# Window treatment options?



## BlindsInstaller

What are you trying to accomplish with the window coverings? Do you want them for light control, insulation, privacy, decoration, all of the above?

Did you take the curtains down because you don't like curtains, or just because you were tired of the ones you had? 

You don't have room here to install anything that won't intrude upon the appearance of the window. Your challenge will be to find a treatment that provides the functionality you want combined with a look you can live with.

That can be done but more information about your likes and dislikes would be helpful.


----------



## bokeh

I took the curtains down because they were kind of dated. They were ahout 25 years old aand the pattern went with the wallpaper that use to be in that bedroom. There is carpet in that room now, hut is eventually going to be replaced with something different, possibly wood flooring. The curtains also hid the side Windows when open

The main concern right now is for light control and probably privacy. It is a guest bedroom, so privacy is a concern.

Not concerned with insulation. 

Decoration, only semi concerned. I'm doing this project for family. O don't want to spend a ton of money, but I do want the room to be ready for use by guests in 12 days.


What I had in mind was some type of blind that fan go on the insides of the frames. That way, even whan closed you still have tje oak trim disable, which I think is a nice touch on that wall. And whan the blinds are open you have the trim and leaded glass to see. I'm just not sure what types of blinds to go with.


-thanks


----------



## BlindsInstaller

It is hard to tell from the photo, but it doesn't look like you have much room (depth) for installation brackets for an inside mount.

I see a crank handle in the window on the right and there is probably one in the left window as well - those will always be a nuisance but you can learn to live with them.

I think I can also see what looks like an alarm sensor in the upper right corner of the window on the left. Those can be a problem if they are big enough to interfere with the installation. Depending upon the blind or shade you choose just be sure the sensor leaves room for the brackets.

As for the product that will fit a shallow window opening and show off the wood and the glass, your best choice is probably a cell (honeycomb) shade. When they are open they stack in 2 or 3 inches, they allow filtered light but will protect against sun fading and heat gain. Blackout is available if you want it really dark. They provide good privacy. They are available in many different colors but all appear white from the outside. Pricing is reasonable. 

The factory will cut them to fit tight so be real sure of your measurements (no pressure).

If you need them in 12 days you'd better get moving. Good luck.


----------



## MagicalHome

That's a nice picture window. The frames on the windows and door shows no place to put brackets for blinds or curtains.


----------



## bobtheblindguy

A cellular shade is a good choice if you have the room for an inside mount. Another option to consider is a sheer shade, you can have it down during the day to soften the light from the sun but still have your trim exposed throught the sheer. You can also control the light by tilting the slats. If you do and outside mount about 4 inches above the trim, the shade will disappear into the headrail when drawn up. Here's a picture with 3 sheer shades side by side. Left one is drawn up into headrail, center is tilted closed and right is tilted open. Good luck


----------



## krankie

What about framing the wall with curtains and adding a bench window seat? It would look like it’s own little seating area.


----------



## bobbiesoxer

*some suggestions: cellular shades, wood blinds*



bobtheblindguy said:


> A cellular shade is a good choice if you have the room for an inside mount. Another option to consider is a sheer shade, you can have it down during the day to soften the light from the sun but still have your trim exposed throught the sheer. You can also control the light by tilting the slats. If you do and outside mount about 4 inches above the trim, the shade will disappear into the headrail when drawn up. Here's a picture with 3 sheer shades side by side. Left one is drawn up into headrail, center is tilted closed and right is tilted open. Good luck


I agree, if you can cellular shades would work best especially for a bedroom because they tend to let light in without sacrificing your privacy. I would also recommend wood blinds or natural looking shades, because it would really enhance the gorgeous wooden frames of your window. Levolor makes some good ones, that's where I got mine from.


----------



## simplemind

bobtheblindguy said:


> A cellular shade is a good choice if you have the room for an inside mount. Another option to consider is a sheer shade, you can have it down during the day to soften the light from the sun but still have your trim exposed throught the sheer. You can also control the light by tilting the slats. If you do and outside mount about 4 inches above the trim, the shade will disappear into the headrail when drawn up. Here's a picture with 3 sheer shades side by side. Left one is drawn up into headrail, center is tilted closed and right is tilted open. Good luck
> 
> Bob,
> Do they offer these in a top-down, bottom-up type?


----------



## windowblinds

For window blinds...click on http://www.aaablinds.com/sb.cn and get Window Coverings, Window Treatments, Shades, Blinds and Shutters Custom fit and manymore...


----------



## joinin

*Window Blinds*

Those cellular shades look lovely! I have written an article previously on choosing blinds and shades which I have copide below, hopefully it will be of use to you. 

Choosing blinds and shades : A buyers guide.

Blinds are considered "hard" window treatments. They have slats, or vanes, that tilt or angle to control the amount of light entering a room. They can also be fully opened, or pulled up, for an unobstructed view. Today, most blinds come with a rod that twists to tilt the vanes and a pull cord that lifts them. Cords need to be tied back or used with a child safety devise which is provided by most good suppliers. Blinds can have horizontal or vertical vanes (narrow ones are often called mini-blinds). *Venetian Blinds:* This type of blind consists of horizontal slats, and is available in a range of materials including wood, faux wood, aluminium and PVC in a variety of slat width. These blinds are best suited to windows that do not need to have the blind completely out of the way. They can be raised into a neat stack at the top of the widow and lowered down to cover the window fully. Their main feature however is the tilting rod that allows you to tilt the slats whilst the blind is in the closed position. This enables you to limit the exact amount of light and privacy created. 

Aluminium and PVC venetian blinds are best suited for bathrooms and wet rooms as they will not be affected by moist conditions that can damage wooden venetian blinds. They are widely available in a huge array of colours, finishes and textures, including wooden effect finishes that provide the best of both worlds. 

Venetian blinds offer some security benefits as well as the user can see out of the property whilst obscuring the view of people outside. Furthermore they will present a physical barrier against potential intruders.

*Vertical Blinds:* Blinds that hang vertically offer a fantastic level of light control as the blind can be both traversed across the window and tilted from left to right in order to limit the exact amount of light allowed into the room.

Verticals blinds consist of vains that hang vertically from a headrail each attached to their individual pivot point. Vertical blind vains are available in three different slat widths - 89mm and 127mm which have linking chains at the bottom to keep each vain in its correct position. Vertical blinds are also available in a wider width vain of 250mm. These blinds do not have linking chains at the bottom because they would drag on the floor when the blind was tilted closed due to the larger distance between each vain. 

The 89mm and 127mm width vains have traditionally lent themselves to the office environment, French windows and large patio windows. 250mm vertical blind have created another solution as the vains are large enough to create a panelled effect offering themselves as room dividers, full wall coverings and to windows with very deep recesses. 

As room dividers 250mm vertical blinds create a distinct look in open plan rooms allowing you the ability to temporarily separate off different areas whilst maintaining the open space through their versatility as they can be stacked neatly out of the way. 


Vertical blinds are available in a range of different materials most commonly polyester amongst other fabric compositions which are available in a wide range of colours and designs. Wooden vertical blinds have become available in recent years. Made from a finger jointed bass wood to avoid warping and twisting that has been attributed to previous methods of manufacturing wooden vertical blinds ensures a light weight and stable composition. The wooden grain effect is created by wrapping the bass wood in a paper laminate similar to one used for laminate flooring. This means that the colour and grains can be reliably manufactured within very tight batch tolerances – A feature that is not possible when using real wood as no two trees are the same.


*Window Shades*
Shades on the other hand are "soft" window treatments that can be raised or lowered for privacy and light control without sacrificing the view outside. They may be opened from the top down or from the bottom up providing complete light control whilst not sacrificing the view outside. 

*Roller Blinds* - A simple roller blind is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to cover a window and are ideal if intended for use solely as a black out in a bedroom. They can be rolled out of the way quickly and discretely when not in use and require relatively little effort to install. Given the current rate at which people currently redecorate houses, these cheap blinds, which can be bought and cut to size in the home, are a very popular choice. 
*Top Tip* - Some suppliers such as OrderBlinds.co.uk will trim a readymade roller blind for you. This offers you the chance to buy a made to measure blind at a readymade blind price.

*Bottom up Blinds *– As the name indicates, roller blinds are also available as a blind that pull up from the bottom of the window. This type of blind consists of a cassette which is fixed to the window sill from which the roller fabric pulls out via discreet cords to the top of the window which then feed through pulleys to finally tie off on a cleat at the desired height. 
These are a great solution for bathrooms, street level rooms and indeed any room that is overlooked. They provide privacy on the bottom part of the window whilst still allowing the light through the top part of the window.
*50**:50 Roller Blinds *– As a less costly alternative to bottom up blinds 50:50 blinds have been designed with a white mesh at the top of the window with an opaque fabric at the bottom. These are a great solution if your window sill isn’t large enough to accommodate the cassette of a bottom up blind or if you don’t want cords and pulleys up and around your window.

*Roman Blinds* – Folded panels of fabric that can be raised and lowered to let in natural light. Roman blinds come in a wide variety of materials, including woven wood and fabric, and are an ideal modern alternative to curtains. Choosing a roman blind consists of a number of factors depending on what you want to achieve. The fabric or material used as the face fabric is available in a huge range of plain colours, patterns, stripes and checks offering a huge array of options to compliment your decor. Once you have chosen your face fabric one of the most important decisions you need to consider is the lining. 
You can leave the blind unlined which is an ideal solution if you have chosen a sheer or a voile fabric allowing a greater amount of light into the room compared to the other options. Next are white and cream standard linings that will limit some of the light and provide a level of thermal insulation. This is the most common choice for roman blinds as this type of blind has been traditionally used to compliment curtains meaning the blind doesn’t need to block out all of the light as it is there primarily for decoration. Finally blackout linings will block out all of the light and provide a greater level of thermal insulation compared to standard lining. This application is widely considered as the alternative to using curtains as we mentioned before saving hundreds of pounds as you no longer need to buy both. Other options to consider when buying roman blinds includes interlining the blind for a more luxurious feel as well as creating better thermal insulation.

*About the author:* Matthew Forde is co-owner and founder of *www.orderblinds.co.uk* The place to find venetian blinds, vertical blinds, roller blinds, bottom up blinds, 50:50 blinds, roman blinds and more.


----------



## jenny rink

*Window treatment*

When it comes to window treatment blinds are the perfect option to choose. There are many advantages of installing blinds on your windows like you can control the sunlight coming into your room according to your need. Blinds are also available at reasonable price in the market and most of all they come in huge varieties like Roman,roller,wooden etc, so you can choose whatever you want. It can also be cleaned easily. *Blinds* not only look stylish but they are very useful too.


----------



## user1007

Girlfriend's apartment was in the gaslight district of Cincinnati so she had lots of leaded and stained glass along with oak trim. She has a massive folk art collection so there was a desire to reduce UV coming in. We put honeycomb blinds/shades inside the windows for light and UV control. They were a bit pricey but worth it and looked they looked really nice the color of the walls (a very pale straw color) and up against the oak trim.

She wanted a softer look to the guest bedroom. I used this drapery hardware schema taught me ages ago by an interior designer I worked with a lot in Northern California (see clunky drawing attached). You never see the hardware but can paint it with Krylon Fusion or something if you want. It is based on using inexpensive PVC fittings (elbows and t fittings for really wide windows), L Hooks (and screw anchors if required), PVC Sch 40 or 80, or wood closet pole material cut to length. Not to shoot one at the box stores again but the low quality L hooks they sell are likely to break on you so buy extra if that is the only place you have to get such things. 

Anyhow, once the hardware was in place we hung alternate layers of those simple cotton panels with the loops on top you can get at import stores like Pier One and World Market. I suspect TJ Maxx, Target, Big Lots, Kohl's and all might have them too. You can drag them to your local cleaners to have them hemmed if they are too long. Add some tiebacks in an accessory color and you are good to go for fairly little money.


----------



## Quimby

Really nice picture of this window,..
Its looks so great and lovely scene behind it,..,custom koozies


----------



## brownann74

Now-a-days, Window treatment is most important thing when build home. Home owners are thinking about installing window, blinds, shade and curtains.:smile:


----------



## Schrade

Bokeh asked this question 7 years ago?

And he's been off the boards for 5 years + 1 week exactly?

:confused1:


----------

