At YDP it’s no secret that our ultimate finishing touch is stunning custom window treatments because they truly soften angles and hard architectural lines adding an elegance to even the most casual spaces. Window treatments fill empty space while serving a purpose and give every room that last, final bit of color and texture. And one of the absolute best things? They come in a huge variety of styles that offer lots of choices to suit all tastes. So, from swatch to window, let’s jump into the journey of custom window treatments!
Why Custom Window Treatments?
There’s something about customizing your home top to bottom. And your windows are totally part of that, so don’t leave them out of the experience! When you’re choosing your window treatments alongside a designer, the designer can give you fantastic insight and help lay out the options at your disposal. I love love love customizing window treatments because they do so much to lift the whole atmosphere of your home. For example:
- They elevate a room, taking it to the next level of design.
- They give your room its wow factor.
- They tie the look of a room together offering the ultimate finishing touch.
- It’s the one dramatic element where suddenly people seem to see parts of the room they didn’t notice before, like architectural details, art or how lovely the pillows are on your sofa. Yup, they can be that effective!
- They can also add privacy and control light.
- Custom window treatments can also be the starting point of a design plan. Imagine falling in love with a fabric and using it for the inspiration of the room. Custom window treatments allow you to do that!
Choose Your Fabric
One of the first things to consider with custom window treatments if your fabric. It’s important to keep in mind that different fabrics behave differently in certain settings. A great example is that silks, cottons, linens and natural fibers accept dyes beautifully, but they tend to fade in direct sunlight. The best solution is to use both a lining and interlining for these curtains (we can’t choose what fabrics we fall in love with after all), or select a fabric that has either synthetic fibers or a mix of natural and synthetic fibers.
Then, let’s move on to the fabric design. Solid or pattern? Casual or formal? Functional or stationary? Here’s where it gets a little more technical and the expertise of a designer helps make the decision so much easier. To make all these decisions, there are few more things to take into consideration.
Choose Your Style
I don’t want to overwhelm you, but there are quite a few styles to choose from. This is something that isn’t always taken into consideration beforehand and can lead to some stressful decision-making days. So here’s a quick guide:
- Draperies
- Valances
- Cornices
- Sheers
- Roman shades
- Roller Shades
- Hard treatments
- Soft treatments
Consider Lifestyle
Every home is different and serves the owner in different ways. Depending on how each room is used, what you want that room to say and feel like, and if there are any specific needs you have to make your day-to-day easier, your curtains are really defined by your lifestyle. Some things to think about:
- Do you want to block an unsightly view or perfectly frame a magnificent one?
- How do you want to manage and maintain natural sunlight?
- Do you need blackout lining for a better sleep?
- What about mechanical elements for hard-to-reach shades and curtains?
Choose Your Jewelry
Probably one of the most fun aspects is choosing the embellishments for your curtains with trims, tassels, decorative tapes, and unique rods and finials. These elements come in different finishes, designs, and materials. Often we start with the fabric, and then use its pattern and colors to choose complementing hardware that makes the whole composition pop. From metal and hard wood to acrylic finishes and even customized colors, the sky is the limit with the decorative elements for your curtain details. Additionally, there are lots of different accessories like tie backs that come in many different styles that just add a bit of character and functionality.
The Final Step
Once the hard decisions are made, the designs are drawn up, and the finishing touches chosen, I set to work with my team to hang your curtains and make sure all the details are in place. Then you can enjoy your space, allowing the curtains to shine!
From swatch to window, the process of creating custom window treatments involves a number of important decisions. But the end product is beautiful, light controlling, aesthetic-enhancing window treatments that turn your home into a space you can enjoy to its fullest!
Now it’s your turn to put amazing custom window treatments in your home! Let’s do this thing!
