You look around the house and know you want an eggshell white on your walls and sleek, mid-century modern furniture. But have you given any thought to choosing window treatments? These often-overlooked accessories don’t just provide privacy from your neighbors. They direct natural light in and out of your home to brighten up the space, and they infuse personality with their subtle patterns, colors, and textures.
Unfortunately, far too many people – and their well-designed homes – shy away from finding the right window treatments, because they don’t know where to start. Well, now you can throw all caution to the wind(ow)! The professionals are here to guide you.
Focusing on Form and Function
The smartest way to tackle any big project is to break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. When choosing window treatments, this method makes the most sense. Go room-by-room and think about each area’s function, how often you’ll need to adjust the window treatments, how much light you want coming through, and then decide on the style you’re trying to create.
1. Identify Your Room’s Primary Function
The functionality of any given room in your house will heavily influence the type and amount of window treatments you need in that space. For instance, a home theatre will need layers of drapery for enhanced sound and diminished sunlight. Here are a few more examples:
- Kitchen – While you’re cooking a delicious meal for your family, you probably aren’t thinking about your drapes catching the scent of curry or crinkling from the sudden temperature changes. Whichever window covering you choose, it will need to be resilient.
- Bathroom – Your bathroom is the one place you want complete privacy, but you also want to let in natural light to apply makeup or pluck your eyebrows. Easy-to-adjust Roman shades or light-and-airy drapes can easily give you both functions.
- Living room – These expansive spaces tend to feature windows and doors of varying shapes and sizes. Therefore, you might want Roman shades to cover windows and a combination of shades and lightweight drapes for the sliding glass door.
- Nursery or child’s room – If you want your sleeping baby to stay snoozing, you’ll need blackout shades that keep their room dark during midday naps.
2. Find Your Style
This may be the most challenging step of all, but that’s nothing a little inspiration can’t fix. If you’re ready to refine your windows, take a look below at a few examples of how different drapes and shades complement various design styles. These ideas should spark your creative brain and, hopefully, make choosing window treatments a much simpler process.
Choosing Window Treatments for Your Style
If you’re not sure exactly where your style falls on the spectrum, use the reference points to guide you. From there, you can choose the right window coverings based on what suits you – and your home – the best.
Mediterranean Coastal
Inspired by the beautiful shorelines on the south of Greece, Italy, and Spain, you can expect Mediterranean Coastal design to be rich in history and culture. The color palettes include the aquatic blues of Greece, as well as the warm earth tones of Italy. There’s often texture on the walls and dark wood on the floors. And no matter what, there’s always a flood of natural light in every room.
You might like Mediterranean Coastal design if:
- You live near a beach or are inspired by the ocean
- You like lots of natural light
- Warm tones and heavy woods make you feel right at home
- You appreciate carved details and hand-crafted textures
Window Treatments That Match Up:
Linen drapery: Light linen drapes on your floor-to-ceiling windows lend the kind of hand-sewn charm you want on your Mediterranean Coastal walls. They’ll add a subtle layer to the already texturized stucco or plaster without taking away from the free-flowing vibes of a sun-soaked room.
Woven wood shades: The hand-stitched Everhem woven wood shades do not only offer a rugged layer of texture, but they let in just the right amount of light. Hang them in your naturally bright bathroom, and you’ll still have plenty of privacy.
Spanish Scandinavian
With influences from the mid-century, Scandinavian is distinctly decluttered. But don’t mistake clean for sterile. Scandinavian winters call for cozy accents, like heavy woods, warm rugs, plush pillows, and quilted blankets. The Spanish influence also adds a touch of warmth with its dashes of terra-cotta reds and rich blues.
You might like Spanish Scandinavian design if:
- You prefer monochromatic palettes with sporadic pops of vibrant color
- You gravitate toward lightweight furniture with clean lines
- You choose dark wood floors or earth-toned tile to warm up a space
- You tend to do without clutter or over-accessorizing
Window Treatments That Match Up:
Linen drapery: To stay true to Scandinavian style, it’s best if you leave the bold color pops to pillows and area rugs. Your windows need to stay light and bright, so all that natural sun can keep the room airy. White linen drapes are the perfect complement because they won’t overwhelm the room. Hang them by a dark iron rod, and you’ll strike a balance between rich tones and simple forms.
Woven wood shades: Adding that element of warm-and-cozy, woven wood shades are a smart choice for Spanish Scandinavian designs. They offer a subtle layer of texture that pairs well with a minimalistic design. When going for simplicity, every detail makes a statement, and woven wood shades might be just what you need.
Vintage Cape Cod
With its origins in colonial New England, Cape Cod is a true American style. It pays tribute to the rocky shores of the Cape with its coastal color palette, nautical accessories and beautiful wood accents. In fact, wainscoting and crown molding are prominent features in a Cape Cod home, as are wood-framed windows and warm lighting schemes.
You might like Vintage Cape Cod design if:
- You’re inspired by East Coast aesthetic lifestyle
- You like a relaxed, inviting atmosphere
- You are all about shades of blue
- Nautical accessories speak to you (anchors, sailboats, ropes, etc.)
Window Treatments That Match Up:
Relaxed Roman Shades: Because Vintage Cape Cod design is an effortless combination of coastal and classic, you can go with a relaxed Roman shade. It will play up the casual, cozy aura you want, especially when you choose a hue that layers overtop your cool color palette.
Choose the Right Pleat: You can play up the “vintage” in Vintage Cape Cod with tailored and pinch pleats or go for a more casual look with box pleats. Either way, you can’t go wrong -- just decide if you want to accent with a traditional, structured feel or something less formal.
Shop Your Style
No matter your home’s style, there are a number of ways to cover your windows and doors. If you’re still stuck choosing window treatments, simply send us an email at hello@everhem.com. We’ve been designing interiors and decorating windows for years. So we know all too well how difficult this decision can be on your own. Let us help bring that designer eye to your stylish abode.
