• search

Blog » privacy window treatments

Window Treatment Ideas for Apartments

Window Treatment Ideas

Window Treatment Ideas

Sometimes living in a small space can be tough, but there’s no reason to take it out on your window treatments. Decorating a small space can be challenging, but there are plenty of options to choose from including draperies, window shades, roller shades and more that will suit your needs perfectly.

One of the most common window treatments for apartments is draperies and curtains.  Draperies are a great window treatment for any size room. They help increase energy efficiency and have the ability to adjust horizontally to the sun’s movement. Draperies block heat from entering during hot summer months and keep in the warmth during the winter. Draperies come in so many different fabrics; you even have the ability to add a blackout liner to have the option of room darkening shades. There are different design elements you can add to draperies as well such as tassels or decorative rods.

Another great window treatment for apartments is roller shades. Since roller shades are a clean/minimal look, they are a great complement to any modern or contemporary home. Roller shades control the sun, heat and glare making them a perfect solution to any window treatment need. Roller shades can be customized to include blackout materials or solar control sunscreen materials. This type of window treatment is also available in a variety of fabrics to give you the look and feel you need for your home.

Both draperies and roller shades are great window treatments for any apartment, whether you’re in New York City or Los Angeles. Both provide sun and heat control and given the choices, can be customized to match any décor. There are also other window treatment options to consider including Venetian blinds, window film, valences and more. Depending on your personal style and preferences, any of these window treatments will work for your apartment.

What Are Blackout Shades?

Blackout shades are a type of window treatment that is used to prevent light from entering a room. Blackout shades are often used in bedrooms when the light needs to be shut out to allow for a comfortable sleep. This type of window treatment can also be referred to as blackout shades, room darkening shades or light-tight shades, depending on the amount of light they allow into a room.

Room darkening shades reduce the amount of sunlight entering a room. They don’t block out as much light as blackout of light-tight shades, but can still control the amount of exterior light entering the room. Depending on the fabric you choose for your room, you can determine how much light is blocked.

Blackout shades and curtains are typically an effective solution to block light and trap energy. Exposure to light when you sleep can trigger health problems. Employees that work night shifts are forced to sleep during the day and without blackout shades can disrupt natural sleep patterns. Blackout shades are a great solution and an excellent idea if you work night shifts or even if you just need to block out the morning sunlight to be sure you receive your full eight hours.

Blackout shade materials can vary. Some blackout shade window treatments are made with fiberglass, others are vinyl and plastic. Large windows can be a bit more challenging to cover, but adding a motorized option can help solve the problem. Power controlled shades can simply resolve the awkward opening and closing of blackout shades. Homeowners in New York City are very familiar with blackout shades because as you know “the city never sleeps.”

Planning Window Treatments While Building a Home

Posted: Tuesday, September 20th, 2011 | Filed under: modern window treatments, privacy window treatments, window shading, window treatments

With construction, whether it’s home remodeling or building a new home, it’s important to plan ahead for window treatments. Taking time to identify the types of window treatments and window coverings for your home, before the construction is complete will result in a more cost-effective and practical outcome. Since window treatment selection can be difficult due the variety of options, the benefits of deciding on the type of window covering during construction are endless.

When building a home or remodeling, selecting the type of windows should be followed by selecting types of window treatments. Style, shapes, size and location of the window will all determine the type of window coverings necessary for a particular room. Arched and angled windows will allow the warm sun to enter during the winter months, but how will you keep the heat out during summer? If your customized window faces the sun in the morning, should you consider privacy shades? What type of window coverings will agree with your style and serve as a practical window shade? All these questions should be addressed during construction.

Many home owners in the New York City area have chosen to incorporate motorized shades into their home. The best time to install these window shades is during construction when electric plans and construction can be thought out together. Motorized shades allow for quick, one touch window solutions. The size of your windows as well as the placement of windows is important during installation. Motorized shades, like most other options can be customized for your windows.

Bedroom Window Treatments

Posted: Thursday, September 1st, 2011 | Filed under: modern window treatments, privacy window treatments, window blinds, window shading

Choosing your bedroom window treatments may be just as difficult as choosing window treatments for the living room. The bedroom is a relaxing environment and where you want to get a good night’s sleep. Window treatments can be based on design (appearance, style) and function (darkening, motorized).

The right window treatment can turn any bedroom into a modern bedroom.  There are a few things to consider when shopping for bedroom window treatments, so keep these things in mind:

When consider window treatments for function, it’s important to think about the thickness of the fabric. If your bedroom window gets a lot of morning light, it might be wise to consider a thicker, heavier fabric to block the light. Blackout shades are also an option, which help reduce the amount of light entering the room as well as helping control the level of noise. Blackout shades are commonly found in bedrooms that are located near a busy street or receive a lot of direct sunlight throughout the day.

Since bedrooms represent style as well, bedroom window treatments are often chosen by the color palette and theme of the already existing bedroom. Choosing between simple and more dramatic window treatments can help enhance the look of the bedroom overall. Depending on your particular taste, choosing softer colors for the fabric may help keep the bedroom simple. Dark red, chocolate or blue give the room a pop, without overtaking it. Neutral colors like white or cream may keep the room less busy and more elegant. There are also different pattern options to choose from to help enhance the look and feel of your bedroom. If the bedroom is simple and you’re looking for something exciting, choose a stripes or even floral pattern to help bring out the personality.

You can choose your bedroom treatments based on whether you want to block out the sun, add a little color to your neutral room or if you’re looking to bring out your personality. Always think function and design when choosing window treatments (bedroom or other). There are always endless options when decorating or designing the interior of your home.

Window Treatments for Child’s Room

Posted: Friday, March 4th, 2011 | Filed under: modern window treatments, privacy window treatments, window blinds, window shading

Window treatments in a child’s room can really make the room special but safety is the most important measure to consider. While something colorful and whimsical is ideal for window treatments in a child room, safety must come first. Little hands can grab longer drapes and pull them down, while cords can cause strangulation and need to be removed or need to be easily breakable, one hard tug and it breaks to avoid any dangerous accidents. Making sure window covering are absent of decorations or beads as well. A young child can easily pull decorate beads off of drapes, this can be dangerous if swallowed.

Window treatments for children must be safe as well as functional, colorful, and fun. Light and airy window treatments are ideal, but you may want to couple these light and airy window treatments with a darkening window treatment for those that still take naps.

Wood blinds can be easily adjusted to control light, are easy to maintain, and have a nice and clean look for a child’s room. A roller shades may work better in a nursery. Coupling your blinds with a decorative fabric makes for a decorative and updated look. You can couple your blinds with drapes or with an attractive valance.

Another option to a valance is cornice boxes. Cornice boxes help to hide the hardware of a blind or shade. Cornice boxes also look nice if you continue the decorating theme of the child’s room by using the same fabric throughout your child’s room by adding the same fabric to cushions and pillows or other like items in the room. Your cornice box can double as a shelf because you can place collectibles on top of the board. In the end, whichever window treatments you use, make sure the window treatment is functional to your needs, looks nice, and is very safe.