How to Ditch the Drapes and Let Your Windows Shine

Drapes are a beautiful — and functional — home privacy solution, great for covering up an unwanted view inside or out. But when your home has beautiful windows and privacy isn’t an issue, why hide them? Consider some of these classic and creative ways to dress your windows, whether you live in a secluded country house or a high-rise city apartment.

Emerick Architects

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TATUM BROWN CUSTOM HOMES

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Black Sashes

Sashes in interior design refer to the parts of the window holding each pane of glass in place — the frames within the frame.

Painting your sashes black is a classic way to create instant drama in a window without adding anything else. It’s common in countryside estates but looks perfectly contemporary in a more modern home that isn’t the size of an estate.

Fox Force Five Construction

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The window becomes like a sleek black picture frame, presenting the view beyond like art that changes a little each day.

Tip: Pair this look with small touches of black elsewhere so the space feels harmonious without looking gothic. Inexpensive frames or espresso wood chairs are perfect complements.

Victor Myers Custom Homes & Real Estate

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Green Sashes

Or try a dark green window sash. It’s softer than black but still classic and neutral, as it picks up the colors in nature. A magnificently tall ceiling like this one is beautiful but not required

Toronto Interior Design Group | Yanic Simard

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Elegant Moldings

When a client’s home has historic character, I never want to cover it up. Shades mounted inside the window frame, paired with eye-catching trim, allow light control without feeling fussy.

If you don’t have historic molding, a window is a great place to add some. It’s a smaller task than lining a whole ceiling, and you can do it in just one room.

Tip: I often paint window trim the same color as the wall to obscure any flaws or uneven edges. But I use a higher-gloss paint to make it shine.

Frame Your Views With Great Moldings and Casings

Crisp Architects

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If you have expansive windows, molding will create a more “decorated” look on the wall without blocking the view. It adds texture — so you won’t feel as though you’re surrounded solely by cold glass — while keeping the space airy.

Keep in mind when considering this look that north-facing windows are the best ones to leave bare, as they don’t receive harsh direct light. South-facing windows without shades or blinds could leave you blinded and overheated at midday. (The reverse is true in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Uncovered windows also can create more heat loss, so if you live in a cold climate, you may want to consider adding a heat-retaining film or an in-window shade for winter warmth.

LDa Architecture & Interiors

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Layered Windows 

Mirrors. Here’s a look I recently enjoyed while visiting the Shangri-La Hotel in Vancouver: mirrors layered over bathroom windows. It creates a resort feel but is practical and can be re-created at home.

Hanging a mirror in the window (either on a picture wire or by fixed metal supports) fills in the window enough to create a sense of privacy while still allowing light to filter in. For more privacy simply cover the exposed glass with translucent film.

Using a mirror this way allows you to move the vanity to areas you didn’t think possible. Imagine the floor plans you could create with your sink in front of a window.

Antonio Martins Interior Design

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The look also works with the mirror offset against the window. Using a window shade that matches the wall color helps smooth the asymmetry.

Bosworth Hoedemaker

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Shelves. As the trend of open upper shelves continues to grow, people are looking for new ways to apply them. One of my favorite ways is stretching shelves across windows.

Bosworth Hoedemaker

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Naturally, you’ll want to consider how your windows open and ensure that they remain operational.

This arrangement works with many shelves, or one, at a lower height for everyday items and a higher height for special pieces, such as the good china.

The look is especially effective when your kitchen view is of a neighboring building. You won’t feel too boxed in, but the emphasis will be drawn away from the wall beyond.

Tim Cuppett Architects

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Where possible, extend the look beyond the counters to help tie together a full room. This shelf can be used as a display space for flowers, photos or seasonal decorations.

Cathy Stathopoulos, CKD

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Lights. If you have a well-placed window in your kitchen but the angle does not invite a lot of light, it could be a perfect place to add a pendant light. The fixture will help illuminate the counter and will give the feeling of a natural radiance emanating from the outdoors.

Dungan Nequette Architects

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These layering looks can be combined to even greater effect.

ILevel

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Art. If your tastes run to the whimsical or eclectic, consider hanging art in front of a window. This creates an unexpected statement and is especially effective in contemporary condos that have no other place for art.

Tip: Make sure your art is secured well to the trim (and is in a UV-filtering frame). Or simply hang a light, inexpensive print on a stick-on hook for a fun look that can be changed when you want a different view. 

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What’s the Right Way to Hang Roller Shades?

While hanging toilet paper over or under will always be a matter of personal preference, plenty of practical reasons contribute to the ways to hang roller shades. Is blocking light more important? Appearance? Here’s what to know to help you decide. 

Blinds.com

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Standard Roll

The most common option is the standard roll, shown here, in which the fabric rolls back, close to the window glass. “Having it as close to the glass as possible blocks the most amount of light and affords the most privacy,” says Josh Gaudet, a design consultant with Blinds.com. 

Shades IN Place

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A standard roll is recommended for small reveals, meaning the window depth is shallow, because it gets the fabric farther inside the opening than if the roll were reversed. “Otherwise the shade will feel like it’s floating in the room,” says Gaudet.

The downside for a standard roll, says Gaudet, is that the roll and hardware show — a look some people don’t like.

Kiya Developments Ltd.

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If that’s the case, valances, as shown here, can hide the roll. This offers the most finished look but definitely increases the cost. In some cases adding a valance can double the cost of the shade, says Gaudet. Also, valances cover up decorative molding, which may not appeal to some homeowners. 

Thom Filicia Inc.

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Reverse Roll

A reverse roll means the fabric comes over the front of the roller, as shown here. You don’t see the fabric on the tube, so this creates a more finished look without the need for a valance.

Reverse rolls are also used for shades that have two different colors on each side of the fabric, says Kimi Brown of Manhattan Shade & Glass. This is the case, for example, with blackout shades that have white on one side and color on the other. For one of these blackout shades, hanging the roller standard would mean that the roller would show all white while the part of the shade that hangs down would be black.

A valance could conceal this, but again it’s an added cost and might look too fussy in a minimalist setting. 

DECO Window Fashions

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The reverse roll is also good for clearing an obstruction, like a window crank or door handle, as seen here, because it pushes the fabric away from the glass. 

Rachel Reider Interiors

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If light is an issue with the reverse roll, you can add curtains on the sides.

Florida Design & Associates, Inc

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Side channels, shown here, are another option. A side channel is an aluminum felt-lined channel on the sides and bottom of a window opening that the shade fits into. Think of it like a track for the edges of the shade. These create a seamless seal of shade on window, blocking all light out. It’s good for a bedroom or to create a movie theater effect in a media room. 

-Mitchell Parker

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http://www.americanhomecontractors.com/blog