Many homeowners find themselves with the same window treatments in every room. They have the same blinds and curtains in the bathroom, living room, bedroom, and kitchen. That’s not necessarily what they want, but that’s the only window treatment they know. If you have found that blinds and curtains is your “go-to” for window treatments, you’re not alone.
To help you break out of your “go-to” window treatment, here is a list of non-traditional treatments:
Plants
A great way to bring greenery into your room is a window garden. You can place plants on a window shelf, hang them from the window head, or keep them on the windowsill.
To hang plants, install hooks near the corners of the window head. You can use leather straps, ropes, or chains to hang the plants. This method also works to hang a window shelf. Use a shelf if you want to have multiple plants side-by-side.
Banners
If you don’t mind letting the light in, use a banner for a simple window treatment solution. You can use fabric, ribbons, or coloured paper to tailor the banner to your room décor. For example, a pink ribbon banner would look great in a little girl’s room. Mix and match colours within the banner to add variety.
Scarfs
For an old-fashioned country window treatment, try hanging a see-through scarf in your window. Hang the longest edge of the scarf along the window head with a rod or hooks. For a country kitchen, consider hanging a rectangle scarf across the middle of the window with a rod. Choose thin scarfs that let the light through to create an old-fashioned touch.
Barn Doors
Another great country window treatment is barn doors. They are prefect to bring an antiquated and tough quality to a rooms design. However, they tend to overcrowd small rooms. Make sure you have large windows and extra space that can accommodate large doors. Hang the doors on a track that runs along the top of the window and extends at least a foot past the window edge.
Stringed Papers
You can hang stringed paper from a curtain rod for a playful window treatment solution. Secure the string with rod hook clips. Keep in mind variety by including two or three different colours of paper along the string. Space the paper at least a couple of inches apart to avoid a cluttered look.
Fold or cut the paper into interesting origami patterns, triangles, or squares. Get creative with the project because the possibilities are endless.
Hangers
Use an old-fashioned wood hanger with a drape clipped to it for a classy window treatment. Secure the hanger hook along the top of the window edge with a small hole. Then use clothespins to attach a tan or cream drape to the hanger.
This window treatment may fall easily, so only use it in areas that won’t experience a lot of foot traffic. For example, you can use this in a small end hall window.
Coloured Window Shades
For the DIY, creative decorators transform a typical white window shade into a customized window treatment. You can use wallpaper, maps, or contact paper to make your window an accessory in your room.
When you use contact paper, you can print any design from the internet or make your own custom designs. Print the decal onto t-shirt vinyl paper and iron it onto your window shade. If you want to use wallpaper, you can laminate the wallpaper right to the window shade.
Swing-Arm Curtains
You don’t see swinging curtains very often. For a unique window treatment, consider using swing-arm curtains. This window treatment looks best in corner windows or small square windows. However, swing-arm curtains look great in most situations.
Fretwork Panel Screens
An elegant window treatment solution is fretwork panel screens. You typically would see fretwork panels as wall decor or on furniture doors. However, fretwork screens on windows allows light to come into the room in interesting patterns. They effortlessly distinguish geometric or floral designs in your room design.
Paintings
Whether you have a gorgeous view that you want to supplement or you don’t have a view and you want to hide it, try paintings. Paintings add a modern and abstract tone into your room design. You will need at least two windows side by side to place the painting in the centre of the window.
Pictures tend to look better with larger windows because the picture will cover some of the window space. When you use paintings, you will also want curtains to add framing to the picture and window.
Valences or Cornices
Valences and cornices are ways to frame just the top of the window. Valences are fabric curtains that hang along the top of the window. Whereas a cornice is a wood box frame placed along the top of the window. They both add height and consistency to your windows and hide the curtain rod. You can choose from hundreds of colours and designs when you choose a valence or cornice for your window.
Break out of the traditional with these unique window treatments to add variety to your home.