Window treatments

Amanda Ncube
WHATEVER style you want to create for your home, windows are one of the most important visible elements to consider. The way you treat your window creates an ambience which enhances the look of your home into a stylish retreat.

Most people do not see the importance of window treatments, they just see them as simply swaths of material, arranged or draped or pleated over an opening to the outside, a space waiting for you to unwrap.

However, interior decor experts claim that there is more to window treatments than what people know.

Here are some ideas to inspire you to make the best choice for your windows.

Creative director of Ragner Enterprises Karen Masuku, who specialises in interior decor said homeowners and decorators tend to focus less on window treatments, which is one of the things that completely updates the style of a home.

“What I have noticed in most homes is that homeowners or decorators focus more on the actual building and furniture while window treatment is often under looked. Window treatments are an important thing to consider when designing a space hence more effort needs to be put on them.

“When it comes to window treatments there are plenty of options to choose from for different purposes and functions but that could be overwhelming because for everything there are different fabrics and brands,” explained Masuku.

She said regardless of how overwhelming this task may be, one thing to note is that there are only a few (window treatments) that will work best for every home hence homeowners need to ask themselves a few questions before they select what will work for them.

“These questions include: what is the purpose of a certain window treatment, for example if it’s a curtain you will need to know what you want to use it for. If your major concern for putting it is for privacy purposes then there are certain curtains you need to select. You need to understand that with every room things are different, for example the background of a kitchen may differ from that of a lounge or any other room.

Masuku explained that you also need something that will blend into the background . . . something that will add a decorative fresh look, for instance a lounge is all about being decorative and to complement all the furniture in the room.

“Another thing that homeowners need to consider is how easily a window treatment can be maintained, they may be wooden blinds because some fabrics need dry cleaning. As for those who are renting you need to know how long you are going to be in that space because you might get different window sizes for different houses that you move into. That will force you to dig deeper into your pocket every time you move into a new space.

“As for bigger spaces, you don’t necessarily have to have curtains for your homes, especially if the window is big, you can just tint it.

“There is no need to have the same window curtains throughout your house, they may differ from bedroom to bedroom or any other room. You do not need that monotony unless you want it . . . never feel like your bedroom or living room must be the same. Make sure that every room and your décor and your window treatments flow together so that as you move from room to room they complement one another,” said Masuku.

She said you need to consider what look or feel you want to achieve as window treatments give you a chance to completely update your home style hence you need a look that you will love.

“I would suggest that people get something that is elegant and simple, something that will drape, a curtain that is in fabrics that will drape from underneath your corners on the ceiling, it gives you that long feel as it drapes all the way down. One way to make it look beautiful is to add a different colour or materials at the bottom or a trimming on the sides to make it unique,” added Masuku.

“I would recommend Roman shades for your picture windows or windows that you would like to open completely such as in the kitchen, you don’t want your kitchen curtains to have stains of soap because most of them are usually by the sink.

“Valence is also a style to consider — it is a style for top treatments that make them look very lovely, also consider the hardware (rods or rings), designers put more efforts on these because they are right in the eyes of people, they are visible. Most of the times you need to work with the length of the window in order to get right sizes of the curtains so that they won’t look skimpy,” she explained.