How To Choose Window Treatments

Window treatments are essential when it comes to planning your interior but do you know what would best suit your interior? 

We take a closer look at the four most popular choices to help you decide what’s right for your scheme. 

Curtains

Probably the most conventional of window treatments, curtains are versatile, stylish and practical. 

There’s a wide range of fabrics to choose from when designing your curtains from light cottons and voiles to heavier velvets and wools depending on your preference.

Curtains are available in a variety of headings and which one you choose will depend on whether you need a curtain pole or track and also affect how your curtains hang.

Pencil pleat, triple pleat and gathered headings, which are suited to a more classic, gathered look, can all be used on tracks and poles while tab tops and eyelet headings can only be used with a pole and have a more contemporary feel.

Blackout curtains are widely available and a must for babies and children’s rooms or anywhere you want to block out the light.

Blinds

Blinds are popular as they often don’t require as they tend to be more affordable and don’t require as much effort to install.

They typically come in the following styles and Roman and roller blinds can be made from a wide range of patterned and plain fabrics.

• Roman

  • A classic design, Roman blinds are made from one piece of fabric (usually lined) which when pulled up folds back on itself and creates a pleated effect. 

    They’re particularly suited to bedrooms and living spaces or anywhere you want a more luxurious look.

• Roller

  • As you would expect, a roller blind comprises of a piece of usually fairly stiff fabric which rolls around a tube at the top of your window.  Roller blinds tend to be used more in contemporary schemes and most manufacturers include wipe-clean and moisture-resistant fabrics making them ideal for bathrooms and kitchens.

• Venetian

  • Venetian blinds are made up of connected metal, wooden or plastic slats which can be tilted and adjusted to vary the amount of light and also offer the most privacy. Given the materials they are made from, they are usually only available in one colour. Because they are easily cleaned, they are particularly suited to bathrooms and kitchens.

Shutters

increasingly popular in recent years for all types of homes.  There’s a wide range of companies specialising in these wooden window treatments and with various design options to choose from.

• Solid Panel

  • This type of shutter offers the most privacy and when closed, completely blocks out any light when closed.  Full height solid panel shutters are also excellent insulators and can help keep any draughts at bay.  You can also combine solid and slated or louvered shutters with solid panels in a tier-on-tier system, so you cover the bottom half of your window with solid panels and increase the light in a room by keeping the top shutters louvered or slatted. 

• Full Height

  • As the name suggests, full height shutters cover the entirety of your window.  You can choose from slatted, louvered or solid depending on what you want to achieve.  It’s worth bearing in mind that if you have a small or particularly dark room that you choose a light or neutral colour for full height shutters, so the windows don’t dominate the space.

• Tier on Tier

  • Tier-on-tier shutters mimic full height shutters but the upper and lower panels are separate meaning you can choose to open and close the upper or vice versa the lower to achieve the look you’re after.  You can also combine solid panels with slatted and louvered panels so you can adjust the amount of light and privacy.

• Cafe Style

  • This type of shutter is designed to cover the bottom half of the window to maintain privacy while still allowing light into the room by leaving the top half uncovered. Café style shutters can be made in both solid wood and louvered slats as with full height and tier-on-tier shutters.

Window Film

Primarily introduced for privacy reasons, window film comes in a wide range of designs and colours. Window film is a great easy to fit window treatment which prevents people outside being able to see inside but doesn’t affect the amount of light making them ideal for home offices and bathrooms or wherever you wish for more privacy. As window film fits flush against the window, you can also use it with other window treatments, for example when curtains are open, to increase privacy.