Lessons for the Windows

Fabulous windows can make a boring room enchanting and a small room feel grand.  I do not think you need a decorator or even a huge budget to make a statement.  Here are some ideas I have noted to make  window treatments work for you: 



MAKE A ROOM BIGGER:

(from Home Goods Blog)

First the way curtains are hung can dramatically change their appeal:  The curtains #2 on the right is much bigger and more appealing.  Not all houses have high ceilings, but good window treatments can help you make it feel as if you do.  Always hang out and above the frame of your window.  Force yourself to maximize the space. 

PULL TOGETHER A DESIGN:

Simple trims can make an entire room feel cohesive.  This picture is from the Colefax & Fowler website.  They have lined the curtains with a check (even a 10" strip can give this effect)  The thin red trim makes the color pop.  If you are paying a seamstress to make your curtains consider adding some flair.  Details like this make each part of your room more interesting.


ADD INTIMACY:

Use your windows to change the feeling of the room.  This picture from the book Interior Inspirations. Here: Roger Banks-Pye, (genius) has fixed the intimacy problem created by a large triple or bay window.  While bay windows can be wonderful for light, they can also make rooms feel exposed and bleak.  Roger creates a coziness here by treating each piece of the giant window as a single window.  Notice the blue trim and check.  His trims picks these up in other parts of the room.  This picture makes me want to invite a friend for tea.

ADD WARMTH:

Cathy Kincaid's (a fabulous designer) living room as pictured in D Magazine.  The over-sized check drapes make this little room so warm.  Can you imagine a bare window here?