Dressing your windows is an important but commonly overlooked step in styling your home. Here are some suggestions on how to give your windows some LJ TLC.
LJ Design Co. is a full-service design company located in Sarnia, Ontario. Not only can we design your home, but we can furnish it too!
This includes window treatments!
All the window treatments in the Bluewater Health Foundation Dream Home were supplied by us.
Dual Shades
All of the window coverings shown here in the living room of the BWHF Dream Home are motorized! If you haven't run hard wiring for motorized window shades, don't worry, these are battery powered. Simply plug them in every 6 months or so to recharge the batteries and enjoy the convenience of remote controlled shades! That being said, if you do have your walls open during a renovation or if you're building new, it's a great idea to consider hard wiring for blinds. This is a small touch that you won't regret. These shades here are controlled by a chargeable battery remote but they can also be operated by a smart phone or tablet!
Let's talk Dual Shades sometimes referred to as "zebra" blinds! They have stripes of opaque and transparent mesh. They can be found in both the living room and the secondary bedrooms of the BWHF Dream Home. The beauty of these blinds, and why we recommend them so often to our clients is because of their versatility. Zebra blinds are a variation of a roller shade. This means you can arrange them so all of the opaque stripes line up to have full privacy or you can have transparent mesh alternating with the opaque stripes which allows diffused light to shine through if you still want a bit of natural light.
Children’s Bedrooms
Safety is important when considering your shade options - especially in your child's room!
In the children’s bedrooms at the BWHF Dream Home we also selected opera shades. These shades feature child safety wands. This style of wand is a new feature that is easy to use and is safer for kids. Simply select your direction and slide the operator bead up and down. This wand has no loop - and no worry!
Be Aware of Your Front Elevation
One of the children’s rooms at the BWHF Dream Home faces the front of the house. When selecting blinds, it’s important to consider all the front facing windows. From the exterior you want all the window treatments to look similar for consistency.
Consider the Use of the Room
Consider how you will be using your room when selecting your shades. Do you need blackout blinds in your bedroom? Is privacy important? What direction does the window face? Will you want to lower them to cut out low sunlight or heat? These are all questions to consider when making the best choice for your investment so that you'll enjoy them for years to come!
Custom Roman Shades
In the Primary Bedroom of the BWHF Dream Home, we selected linen roman blinds. They cover the windows flanking either side of the bed and have lining to help with light control for sleeping. This textural material is laid back and cozy but gives an elevated cozy look.
When selecting your roman blinds, just as with the Opera Shades, you will want to consider how they operate. In this case, we've specified a feather lift mechanism which allows for you to pull the shades up and down without the use of cords or rods. This is an easy and quick way to operate the shades and we think the look is nice and clean.
Roman shades can come in different styles and treated in a classic and but relaxed way. Here, we've selected a very simple shade with no valance or pleats to compliment the modern feel of the home.
Custom Drapery
We coordinated our drapes on either side of the sliding doors with the same fabric as we used on the roman shades in the primary bedroom of the BWHF Dream Home. This really ties the whole design together. The laid back linen material gives a soft texture and warms up the space. We love using a linen or a natural looking texture on window coverings in a bedroom to give it a beautiful cozy feel.
These drapes showcase an inverted box pleat and when open, this style of pleat makes a simple ripple which hangs beautifully. These drapes are hung on a custom return rod. In a bedroom where light control is important, consider using a return style rod at a custom length. This allows for the drapes to return back into the wall instead of having a gap for light to come through. Don't forget to line your drapes. This both helps with light control and privacy but also makes them hang beautifully.
When hanging your drapes, height is important! Hang your rod higher than the window on the wall instead of dropping them lower to the window height. This will make your space and ceilings feel much more grand.
With custom drapery, the height can be planned appropriately for the space and your windows.
We've hung these drapes a few inches from the ceiling and they perfectly break on the floor.
Be aware when using a material like linen, it will stretch slightly over time.
Another common way of hanging drapery is with a small pool at the bottom for a more relaxed feel.
Do we like shutters?
Yes we do!!
Shutters are a great option in the right room. They give a clean classic look when treated properly will last for a very long time. Be aware when considering shutters as your window treatment that they do not allow as much natural light to shine through. This is because the frame of the shutter has a thickness to it and the louvers are still in front of the window when open. In areas where you have enough room to open them, most shutters can swing out of place in instances where you'd like an unobstructed view from your window. If the window depth allows for it, we like a wider louver which gives more space between when open.
We love installing PVC shutters in bathrooms that require privacy. There is no worry here with moisture and you can tilt them up or close them completely for great privacy.
We hope that you've found this information helpful in guiding you through your needs with this important investment!
Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or would like for us to recommend and supply window treatments for your home!