, why not let the professionals at Galaxy Draperies help? Contact us today to schedule your consultation and learn more about the window coverings we install for homeowners in Los Angeles.
