Top 5 Picks for Today's Window Coverings
Window coverings are often one of the most trying choices homeowners have to make when buying a new home, moving to larger or smaller home, remodeling or just updating worn or out-of-date blinds or drapes. It takes some thoughtful consideration and often some good design advice to make window covering decisions that you’ll be happy with for years to come.
What window covering styles are there to choose from and what do we recommend? In keeping with simple clean-lined interior design and furniture trends, we sell more clean-lined window treatments currently than other more traditional window covering styles. Most clients want to have some light-filtering and privacy, but they don’t want heavy fabrics or fussy valances with swags and poofs. Below is a list of our current favorite window covering offerings and why we love them:
1) Woven Grass Shades
Natural-looking reeds and grasses woven into a shade material can be made into window coverings that either fold-up like a roman shade or man-made versions of this look can roll up into a tight roll at the top of the window. These shade materials add an interesting texture and warm wood-tone color that complement other wood elements in the home. These shades can be lined or unlined and can be made with top-down/bottom-up operation if desired.
2) Flat Fold Roman Shades
The cleanest style of fabric shade that pulls up in nice evenly-spaced folds and lays completely flat when closed. With or without a crisp flat valance at top, this treatment is custom made in any fabric of your choosing, like a neutral linen-look solid or a more colorful stripe or pattern and to coordinate with other fabrics in the room. When pulled up, the folded roman shades look like a valance because you still have a 6” or 8” h band of the fabric above the window.
3) Honeycomb Shades
If you’re looking for simple, practical window coverings that can give you privacy when you want it or can be pulled up almost completely out of the way when you want to enjoy the view, this could be your solution. Honeycomb shades are easy to operate because they are light-weight, they can be made with top-down/bottom-up operation, they can be made cordless and multiple shades can be operated with a single remote control. We order these shades most often in white or off-white, so they almost disappear into the window frame rather than being a design element that influences the other colors and fabrics in the room.
4) Sheer Fabric Slat Shades
These window treatments feature fabric vanes suspended between a front and back layer of sheer fabric. The shade can be rolled up into a 3” box at the top of the window and the view below completely open, or it can be rolled down and left in the closed position for privacy or it can be tilted in the down position (like a wood or metal blind) for a variety of privacy and viewing options. Cordless operation or remote control options work well for these sheer shades as well.
5) Grommet-Top Drapery Panels
These drapery panels the cleanest type of drapery eliminating traditional pinched pleats and stiffeners and one of my favorite solutions for a sliding glass door. We often have grommet-top drapes made for over a sliding glass door in combination with any of the other 4 treatments mentioned above over the other windows. We usually use simple drapery rods and grommet rings made in a coordinate metal finish. You can choose a neutral fabric or one that brings together all the colors of the room.
There are many functional factors as well as personal preferences to consider when selecting window treatments. Lorain & May Design recommends and sells a large array of window treatments to help clients with their window covering decisions. If you're considering your options, feel free to call us so we can help you make the most of your window covering investment.
