Design for your dream home … 5 beautifully designed window blinds and other window treatments for your dream home. One thing you should never forget while decorating is your windows. They may seem like a small part of the room, but get it wrong and it can quickly make the whole décor scheme seems strange. Read on to find out five amazing window treatments that will make your dream home perfect.
Bamboo Blinds
Wooden blinds are great for adding a touch of class, but can often be a bit dark. Bamboo blinds are a great solution to this – they add a touch of elegance without being overbearing. The light shade of the wood makes these blinds suitable for even the smallest of rooms, and the lightweight nature of the wood makes them easy to open, even for children. The best part is that bamboo is a much more eco-friendly material than most woods. It’s quick-growing – some species can grow 35 inches in a day! This means that, as long as you are getting the materials from a well-sustained forest, you’re much less likely to be damaging the ecosystem it’s from. Just make sure it’s grown in or near the country your from, and isn’t being imported across and you’ve got a guilt-free, eco-friendly and great looking window!
Faux-stained Glass
Stained glass isn’t just for churches – and you don’t need to invest in a permanent piece to have the effect either! If you’ve got a minimal or plain room, you might want to add a pop of colour, and why not do it in your windows? Faux-stained glass is fairly easy to implement – you can either DIY it or buy pre-made pieces. There’s a whole world of art styles out there you could apply – from simple, modern geometric block colour, to art Deco classics or detailed, intricate art, there’s something for every budget and style. This is a particularly great option for those of you in small apartments, since it’s a great way to add decoration to a room without taking up space. Just remember: it’s not as good at blocking people’s views as frosted glass, so don’t get too carried away!
Valances
You may have heard a valance known as a pelmet, but they’re the same thing. Generally, it’s fabric covering the top section of a window (usually hiding the curtain rods) and there’s a few different styles – from a simple box pleat to a more decorative rosette style. These are great if you want to make your window look bigger than it is, or simply if you want to hide an ugly looking window top. You can use them to add contrast to the colours of your curtains, or to match something elsewhere in the room. You may also see non-fabric covers known as a valance – the technical term being a cornice. This is a great option if you’d prefer something more stable. Valances and cornices have come back into fashion in a big way recently, and once again, they’re something that can be done DIY as well as purchased.
Curtain Rods
One thing you shouldn’t ignore when decorating your window is the curtain rod itself. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on one, but it’s worth considering how it will fit with the over all theme of the room. If you do have to buy a cheap one, why not consider painting it to match, or getting some nice ends to draw attention away from the main bulk of it. You could even go one step further and craft the whole thing. Generally, you want to make sure the material you’re choosing is suited to the strength of your walls. Iron looks great, but is very heavy so you may be better going for wood and then painting it metallic. One great tip is to use an oval shower rod if you want the window to appear larger than it is – this leads to the appearance of a bay window, rather than a standard flat one.
Drapery
If you’re looking for something feminine and floaty, then try drapery. Layer it up with thin delicate fabrics in a variety of colours for a fairy-like atmosphere. This is best suited to bedrooms, rather than lounges and bathrooms. You can easily install a blackout blind for night time, well keeping the open airy feel during the day. We recommend mixing a range of colours and textures if you have the space, as it will create a unique, opulent feel to the window.
By Alfred Stallion and VanessaArbuthnott.co.uk!
