With the grey and gloomy winter skies gradually clearing, Spring is gently knocking at our doors with peeks of colour and sunnier warmer days promised and you may be looking to introduce some colour and pattern into your homes. If my Ultimate Guide to Wallpaper & Your Homes was a step too far for you, then maybe consider looking to your windows instead.
How To Dress Your Windows With Colour Pattern & Texture
Purlfrost Violetta Window Film – Purlfrost
More often than not, dressing our windows is often one of the least thought about design elements. But it has to be said it’s an important one that you should consider from the outset. Window treatments not only enhance your homes, reinforce the style you’ve chosen to decorate, they control the amount of natural light that enters a room, a well as creating a focal point to a room.
Whichever way you look at it choosing the right style, colour, texture and maybe pattern when dressing your windows can create a huge impact on the overall look and feel of a room. It can also be mind-boggling as to what to choose. Your window treatments should enhance and tie in with your overall design scheme and can add that all-important textural element, together with pattern and colour.
Before choosing what type of window treatment to go for you’ll need to assess the following:-
Considerations:
Light & Privacy
Wooden Blinds, Luxury Pink & Blue Gloss Wood Venetian Blinds – Englishblinds
How much natural light and how you use a room will have an impact on what type of window treatment you’ll be needing. Think about functionality as well as the practicality of the room and the tasks you’ll be carrying out in there. For example, if you have a home office that receives lots of natural light, you’ll probably need to be able to adjust the amount of light entering the room at different points of the day to prevent glare from the midday sun. Adjustable Venetian blinds are perfect for this. Whereas a bedroom area will require complete darkness at night and privacy you might want to consider curtains and/or blinds combination.
Budget
Icarus Patterned Windowfilm – Purlfrost
Opting for the best solution to manage your light and privacy might not necessarily fit your budget. Whatever you choose work with the funds you have available with the right solution to manage your light and privacy. For example, ready-made curtains are cheaper than made to measure and you can purchase blackout lining separately if necessary.
Practicality
Think before you buy if you don’t have the time or money to invest in cleaning curtains or slatted blinds, for example, you might be better off with window film or roller blinds that are treated so that they are easier to clean especially in kitchen and bathroom areas that see a lot of action.
Safety
If you have young children and pets you’ll need to bear in mind the safety aspect of certain window treatments. If you like the look of blinds then cordless blinds are available.
How To Dress Your Windows With Colour Pattern & Texture
Blinds
Chocolate Roller Blind – Englishblinds
Blinds not only help control the level of natural light and bring you privacy, they can also help you on the road to inject some colour and pattern into your homes. They also don’t impose on the space within a room unlike curtains that when drawn open take up room either side of a window. Roller blinds are practical, cheap alternative and are relatively easy to install and are easy to keep clean. Whereas fabric roman blinds and Venetian blinds require more care and time.
Add Textural Interest
Image Carpetright Colombus Large Floral Carpet – Carpetright
It’s important to add texture to neutral spaces to create visual interest. This fabulous space above benefits from using solid coloured fabric roman blinds to introduce subtle texture to highlight the magnificent windows and add some substance and depth to the room and balance the decorative patterned carpet perfectly.
Tie-In Colour Schemes
Pop Art Blinds, Luxury Retro Floral Patterned Blinds – Englishblinds
Introducing colour and pattern when dressing your windows will help tie in colour schemes and add visual interest. The bold floral pattern of the blinds above creates not only a focal point to the room but visual balance through colour and pattern.
TIP: Heavier fabrics such as velvet are also better at insulating your homes during the cooler months.
Reinforce A Style
Premium Royal Blue Velvet Curtains – Curtains2go
Think about how you’d like your room to look and feel and use your windows to reinforce both. Here a darker styled room is given a luxurious feel with wonderful velvet curtains.
TIP: As a general rule darker rooms and monochromatic rooms benefit from adding texture and what better way to do it than with curtains or blinds. You can read more about texture and it’s importance with my How To Use Texture & Colour post.
Kitchens
Hadley Linen Vintage Violet Roman blind Blinds 2go
Kitchen spaces can often be devoid of colour and pattern and are ideal spaces to incorporate both. Consider blinds or window film as they’re not only functional they are better suited to high traffic areas than curtains which could pose a trip hazard and or messy fingers from little ones. They are also more practical and easier to clean.
Bathrooms
DuoShade Zinc thermal blind- Blinds2go
Flexible window dressings like this versatile blind allow you to not only filter the light through its slats it also allows you to lift from the bottom or lower from the top as well as everything in between. It’s also perfect for keeping the heat in the winter and cooler in the summer months with its thermal properties.
WINDOW FILM
Stained Glass Effect Windowfilm – Purlfrost
Decorative whilst ensuring privacy, window film is a great alternative window treatment especially if you have difficult awkward windows to dress. You can go as bold as you want or add more subtle pattern. There’s an abundance of choice available.
Window film is also a more affordable solution to adding some decorative touches. They not only provide solar control (sunlight), privacy, and safety but are perfect for adding decorative touches to your homes. The film itself is long-lasting and durable, making it suitable for application in demanding locations such as kitchens and bathrooms. Window Film is easy to keep clean too!
You can find out more about window film here.
CURTAINS
Curtains are definitely making a comeback in the interiors world and are brilliant at softening and framing your windows.
Blend
Image – 1stdibs
Of course, you don’t necessarily have to opt for a different colour you could use the same hue fabric to match your wall colour and your curtains will seamlessly blend in with their background when pulled back and when they’re drawn closed you’ll create a seamlessly blended scheme.
TOP TIP: If your room receives a lot of natural sunlight opt for lighter coloured curtains as the sun will bleach the fabric over time.
Add Femininity
Image – Therugseller
Curtains pooled onto a floor add an air of dramatic femininity and soften window areas and are ideal for spaces where you want to create an air of elegance and luxury.
TOP TIP: Hanging your curtains higher to the ceiling will provide the impression of height especially useful if you have low ceilings.
USE OF PATTERN
Mix It Up
Bluebell Gray Meadow Rug – Modernrugs
Introduce subtle pattern to compliment larger motifs in a room like this fabulous space above with its large bluebell rug. It’s easier on the eye and if you have a special piece that you want to show off your curtains won’t be in competition with it.
It’s also helpful to choose one colour from your colour palette for your window treatments. It will provide visual balance as your eye is drawn to all elements of the room including the windows.
Stripes
Living Room| Charm and Colourful Mid-century Style – DelightfFull
If you have low ceilings, stripes can help provide the impression of height as they draw the eye upwards. Stripes and spots are in the spotlight this year in both the interiors and fashion world, so expect to see more of these in the coming months.
Subtle
Floral Vintage Blinds, Luxury Pink Patterned Bedroom Roller Blinds – Englishblinds
Enhance a neutral colour scheme with soft subtle patterns to your windows to create interest to an otherwise bland look to a room.
Combined Flexibility
Natural Wooden slatted blinds – Englishblinds
If you want full control of the light entering your room, but also love the visual softness that curtains bring opt for a combination of blinds and curtains.
Shutters
Image – Shutterlyfabulous
There are an abundance of shutters available on the market from modern slatted shutters for a modern look to solid panels that work well in traditional Victorian style homes.
Solid panels are great for children’s bedrooms as they provide more light blockage than slatted ones, especially if your little ones are early risers these may encourage them to lie in that little bit longer!
They can be expensive and are more of a permanent feature so you’ll need to consider the pros and cons of this type of window treatment. The pros are they are great at insulating your homes during the winter months whilst the slatted (plantation)shutters are great at varying the amount of light into a room. The downside can be their cost depending on style and the type you go fo. They’re less decorative than their counterparts as most will stick to a neutral shade such as an off-white as this helps when it comes to redecorating a room.
Whatever window treatment you decide upon, remember that this design element is as important as the walls that your decorate and will have an impact on how your room will look and feel.
Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!
Maria x
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