KAREN WIGHT -- No place like home

Window treatments are one of your home’s most complicated equations to

solve. There are so many factors to consider: room decor, window

position, need for privacy, flow with the rest of the house and the

budget for the job. In addition, the choices are prolific and confusing.

It’s hard to get the scoop on all of the new products offered, and

sometimes (to your horror) you need more than one element to finish the

job. Maybe you need a pleated shade and a fabric valance to get the look

you’re going for.

The first rule: have an open mind. If you have ever said that you’ll

never have sheer curtain panels because they remind you of your grandma’s

house, sheer curtain panels is what you’ll need. It’s a universal law.

Tackle the job logically. Get some paper out and write a list of your

objectives for the window(s). Let’s use a child’s room as an example. The

list may look something like this: 1) bring more color into the room; 2)

block out the sun for naps and nighttime; 3) don’t spend the college

tuition to accomplish task. Now for a list of choices.

A great source available to everyone is a window ware catalog named

smith+noble. This company has done a good job with their catalog over the

years and does an excellent job of showing the many choices available.

The window treatment industry is morphing on a daily basis and the more

info you have, the better. Unfortunately, they can’t make the choices for

you. You’re on your own for that one.

Another good source is The Home Depot. It has a large sample showroom and

you can see everything from shutters to verticals to honeycombs shades.

You can feel the materials, see the scale, look through sample books and

get ideas for the window challenges in your own home.

One of the most popular choices in the past several years has been

plantation shutters. These shutters look elegant and substantial, add

architectural interest, insulate well and are very low-maintenance.

However, you do pay a price for all of this elegance evoking gracious

Southern mansions. These window treatments should be considered an

investment in your home, not only a way to treat a window.

Another option is Venetian blinds. Very popular in the 1930s and ‘40s,

these workhorses come in a variety of materials, widths, colors, and

ladder tapes. They can be adjusted for minimum or maximum privacy, are

relatively cost-effective, and give you the option of adding color to

your room.

Smith+noble also offers an impressive line of “natural” Roman shades made

of bamboo materials, reeds in differing woven densities and old-fashioned

matchsticks. They can be ordered with a privacy liner if that suits your

needs.

These look great on their own or paired with curtain panels on the side

of the window.

The company has just added a line of natural valances as well. If you

don’t need a full window treatment and privacy is not an issue, valances

add the “eyebrow” your window needs at a fraction of the cost of full

curtains or shades.

Back to the list of requirements for our sample project.

We want more color for the room and a way to use the bedspread and pillow

patterns. This sounds like a fabric valance. Under the valance, we need a

shade that tucks away so it can’t be seen when not in use, that can be

mounted on the inside of the window and can be ordered with a privacy

liner. And it’s cost-effective.

Venetian blinds? No, the stack is too deep. Silhouettes? Too expensive

and the cord could be a safety issue. Duettes? Again, the cord is a

problem.

Roller shades. Old-fashioned roller shades are a great choice for our

project. They roll up unobtrusively, can be ordered with a privacy liner

for that important nap and nighttime schedule and are inexpensive. Add a

little tone on tone braid detail at the bottom of the hem and a handsome

pull, and roller shades are the perfect choice for our list of

requirements.

Hopefully, not all of your windows will require brain taxation. Once you

determine your favorite treatment, you can use the same theme throughout

the house, varying the fabrics, colors or layering effects. If it’s

possible, use similar treatments on the windows that face the street; the

continuity is nice.

Windows are frames for a beautiful view, insulators, air conditioners,

and important elements in your decorating scheme. Windows offer an

opportunity to add elegance, style and appeal. Your window to the world

deserves the best possible treatment.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Saturdays.