As the owner of a brand new home, you’re faced with the task of choosing every design element, from rugs and carpeting to cabinets and furniture. Window treatments often occur almost as an afterthought, in part because finding just the right solution for each room of the house can be a challenge. Here, area designers offer up suggestions on a room-by-room basis.
In the kitchen
Kitchen window coverings can take a beating because the kitchen is often so heavily used by the family. In addition, depending on how much food preparation takes place, treatments can be exposed not only to wet or grubby hands but also to the effects of cooking itself.
“In the kitchen, doing anything that’s a fabric is really difficult just because fabrics tend to hold on to odors,” says Terry Leake, owner/designer at Innovative Window Ware in Berkeley. “So for kitchens, I like to do things like solar shades or a metal or wood blind.”
Each of those options “is actually pretty inexpensive,” Leake notes, “So that if it gets trashed — especially something over a sink or something like that — we can simply swap it out. … After five years, you can just throw it away and get another one that will last another five years.”
Deborah Carson, owner of JLS Window Coverings in Oakland, presents other suggestions.
“Cellular shades are a popular option for kitchens,” she notes, “because they’re very easy to clean.”
Woven wood shades, also easy to clean, are another choice.
“Woven wood is a grass kind of looking type of shade. It pulls up like a Roman shade. It has lots of texture. You can get it in lots of colors … like light cream, dark brown or light brown. I really like those personally a lot. They have lots of character and add warmth to a room.” And what room cries out for warmth more loudly than a kitchen?
Another advantage to this choice, Carson points out, is that woven wood shades can be approximated in vertical if you prefer to harmonize treatments throughout the home.
In the bathroom
In the bathroom, of course, one needs window coverings that can stand up to the daily assault of moisture.
You “can Scotchgard honeycomb shades,” states Leake, “so that if (they) get wet or get stained, it just simply wipes up, and (you) don’t have to even worry about it.” He notes that many of his clients are choosing the Scotchgard option for convenience. Honeycomb shades are also known as cellular shades and offer some thermal protection and sound integrity due to their unique construction.
Carson sees the same key issue. “Solar shades are made of a plastic-like material, so they are easy to clean. I use those in bathrooms.”
In the bedroom
In the bedroom, privacy is a priority, as is the ability to minimize light penetration.
“There are room-darkening shades,” explains Leake. “You might get some light coming in from the sides and the top and bottom. But there’s no light penetrating the fabric of the shade itself, so those are popular.”
And if the light that escapes around the sides and top is still too much for you, there is a solution.
“I can offer a slumber shade,” Leake explains. “It’s a honeycomb shade that has a track running down the side” to eliminate illumination from outdoors.
Carson suggests, “I might go with something a little softer in the bedroom like a Roman shade.” Roman shades can also offer up a cozy, homey feel.
Wall of windows
In new homes that feature a grand view, one wall of the house may be composed almost entirely of windows. Covering so much glass can present a design challenge.
“If there’s no privacy issue, i.e., the windows do not face a populated area such as a street,” recommends Leake, “I would probably do a solar shade. A solar shade is rated at 1 percent, 3 percent, 5 percent or 10 percent. That number (represents) the percentage of light that actually comes through that shade. And you can basically see right through it.”
Carson concurs but adds an option. “Absolutely put solar shades or Silhouettes on a wall that’s almost all windows,” she advises. Silhouettes are Hunter Douglas-branded blinds which feature a layer of sheer fabric at the front and back of the vanes. The fabric acts to diffuse sunlight into a softer, more livable indoor illumination.
Window coverings should not only be integrated into the design scheme but should also suit lifestyle needs in each room of the house. Analyzing those lifestyle needs and taking into account every available type of treatment will stand you in good stead during the selection process.
